training standards  
 

EFPP Byelaws
The following minimal training standards have been agreed for qualification of psychoanalytic psychotherapy practitioners in the public sector

with Adults Psychoanalytic psychotherapy

with Children & Adolescents Psychoanalytic psychotherapy

with Groups

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy training for adult individual therapy
Training can only occur in an organisation with training as one of its specific purposes. The organisation will keep a record of it's members. That record will clearly define those who are, according to the organisation, entitled to practice as qualified Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists or Psychoanalysts. For recognition as a qualified Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist by EFPP, that organisation's minimal criteria for qualification and recognition of a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy practitioner of individual therapy should be a minimum of a 3 year training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Candidates for this training should already possess a degree or a qualification to practice in the caring professions.

The training has the following MINIMAL requirements:
In 1991, personal psychoanalysis or individual psychoanalytic therapy of an intensity not less than twice a week for three years commencing during (or preferably before) the formal training and with a therapist formally approved by the organisation as suitable to offer a training therapy.
By 1995, personal psychoanalysis or individual psychoanalytic therapy of an intensity not less than three times a week for four years, in sessions of at least 45 minutes commencing during (or preferably before) the formal training and with a therapist formally approved by the organisation as suitable to offer a training therapy.
Individual supervised psychoanalytic psychotherapy treatment of patients of whom the number and intensity of treatment is to be agreed by the section. The frequency of supervision should be at least 40 hours of individual supervision / year. Training supervisors should be formally approved as such by the organisation. At least two cases should be supervised by different supervisors.
Theoretical and clinical seminars on Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and its applications over at least three years totalling a minimum of 200 hours.
Before qualification as an individual Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist the candidate should also have had clinical contact in a variety of settings where psychological disturbance will be encountered. These experiences should acquaint him or her with a full range of mental disturbances, different modes of therapy, and the professional and institutional dimensions to the provision of health services.
The candidate's personal suitability and progress should be evaluated by a Training Committee throughout the training.

Child and Adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy training
The amendment of the Bylaws approved and voted in the delegates meeting of March 2005:

1) Training is organised and implemented by an organisation with training as one of its primary purposes. The organisation keeps a record of its members.
2) The organisation clearly defines the status of its members and keeps a record of those members who are entitled to practice independently as qualified psychoanalytic child and adolescent psychotherapists (European certificate level). The minimum criteria, which an organization should meet in order to be recognized by EFPP as a training organization are described bellow. The full training may be divided into parts. However in order for the training to be certified by the EFPP the quantitative sum of the parts should be at least the same as the criterias stated below:
3) In exceptional cases the child- and adolescent section members of the Executive Committee of EFPP can consider such special circumstances which do not permit a member country to meet the stated training standards. Such an approval of standards below the certificate level is provisional and must be reconsidered after 5 years.

Minimum requirements for the certificate level:
I) Four to five years of training
II) 300 teaching hours of theory seminars covering, at least, psychoanalytic theory, human growth and development, psychopathology and psychoanalytic concepts and technique.
III) Psychoanalytic infant observation of 60 small group seminars (2 years, each year consisting of 60 teaching hours) covering the weekly observation of an infant from birth to 1 ½ - 2 years old.
IV) 60 - 120h small group clinical seminars, covering, at least, work
with parents, non-intensive psychotherapy, (technique) and assessment.
V) Individual supervision (120h-160h) of 400 - 480 h of intensive psychotherapy (2-3 times a week) of three different cases (young child, latency child and adolescent) of both sexes.
VI) Group supervision (60h -120h) of 3-6 non-intensive psychotherapy cases.
VII) Trainees should be in personal intensive psychotherapy or psychoanalysis with an approved psychoanalytic psychotherapist or psychoanalyst, 2-3 times weekly at least for the duration of their training.
VII) Before qualification, a clinical paper should be submitted and approved.

The teachers and supervisors should be senior child and adolescent psychotherapists. Applicants should be graduates in medicine, psychology, social work or hold an equivalent university degree. They should have some professional experience of working with children and/or adolescents of at least 2 years and should be assessed for their personal suitability.

Further clarifications of the training standards are included in the EFPP European Certificate.

Group analytic psychotherapy training
EFPP Group Section Byelaws

Psychoanalytic Group Psychotherapy Training +)

Training can occur only in an organisation which has training as one of its specific purposes. Therapists and supervisors will have been formally approved by the training organisation as competent for training puposes. The training orgaisation will keep a record of its members.
That record will clearly define those who are entitled to practice as independent and qualified psychoanalytic group psychotherapists.
It must include those senior members who are qualified through service and experience but who may not have undergone formal training. This applies only to countries new to psychoanalytic group psychotherapy or in exceptional cases and during a limited period of time.
For recognition by EFPP, the training organisation`s criteria for qualification as a psychoanalytic group psychotherapist shall fulfil the following minimal requirements.

The qualification as psychoanalytic group psychotherapist may be obtained as a training "per se" and as additional to the qualification for individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy according to EFPP standards. If the qualification is based on a qualification for individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy any alterations to the training requirements of the training "per se" are specified in each article.

A programme which extends over at least 4 years.
A personal pychoanalytic group psychotherapy experience in conjunction with the training, in total at least 240 hours. This experience should last for at least two consecutive years and can take place in a mixed group, with patients who are not in training, or in a therapy group composed of students. - If the training is based on a qualification as individual psychoanalytic psychotherapist the personal group experience should last at least 120 hours.
Supervised experience of conducting a minimum of 2 weekly groups of patients. Supervision, preferably in a group, to total not less than 180 hours, over at least 3 years.
Seminars in psychoanalytic group psychotherapy and psychoanalytic theory totalling not less than 200 hours.
Before qualification as a psychoanalytic group psychotherapist the student will have gained clinical experience in settings where a variety of psychological disturbances will be encountered; this will acquaint him or her with the full range of mental disturbances, different modes of therapy, and the professional and institutional dimensions to the provision of health services.
The candidate`s personal suitability and progress will be evaluated throughout the training; only exceptionally will a candidate be accepted who does not have university degree or an equivalent professional qualification.

+) Psychoanalytic Group Psychotherapy includes different approaches and schools such as Group Analysis by Foulkes and Bion, Grupo Operativo etc. Changes agreed at Group Section meeting 30 march 2001 in Luxembourg.


**( ): these represent recommended criteria

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last modified: 2005-04-13