If you are interested in any of the courses, the next stage is to attend a Taster Day which includes a formal interview. The next Taster Day is on Saturday 6th September 2008 (9.15am-6.30pm).

Diploma Course in The Therapeutic and Educational Application of the Arts (Level One)

Masters Degree/Diploma in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy

Masters Degree/Diploma in Integrative Child Psychotherapy

Masters Degree in Education: Emotional Literacy for Children

Masters Degree in Education: Creativity and Imagination

Certificate in Emotional Literacy for Children and Certificate in Creativity and Imagination

Conversion Courses from Adult Counselling or Psychotherapy to Diploma in Integrative Child Psychotherapy and Diploma in Therapuetic Counselling with Adolescents

Certificate / Diploma in Creative Group Therapy

Post-Qualification Course: Certificate in Supervision

Diploma Course in The Therapeutic and Educational Application of the Arts (Level One)

All Candidates Must:

Be committed to working with the Arts and the active use of the imagination in the ways outlined by the philosophy of The Institute
Agree to abide by the Code of Ethics, Code of Practice and Code of Conduct adhered to by The Institute
Undertake personal psychotherapy with approved practitioners over the duration of the course

Be able to demonstrate the following capacities and abilities:

Potential empathetic therapeutic presence
The ability to be self-aware, open and emotionally undefended
The ability to create with ease both mental and artistic images
Sound emotional literacy skills
Emotional robustness
A good ability to play
A good level of contact with others.
An accepting, compassionate, as opposed to judgmental, attitude towards others
The ability to stay stable under stress
A positive rather than frightened or inhibited relationship to the Arts

Masters Degree/Diploma in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy

Candidates wishing to enter the MA Degree / Diploma course, in addition to the entry requirements for the Diploma course (Level One), must normally have the following:

A first degree from a British university or its equivalent, a qualification in a helping profession or in education, or a minimum of five years’ professional experience in therapy or a related field with the proven academic ability to work at Masters level standard
The Diploma in The Therapeutic and Educational Application of the Arts from The Institute, or an equivalent qualification from an alternative, recognised psychotherapy training college
The completion of at least one year’s in-depth personal psychotherapy
Minimum age of entry – age 25

Be able to demonstrate the following capacities and abilities:

A sound grasp of fundamental therapy skills and fundamental psychotherapy theory
The ability to work with competence, empathic attunement and depth with a full range of affect states
To have an awareness of their own feelings and personal process
The ability to support themselves when working with a client’s negative transference. This means that the candidate would not become defensive in the face of criticism, and would be able to maintain an empathic thinking stance
The ability to maintain or quickly regain their thinking function when working with a client, as opposed to becoming overwhelmed by or confluent with a client’s feelings

In order to qualify, students with no previous counselling or therapy training must also have completed a short course in counselling (available at The Institute). This can be attended during the Certificate or MA Degree / Diploma course.

Masters Degree/Diploma in Integrative Child Psychotherapy

In addition to MA Degree/Diploma admission criteria as detailed above:

At least one year’s experience of working with children in a responsible role
Healthy free-child ego state from which to be fully present and play with a child
Healthy adult ego state from which to be able to analyse and reflect with a child
A highly developed capacity for warmth and empathy
The capacity to fully and authentically amplify a child’s positive affect

Masters Degree in Education: Emotional Literacy for Children

Candidates must have:

First degree or qualification in education
Experience within a helping profession/the arts/education
Able to engage creatively with a wide range of art forms
The ability to create with ease both mental and artistic images
Emotional robustness
Demonstrate sufficient maturity and life experience
Ability to play
Warm, empathic, good interpersonal skills
Demonstrate a clear engagement with the arts in life and work

Masters Degree in Education: Creativity and Imagination

Candidates must have:

First degree or qualification in education
Experience within a helping profession/the arts/education
Able to engage creatively with a wide range of art forms
The ability to create with ease both mental and artistic images
Emotional robustness
Demonstrate sufficient maturity and life experience
Ability to play
Warm, empathic, good interpersonal skills
Demonstrate a clear engagement with the arts in life and work

Certificate in Emotional Literacy for Children and Certificate in Creativity and Imagination

Candidates must have:

A minimum of two A Levels
Sufficient life experience, maturity, compassion and self-awareness
A good capacity to play and image creatively
An undefended attitude with self and others

Conversion Courses from Adult Counselling or Psychotherapy to Diploma in Integrative Child Psychotherapy and Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling with Adolescents

BACP/UKCP or UKATC Registered Counsellor or Psychotherapist
Must have accrued substantial one-to-one counselling or psychotherapy hours of working with children under clinical supervision
Healthy free-child ego state from which to be fully present and play with a child
Healthy adult ego state from which to be able to analyse and reflect with a child
A highly developed capacity for warmth and empathy

Certificate / Diploma in Creative Group Therapy

This course is appropriate for those with a keen interest in learning about groups and those who already have groupwork experience. All applicants must have completed at least one year of personal psychotherapy.

Post-Qualification Course: Certificate in Supervision

This course is open to anyone who has completed 3 years of post-qualifying clinical work.

(Please note: Graduation from one level of training to the next is not automatic and requires the submission of a formal application / interview.)