Infant Observation Training

Course details:

Who is this course suitable for?

The programme is suitable for any health professional who has an interest in gaining a greater understanding of a baby’s life and early relationships and how they develop.

About the course

Infant Observation began more than 50 years ago at the Tavistock Clinic as part of the first child psychotherapy training. Its inception and development is primarily associated with Esther Bick. Her pioneering ideas, grounded in observational experiences, have had a profound and enduring influence on psychoanalytical thinking about primitive emotional states in the baby.

Infant observation takes place within the family. Unconscious communications are of fundamental importance. The observer’s task is to seek to enter the baby’s world and to observe minutely what is going on for the child within the family in relation to the mother.

What is my commitment by attending this course?

• Trainees are required to find a parent and baby to observe. Guidance will be given on how to do this.
• The course will span 7 academic terms. This allows for one term in which to find an appropriate parent-baby dyad, and two years to observe the baby.
• Time commitment is at least 3 hours per week: one-hour observation, time spent writing up the observation notes, plus time at the observation seminars. There will be 10 seminars a term, delivered via Zoom on Thursday mornings between 9.30 and 11am.

What do others say?

‘Studying infant observation was the most incredible experience: informative and invaluable beyond words. I found the discipline of observing, the reflective space required and the attention to detail very powerful. It brings an extra dimension to my understanding of work with older children and adults. It is as if I have gained an additional ‘muscle’ in my practice.’

‘This course helped me to think deeply about infant development in the context of family relationships. The seminars were a wonderful opportunity to think psychodynamically, and the course leader created a supportive environment in which difficult feelings could be contained and thought about. I wish more people working therapeutically with children or adults would undertake this valuable training.’

Accreditation

All OXPIP training is APPCIOS endorsed and contributes towards APPCIOS accreditation. APPCIOS (The Association for Psychodynamic Practice and Counselling in Organisational Settings) is a member organisation of the British Psychoanalytic Council.

Fees

The cost of the course is currently £3,300 in total for the seven terms, plus the application fee (£50) and interview fee (£75).
A 50% non-refundable deposit is due on acceptance of your place in order to secure it.
Details of additional costs are included in the handbook.
Note: these costings are effective at the time of publication but are reviewed annually.