Foundation Course in Integrative Psychotherapy

Personal Psychotherapy

The Foundation Course in Integrative Psychotherapy requires deep personal work, which can be both challenging and rewarding, so a personal readiness, including psychological robustness and a capacity for self-reflection is important.

All students are asked to be in weekly personal psychotherapy throughout the course (for a minimum of 40 sessions). Your psychotherapy should be with a qualified and experienced UKCP Registered or BACP Accredited practitioner, or equivalent. Personal psychotherapy costs are covered by students.

Overview

Our 9-month in-person Foundation Course in Integrative Psychotherapy provides an experiential introduction to the theory, skills and practice of integrative psychotherapy, in a supportive and inclusive relational learning environment. You will be introduced to the origins of psychotherapy, its core concepts, and values.

We will draw on a broad range of theory and research but primarily focus on relational psychoanalysis, humanistic and cognitive approaches. The course will also include skills observation and skills practice, as well as opportunities for in-depth relational exploration.

Who is this course for?

This is an open-access course for anyone interested in an experiential exploration of the theory and practice of psychotherapy, including:

• People who are curious about training as a counsellor or psychotherapist, or in related professions, seeking foundational knowledge and skills.

• People who are simply interested in using therapeutic knowledge for self-exploration and contemplation.

• People with a humanistic sensibility, who enjoy poetry, literature, art and music as forms of self-expression.

• People seeking diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational opportunities.

• People who have busy schedules and are looking for a part-time, flexible learning experience.

As an introductory course, no prior experience of practicing counselling or psychotherapy is required. However, we suggest students have completed an ‘Introduction to Counselling Skills Course’ (like our Certificate in Relational Counselling Skills, running for 10 weeks on a Saturday) before joining this one.

This course, or an equivalent, is a requirement before starting professional training to become a psychotherapist or counsellor at Inner Citadel and many other training organisations.

Personal Psychotherapy

The Foundation Course in Integrative Psychotherapy requires deep personal work, which can be both challenging and rewarding, so a personal readiness, including psychological robustness and a capacity for self-reflection is important.

All students are asked to be in weekly personal psychotherapy throughout the course (for a minimum of 40 sessions). Your psychotherapy should be with a qualified and experienced UKCP Registered or BACP Accredited practitioner, or equivalent. Personal psychotherapy costs are covered by students.

Course Details

The Foundation Course in Integrative Psychotherapy provides about 135 hours of training in total and is divided into three modules summarised below. Please note there is an 80% minimum attendance requirement; when missing a session, students might be invited to complete some extra tasks to keep-up with the rest of the group.

Modules

1. Foundation in Counselling Skills. Students will learn foundational counselling skills, including therapeutic presence, listening, empathic reflection, assessing clients’ preferences, alliance building, working through alliance ruptures, and sitting with painful affect. Assessment: a video recorded role-play with reflective commentary (1,500 words).

2. An Introduction to Integrative Psychotherapy Theory. Students will be introduced to some of the major theoretical orientations and will be encouraged to reflect on similarities and differences across approaches. They will also learn the key concepts informing psychotherapy integration, while reflecting on their own personal theories on how people change. By actively engaging with the course material, students will develop an informed perspective on how therapy works. Assessment: 3,500-word essay.

3. Self in Process. This module will offer opportunities for self-discovery by a contemplative engagement with philosophy, literature, and the arts. Working with metaphor and imagination, students will be invited to expand their self-awareness and share their insights within the group. Moreover, yoga and meditation practices will be introduced to support ongoing presence and bodily awareness. Assessment: 2,000-word personal process report and creative group presentation.

In addition to the modules, the course offers space for relational exploration through:

• Group process: As integrative psychotherapists drawing primarily on relational psychoanalysis, we believe we are constantly playing out our relational templates. The teaching class therefore offers an invaluable opportunity to observe and experience some analytic concepts in action.

• Space for in-depth relational exploration outside of class: Across both courses, during classes and breaks mealtimes there will be opportunities for relational exploration within the group, to support you in cultivating a reflective state of mind that can facilitate the learning and insights. During the immersive residential weekend course, there will be more extensive space for in-depth relational exploration during activities, including a welcome dinner and reflective practice circle, as well as time for individual and private contemplation.

Assessments

Students are assessed by Inner Citadel staff.

Students will also be given feedback on their participation and self-awareness, to further develop their personal readiness for future trainings.

Philosophy and Learning Objectives

We believe teaching should be a transformative practice that challenges more established ways of seeing, supporting learners in exploring novel perspectives and integrating new insights into their way of being in the world.

Being mindful of our power as tutors, we try to use it to give voice not only to underrepresented students, but also to underrepresented ideas, challenging mainstream assumptions in the field of counselling and psychotherapy.

Diversity is not discussed as part of a dedicated session, in a tokenistic way, but interwoven throughout our teaching.

Learning Objectives

Experiential learning

• To offer an enriching experiential right-brain learning process that enables the development of psychotherapeutic skills, including a capacity for moment-to-moment self-reflection, mindful contextual reflexivity, phenomenological enquiry and affect attunement.
• To provide learning through both plenary teaching and interactive discussion that facilitates the development of a discerning yet relational stance of authority and authenticity.
• To offer opportunities for input to the direction of the course, through reciprocal and responsive dialogue with the trainers based on evolving learning needs.

Personal and professional learning development

• To begin to cultivate one’s own Inner Citadel through exploring and developing different dimensions of Self, including affective, cognitive, relational, physical, behavioural and transpersonal aspects of experience.
• While supporting one’s personal development, this also cultivates the use of a multidimensional Self as the professional instrument of the therapeutic work, facilitating change and healing.

Relationship and community

• To facilitate spaces beyond the ‘classroom’ for in-depth relational exploration where trainees can really get to know each other and make use of the potent relational possibilities of the group to enhance their reflective capacity and learn about themselves and others.
• To create a community through the Inner Citadel where people can authentically connect and experience a sense of belonging.

What is an Inner Citadel

An ‘Inner Citadel’ is a sacred, contemplative space within our Self that is private, precious, and protected from external stressors. Yet it is also a relational space where we can invite others in to connect and express ourselves, feel heard and be seen. We believe therapy can be a profound experiential journey toward cultivating an Inner Citadel in ourselves.

As the maze of the Inner Citadel symbolises, this journey may not be linear nor easy, but it can be an expansive and enriching process of discovery across multiple dimensions of Self. Looking beyond alleviation from clinical symptoms as a therapeutic goal, cultivating an Inner Citadel can enable people to find greater authenticity, meaning and fulfilment in their daily lives, while acknowledging the impact of intersectional and societal systemic factors on a person’s reality.

Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving.
It doesn’t matter.
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vows
A thousand times.
Come, yet again, come, come.

Rumi –

Course Leader

Logistic Details

Fees

Registration and Payments