Conversion Course

Programme

Terapia’s Conversion Course is a response to the growing demand for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy qualification. We recognise the fact that there are a considerable number of practitioners who trained in therapeutic work with adult clients but since have developed considerable experience and skills in working with children and adolescents. Many have attended additional short courses, workshops and lectures but were unable to obtain qualification in psychotherapy with children within their chosen modality.

The Conversion Course at Terapia provides practitioners with an opportunity to supplement their previous trainings and clinical experience in order to meet the required training outcomes for psychotherapy with children and to obtain a registration and qualification as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist.

The Course

The Conversion Course (Post Qualification Training) is spread over two years.

It consists of two parts:

  • The Core Training
  • Individual Course

The Conversion Course Core Training

The Core training takes place twice a month on Wednesdays from 10am until 4 pm with half hour break for lunch. There will be 20 Wednesday meetings per year. The group will have not more than 5 participants although some theoretical lectures may be joined by another conversion course group.

The programme of the core course will be as follow:

  • Child Development from Integrative Perspective
    • Conception
    • Pregnancy and birth
    • Physical and cognitive development
    • Development of mind
    • Development of language
    • Development of personality
    • Adolescence
    • Atypical development
    • Theories of play

    Basic issues in child development and current debates; nature and nurture, internal and external influences.

    Daniel Stern; work theories of the developing sense of self.

    Freud’s theory of the inner world; id, ego, superego.

    Winnicott’s theory on birth, birth trauma and anxiety.

    Klein’s theory of splitting, projection, schizoid and depressive stages.

    Exploration of the beginnings of ‘defences’ from a psychodynamic perspective and relationships drawing on Carroll, Gerhard, Mahler, and Freud.

    Review of theories of Freud, Klein, Stern, Piaget, Vygotsky, Chomsky, Mahler, Winnicott, Bowlby, Kohut, Gerhard and Carroll

  • Mother and Baby Observation Module

    • This module is contained within the Child Development module and it spread over two years of the course. It has at least 20 hours designated specifically to observation. It considers different theories, approaches and research findings within analytical, humanistic, cognitive and transpersonal perspectives.

    Issues of transference and countertransference

    Impact of the birth and the nature of the birth and how it affects the relationship between the mother and the baby

    The spiritual, economical, social, cultural and emotional contexts for the unborn child

    The impact of sexual identity, family positions, different physical, social and intellectual developments

    Foundation of building future therapeutic relationships

  • Child Psychiatry and Child Mental Health

    • National Health Service Framework. CAMHS Service and Tiers 1,2,3,4. Classification (ICD-10; DSM-IV) – uses and cautions. Multidisciplinary work

  • Report writing
  • Court report and Expert Witness skills
  • Clinical Supervision
  • Observation Supervision
  • Process work

Individual Course

Each student chooses modules he/she needs to attend in order to meet Terapia training outcomes and the UKCP Child Psychotherapy Training Checklist. The students need to attend 120 hours of complimentary training spread over two years.

If any student needs or wishes to attend additional courses these will be provided at extra charge of £110 per weekend module.

Below is a list of modules available to students.

Please note that the detailed programme of each module will be provided to students admitted on the course to facilitate the best choices they should make for themselves:

  • Attachment Theory and Working with Severe Attachment Disorders

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Neuroscience and the Body: Attachment, Attunement and Affect Regulation

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Autism: “To be or not to be”.

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Challenging Behaviour Disorders

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Play Therapy

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration 12 hours.

  • Working in Partnership with Parents, Carers

    • Duration of the Module: 1 session. Total duration: 2½ hours.

  • Working with Children from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds

    • Duration of the Module: 2 sessions 2½hour. Total: 5 hours.

  • Child Protection

    • Duration of the Module: 3 sessions 2½ hours each. Total duration: 7½ hours.

  • Systemic Family Therapy

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend, 4 evenings. Total duration: 22 hours.

  • Music Therapy

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend 12 hours 1 session 2½hours. Total duration: 14½ hours.

  • Art Therapy

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend 12 hours. Total duration: 14½ hours.

  • Drama and Movement Therapy – Sesame Approach

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend 12 hours. Total duration: 14½ hours.

  • Child Bereavement and Loss

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Jungian Sand Tray

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Working with Child Sexual Abuse

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Adoption and Fostering Issues

    • Duration of Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours

  • Assessment Methods

    • Duration of the Module: 2 sessions 2½ hour each. Total duration: 5 hours

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Working with Adolescents

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend 12 hour, 2 evenings 2½ each. Total: 19 hours.

  • Eating Disorders in Adolescence

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Adolescence Search for Purpose and Meaning

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Addictions and Substance Abuse

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Sexuality Issues in Adolescence

    • Duration of the Module: 1 session. Total duration: 2½ hours.

  • Working with Groups

    • Duration of the Module: 2 evenings. Total duration: 5 hours.

  • Working with Children and Families with Special Needs

    • Duration of the Module: 1 session 2½ hours. Total Duration: 2½ hours.

  • Touch and restraint

    • Duration of the module 1 day. Total duration 6 hours.

  • Research Methods

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Object Relations

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours.

  • Containment in Psychotherapeutic Relationship

    • Duration of the Module: 1 weekend. Total duration: 12 hours