Criteria for becoming a Training Therapist

A Bowlby Centre Training Therapist must have completed a recognised psychoanalytic psychotherapy training. All Bowlby Centre Training Therapists must be registered with the Council for Psychoanalysis and Jungian Analysis (CPJA) of the UKCP or with the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC).

All training therapists must have a minimum of five years post registration experience in working individually with clients. Training Therapists will be asked to provide evidence of the following:

• Past supervision by at least two different supervisors and work with appropriate supervision of their current practice

• A minimum of five years individual personal therapy which will have included an extended period of intensive therapy (i.e. two – three times per week)

• Experience of having built a substantial practice in which they have been working with an average of 8 clients per week.

• Awareness of the particular issues that can arise in a training therapy

• Pursuing their own Continuing Professional Development which meets UKCP/BCP/Bowlby Centre requirements (see The Bowlby Centre CPD Policy)

• That they are familiar with and support The Bowlby Centre values and are committed to working within the relational model

Additional information

It is recommended that a training therapist work with only one student from any given year. An exception would be where a student may have deferred to another year, and a situation may arise where more than one student is working with the same therapist. In this case, particular care must be taken with boundary issues.

In common with every Bowlby Centre member, training therapists will need to be aware of the power dynamics that can occur within an organisation and take care to manage these in an ethical and professional manner so as not to advantage or disadvantage themselves, their clients or other members of The Bowlby Centre community.

All Training Therapists must agree to give the CTC annual written confirmation that the trainee is continuing in therapy at a minimum of two sessions per week in Year One, and a minimum of once per week for the subsequent training years up until registration.

Bowlby Centre Training Therapists will be expected to be able to demonstrate the above criteria throughout the time that they are in the role.

Application process

A prospective Training Therapist must apply to and be ratified by the Clinical Training Committee (CTC).

Please send to the chair of the Clinical Training Committee a;

• Letter outlining how you meet the above criteria

• CV which includes education, employment and qualifications

• Reference from an experienced colleague with a minimum of 5 years post registration to vouch for your suitability for the post

The CTC may invite the prospective Training Therapists to meet with one or two of its members.

Review of training therapists

It is important for our training therapists to be role models for our students. It is expected that in the course of therapy and supervision there are ruptures. We would expect our training therapists to ensure that they seek support and guidance at these times as well as being a role model for our students in these situations.

The Clinical Training Committee reserves the right to review the practice of the training therapist should a colleague/s, student/s, or other interested parties raise a concern and/or a complaint about the training therapist’s practice. This review could lead to the CTC;

• Making contact with the training therapist to discuss any concerns and work out a way forward to address the concerns

• Advising and/or requiring that the training therapist undertakes additional training in a specific area for development

• Taking the decision to remove the training therapist from the approved list disseminated to our students. The removal could be for a specified period of time in which case there will be a requirement for the training therapist to re-apply for inclusion back onto the list.

• Following the complaints process

Reviewed by The Executive July 2024