MASTERS DEGREE/DIPLOMA IN INTEGRATIVE CHILD PSYCHOTHERAPY

(awarded by London Metropolitan University)

Philosophy of the Course

The course acknowledges:

• That external reality can impinge on a child’s emergent self in such a way as to blight future development
• That trauma, abuse, neglect and persistent misattunement can have lasting adverse effects on the actual hardwiring and psychobiochemical balances in a child’s brain, and so in turn, affect their capacity to lead a deeply fulfulling life
• With early effective therapeutic intervention, whilst the brain is still forming itself, these adverse effects can be reversed or prevented from happening in the first place

Some children do not receive sufficient compassion, comfort and interactive regulation to enable them to effectively manage intense emotional states and high levels of bodily arousal integral to any human life. The psychotherapist therefore has to function as an emotional regulator and to relate in such a way as to enable the child to establish new neuronal pathways and psychobiochemical balances necessary for the capacity to effectively process emotional experience. If these are not established, the child can grow up with repeated feeling states s/he is unable to manage, and so is impelled into non-thinking action overwhelmed by impulse, or its alternatives: emotional numbing, repression, dissociation and all manner of neurotic symptoms and physical ailments.

The neuronal connections and psychobiochemical balances which enable the child to develop effective stress managing systems and to enjoy a wide range of affect states and relational options, can only be established on the basis of relationship. To promote this relationship, the following abilities on the part of the therapist are seen as paramount:

• To be able to engage with children
• To provide accurate empathy and non-possessive warmth
• To accurately empathise with a child’s pain, grief and torment, rage and frustration etc. with a non-shaming understanding
• To develop the capacity to find ‘the words to say it’, in a way that can be heard, so the child can develop the ability to form meaningful and enriching connections with self and others
• To work effectively with any feelings which are transferred on to the therapist
• To share and amplify states of positive feeling as appropriate

As the outcome studies have shown, it is the relationship that heals, not adherence to method. Our primary concern therefore is one of treatment. This treatment is informed by Bowlby’s work on unmet attachment needs and borrows extensively from the work of Fairbairn, Winnicott, Balint, Kohut and Mitchell who all assert the primacy of relational needs. This is backed by empirical research which shows that the attachment system is genetically ingrained in the subcortical area of the human brain and, when disrupted, can trigger intense states of rage, fear or separation distress. This, in turn, can inhibit the capacity and motivation for learning, play, empathy and concern for others. This, therefore, differs from Freud in his accounts of instinct theory. Whilst use is made of this fundamental disagreement with Freud’s basic concept of human nature, his writings on psychopathology, repression, defense and transference form an important part of the curriculum.

The academic content of the course therefore concentrates on the work of key theoreticians and practitioners of this and the last century in the field of child psychotherapy. The course also prides itself in offering students the most up-to-date knowledge in child mental health. Key clinicians, researchers and theoreticians working at the cutting edge of child mental health are included in the syllabus.

By the end of the course students will be able to demonstrate:

• The capacity to analyse and to respond to what a child is communicating through transference, countertransference and through his/her use of play and imagery
• The capacity to understand the complex multi-factorial origins of child mental health
• The capacity to formulate effective treatment plans for troubled children
• The capacity to convey empathy to a child using age-appropriate vocabulary
• The capacity to provide effective therapeutic intervention solidly grounded in theory and taking account of the child in their context
• The ability to work therapeutically with a wide range of presenting problems and challenging behaviours
• The ability to enable children to process their feelings rather than unconsciously acting them out, discharging them or defending against them in detrimental ways
• The ability to work effectively with the child’s representations of their inner world and language of metaphor
• Competence in parent-child therapy interventions
• The ability to work therapeutically with a child’s representations of their inner world
• The ability to assess and differentiate indications of deeper disturbance or areas of specialist needs that cannot be addressed within the modality of Integrative Child Psychotherapy
• The ability to work ethically with a child and in ways that will ensure against psychological damage
• The ability to reflect on their own process in relation to working with children
• The ability to demonstrate an understanding of systems of referral in different settings and a readiness to take responsibility within this area
  
  

Modules

Module A: Clinical Skills in Integrative Child Psychotherapy

Module B: Principles in Child Therapeutic Practice, Ethics & Child Protection

Module C: Image Metaphor & Inner World Through Clinical Work in Integrative Child Psychotherapy

Module D: Psychotherapeutic Concepts for the Understanding of Babyhood & Childhood Experience

Module E: Parent Infant Interaction: Neurobiology, Observation & Research

Module F: Child Psychiatry & Child Mental Health

Module G: Preparation for Professional Practice (Dissertation, Case Study & Research Module)

Clinical Placements and Supervision

Students on the Integrative Child Psychotherapy course are provided with child therapy placements in Islington Primary Schools (or supported in a placement in their home county). This project has undergone rigorous research with Gulbenkian Funding. The research demonstrates that an Integrative Child Psychotherapy intervention has positive outcomes, effecting clear change in troubled children.

This course prides itself on its highly experienced and qualified staff group. Staff members have published widely. Many have key texts in the field of Child Mental Health and published papers in the following journals: Journal of Child Psychotherapy, Infant Mental Health Journal, Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Journal, Times Educational Supplement, Health Education Journal, Child Welfare, Psychotherapies with Families, Psychosomatic Disorders in Adolescence, Archives of Disease in Childhood, Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, British Gestalt Journal, British Journal of Psychiatry, Journal of Anatomy, Psychological Medicine, British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Psychiatry Today, Adoption and Fostering, Youth Counselling Bulletin, Group Analysis, British Journal of Guidance and Counselling

• The CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) National Occupational Standards compiled by the National Service Framework Skills for Health
• Government objectives for Children’s Services produced by the Department of Health and Social Services Inspectorate
• The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy Training Standards for Working with Children
• The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy Policies on Intercultural Issues, Equal Opportunities and Continuing Professional Development Policies

Once a week (Tuesdays) for 3 academic terms for 2 years. Then a final qualifying year once a month (Tuesday) plus some weekend days.

“My four years at IATE are sadly drawing to an end. I remember thinking on the Taster Day “this feels like an enchanted place”, and indeed it is! Training to be a psychotherapist is like learning to become more fully yourself and that is an exciting, terrifying, impossible and wonderful journey in itself. IATE provides creativity, imagination, fun and the Arts; leading you gently and firmly deeper into yourself, whilst at the same time challenging you intellectually. Everyday at IATE brings a myriad of experiences that stay forever. What IATE has given me I feel privileged to share.”

Aileen Webber (IATE Graduate, 2007)

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