Specialist Certificate in Psychoanalytic Therapy

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Learning Outcome

1. From the course, you will first learn about psychotherapy and the differences between this and similar practices.
   
2. Learners will explore the common elements of psychotherapy and the various ways it can help clients in either one-to-one, couples or group therapy settings and how the clients themselves can get the most from their sessions.
   
3. You will also learn what the most common forms of psychotherapy are and the differences between their approaches.
   
4. The course focuses on psychoanalysis – a method of psychotherapy that places significant emphasis on the contents of the unconscious mind.
   
5. You will gain competence in the application and practice of psychoanalytical psychotherapy.

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Who is this course for?

This course is designed for any applicant who is interested in the area of psychoanalytic therapy, individuals from diverse industries who wishes to learn more about psychology and mental health, existing professionals who wishes to have a structured review of this specific skills or aspiring private practitioners or any practitioners in the area of psychology, psychotherapy, counselling or coaching.

Requirements for enrollment

1. Diploma or equivalent (including English); or

2. NITEC or Higher NITEC (including English); or

3. Mature candidates (≥ 30 years old with min. 8 years work experience) or

4. Other private or foreign qualifications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis

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Topics

Topic 1: Introduction to Mental Health and Community Wellbeing
In this module we focus on the common mental health or community wellbeing issues that would benefit from positive psychology intervention and how to identify symptoms and behaviors.

Content covered:
Introduction to mental health. Mood disorders. Personality disorders. Relationship issues. Career and professional issues. Personal performance issues.

Topic 2: Psychodynamic
This module is designed to provide an introduction to psychoanalytic theory in general and to help students become aware of unconscious dynamics and character structure.

Content covered:
Psychodynamics. Historical Developments. Psychoanalysis, Personality Structures and the Unconscious. Tools and Techniques.

Topic 3: Clinical Assessment
This course is designed to provide a grasp of the fundamentals of diagnosis and evaluation for treatment modalities. Material is presented from both a psychiatric and psychoanalytic perspective. The format combines lectures and clinical material.

Content covered:
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual. Differences in Common Mental Health Diagnoses

Topic 4: Human Development
The purpose of this course is to begin to familiarize students with various theories of human development. The emphasis is on how issues in development impact on psychopathology and health.

Content covered:
Freud’s Psychosexual Theory of Development. Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development. Attachment Theory. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development. Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. Issues in Developmental Psychology

Topic 5: Psychoanalytic Technique
The purpose of this course is to help students learn some of the underlying philosophies of treatment and the basic principles and techniques that evolve out of these. The emphasis is on the application of these techniques to students’ work with their patients.

Content covered:
Free Association. Dream Interpretation and Analysis. Rorschach Inkblots. Parapraxes. Resistance Analysis. Transference Analysis

Topic 6: The Psychotherapeutic Relationship
The therapeutic relationship is a key element in the psychotherapeutic process. This course focuses on the beginning connection between patient and therapist and covers the process of identifying and utilizing transference and counter-transference phenomena. There is class participation with the presentation of case material.

Content covered:
Developments on the Concept of the Alliance. Greenson’s Working Alliance. Bordin’s Working Alliance. The Stages of The Relationship. Transference and Countertransference

Topic 7: Countertransference and Termination
This course is organized for the discussion of practical clinical issues and the consolidation of material previously covered.

Content covered:
Issues in Transference. Issues in Countertransference. Navigating Termination of Therapy. Ethical Considerations

Topic 8: Technique: Dream Interpretation
This course addresses the evolution of psychoanalytic dream theory and practice after Freud’s “The Interpretation of Dreams”. The module reinforces the central technique of free association in working with dreams (and generally) in psychoanalytic treatment. This module explores the uniquely catalytic role of dreams in facilitating work with developmental issues and their recapitulation within the treatment.

Content covered:
Freudian Theory of Dreams. Post-Freudian Views. Co-creative Dream Work. Five-Star Method

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What this course is not

This course is not a substitute for postgraduate qualifications to be a professional counsellor or psychologist. You will need to reach out to your respective governing bodies to achieve that. In Singapore to be a professional counsellor or psychologist will require Masters degree and above, supervised practice of at least 600 (counsellor) hours or 1000 hours (for psychologist), and registration, licensing or chartership. Overseas, the requirements are more stringent and demanding. Please contact your local regulating bodies about this.

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Duration of course

Total course duration is 24 hours and can be completed at the learner’s own pace, be it within a day or over several months. For busy adults, pre-recorded lectures are available; as such, the course can be attempted at the learner’s personal schedules.

For questions and guidance about the course content, our LMS system allows for learners to post their questions on the LMS learning wall, and a tutor will answer those queries to clarify the learner pointers.

How is this course delivered?

This course is delivered face-to-face (in person or via virtual environment) and supplemented via our e-learning portal, and through pre-recorded lectures for ease of accessibility.

Professional Membership and Certifications

Graduates from our programme are eligible to apply for the membership and registration status with:

1. Complimentary Medical Association UK (CMA UK).
2. International Association of Therapists (IAOTH).
3. International Association of Board Certified Psychology Coaches (IAOBPC).

For the Member status.

Certification

Sample Certificate