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 As one of the leading training organisations in the UK in the field of counselling, psychotherapy and supervision, the Metanoia Institute is now drawing on this knowledge of effective practice to create a child psychotherapy conversion course that is rich in content and depth, yet based in the realities of the demands of the world of employment and organisations. 

This course is for the study of child psychotherapy integration as a second training in psychotherapy - a conversion programme. Future developments will encompass the development of a introductory and intermediate year prior to two further years to offer a Master's programme as a first training course.

We are committed to examining and teaching how models and theories drawn from a deep understanding of human psychology can be used to inform and enhance child psychotherapy practice. In terms of clinical work, candidates must demonstrate their ability to work with a range of ages and must have one placement context that clearly demonstrates their experience of mental health settings.

There has been a growing increase in the number of professionals working with children and young people from a humanistic orientation. It is only relatively recently that moves have been made by various bodies to offer training and accreditation for child psychotherapists as a profession within this paradigm. As a result of this we consider that the time is right to offer our programme. We are offering a programme aimed specifically at individuals wishing to develop knowledge, confidence and skill in the area of child psychotherapy from an integrative relational orientation.
Philosophy of the Programme

The course is based on an integrative philosophy of practice, theory and research. We focus on bringing together different kinds of knowledge as a way of developing the highest capabilities in practitioners in service provision and in contributing to the development of practice-based knowledge in the profession of child psychotherapy. To this end, in the training process we emphasise the integration of the personal and the professional.
Training Programme Design

The course will review the different areas of child psychotherapy practice - infant and toddler observations, developmental theory, child protection, child psychiatry, mental health, multi-disciplinary work contexts, therapeutic interventions based on the use of creative arts, systemic approaches, parent-infant psychotherapy, severe disturbance and early relational trauma, and practitioner research - with a view to identifying the competencies appropriate to these differing areas of endeavour. We draw on research in psychology, psychotherapy and neurobiology to enrich our perspective on the field of child psychotherapy.

Entry requirements
All candidates will, at the point of entry, be UKCP registered (adult) psychotherapists and candidates will have studied at postgraduate level. The course will enable existing graduates to convert to training and registering as a child psychotherapist.
The modalities of previous training can be integrative, transactional analysis, gestalt or other appropriate modalities. Equivalent qualifications will be considered through an Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) process, where candidates will need to demonstrate previous training in relation to child development, neurobiology and trauma. Candidates with the European Certificate of Psychotherapy (ECP) will be considered in terms of equivalent qualifications.
Application procedures

Applicants must complete the application form. This must be accompanied by:
A full CV; Two references, one academic and one personal; One passport-sized photograph.
Your application will be read by the Head of Department/Programme Leader to ensure that basic entry requirements have been met. You will then be invited for an assessment interview.
Enhanced disclosures via the Criminal Records Bureau and appropriate references and recommendations attesting the suitability of candidates to work with children are essential components of the entry process.
Please note: relevant application materials (e.g. copies of certificates etc.) should be submitted at the same time in order for us to process your application as quickly as possible.

Aims of the Course
The course aims to enable candidates to become competent reflexive practitioners with the capacity to integrate theory, research and practice at a high level of personal and professional functioning in the field of child psychotherapy. The course will be suited to existing graduates to convert to training and registration as a child psychotherapist.

The values that inform our programme give recognition to:
The child's individual human rights, including the right to self-determination, within the reasonable constraints of their need for safety, protection and care, in keeping with the law relating to child protection and the rights of parents and carers. The right support and conditions, and the capacity for the child to access impeded developmental impulses and re-establish the potential for psychological well-being.
The importance of considering the experience of children and young people in the context of the overall matrix of their lives and the centrality of family, social, cultural, religious/spiritual and political systems which frame their reality. The need to recognise the value and validity of a child's experience and to recognise the creativity and resilience of infants and children in responding to the circumstances of their lives as best they can within their developmental capabilities and emotional resources, even where this manifests in ways that present challenge and difficulty in the adult world, and to recognise that the child alone is not the problem.

The particular dependency and vulnerability of the infant, child and young person, emotionally, physically, psychologically and spiritually. The particular nature of the child's experience that characterises the several developmental stages and tasks involved in growing up into a mature relationship in the world.
The need to support children in developing the skills and resources they need to deal realistically with the circumstances of their lives, as well as to emerge more fully with their own potentialities and to build trust. The multidisciplinary nature of work with children, and the vital importance of inter- and intra-professional dialogue and exploration.

Academic Co-ordinator for Integrative programmes
Cathy Simeon Office: +44 (0)20 8579 2505 Direct line: +44 (0)20 8832 3072
Email: cathy.simeon@metanoia.ac.uk