Infant Observation
During this two-year course you will visit an infant and primary carer in their own home for one hour a week, and observe them going about their ordinary, everyday lives. You will also attend weekly 90 minute seminars during term time where students discuss their observations in confidence with an experienced psychotherapist.
You will have the opportunity to think, in great detail, about a carer and baby in the first couple of years of the baby’s life, and learn how the ordinary challenges and pleasures of family relationships are negotiated. This experience aids your understanding of human development and psychology while becoming a skilled and thoughtful observer.
You will be supported to find a family during the early stages of the course.
Course Facts
Delivery: Mondays 19:00 - 20:30 over 6 x 10 week terms
Cost: £1,700 (includes £200 deposit, payable upon acceptance of offer of a place)
Who is it for?
There aren’t any formal entry requirements for this course, so it could be perfect for you if you are:
Anyone with a personal or professional interest in psychoanalytic theory
An applicant to our psychotherapy training looking for an introductory course
A mental health practitioner, counsellor, psychotherapist or trainee from another modality
How does it work?
Course Structure: 90 minute seminars are held each week during term time over 2 years (6 x 10 week terms) Seminars are currently on line, however if we have enough applicants wishing to attend in person we may start a new Bristol based group.
Students present their observations for discussion, and support is offered to find a family.
Some trainings require a 12 month Observation, others require that the observation itself (as opposed to the course) is for 2 years. We can accommodate students needing shorter or longer observations, please discuss this with us when you apply.
Assessment: Students produce a 3,000 word paper (plus up to 1,000 words of observational material) at the end of the course. This is optional for those not wishing to apply for clinical training with SIP.
Certification: You will be issued with a certificate of completion (90 hours CPD).
Aims of the course
- To develop an observational stance which is the bedrock of the analytic position. This is why it is an essential component of our Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy training.
- To become a skilled and thoughtful observer
- To learn how early experiences and patterns of relating can persist into adult life
- To fulfil the requirement for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy training
Personal therapy
This course inevitably touches on your own early experiences. You are therefore encouraged to be in at least weekly personal therapy with a psychoanalytic psychotherapist. If you are preparing to apply for clinical training, please refer to the personal therapy requirements for your intended course.
Where could this course take you?
Infant Observation is a prerequisite for application to join our BPC accredited Psychoanalytic Clinical Training. It may also meet the entry requirements for other BPC accredited trainings.
More in the Fundamentals programme
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Classical Freudian Theory
This course takes you on a journey following the evolution of Freud’s thinking, and looks at how it informs contemporary practice. You will read a carefully curated selection of Freud’s original writing (in translation), and attend weekly seminars over 3 x 10 week terms.
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Work Discussion Group
This course supports the development of the analytic stance by considering 1:1 interaction in our working lives, and what insights we can gain by applying psychoanalytic thought to these.