MA in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
APPI recognised
Introduction Psychoanalysis is a clinical practice which attends to the hidden, or unconscious, processes of the mind. From its beginning in the work of Sigmund Freud it has revolutionised our understanding of mental life and human condition. Its epoch-marking insights shed invaluable light on the fragility of meaning in our lives and on the dynamics of mental health and its collapse in illness. Psychoanalysis stands at the origin of all the major developments in psychotherapy over the past 100 years. The MA in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy is designed for graduates with a primary degree, or postgraduate higher diploma, which included psychoanalytic topics as a major component. This three-year taught programme introduces students in a thorough and rigorous way to clinical settings and practice and so is a solid basis for work in the field of mental health as well as being a foundation for training in the field of psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
. Professional Recognition The MA in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at DBS is recognised by the Association for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in Ireland (APPI) www.appi.ie Programme Structure - A training based on a series of clinical placements of between 10 and 40 week duration in mental health and educational settings supervised by senior mental health professionals in each placement
- Students will be required to attend lectures & seminars 2 evenings per week (Mondays & Thursdays) from 6.15pm – 9.30pm
- Infant observation experience supervised by a highly qualified tutor in the field
- Weekly Psychiatric Case Conference at St Vincent's University Hospital followed by a Clinical Seminar (Thursdays from 9am to 11am)
- Weekly psychoanalytic supervision tutorial
- An academic programme of lectures presented by clinicians.
Placements Supervised clinical placements occupy 1 day per week for 40 weeks in years 1 & 2 of the programme. Year 3 will require 2 full days in clinical placements. Placements are either of between 10 and 40 week duration.
Over the 14 years the MA has been running, placements have been arranged in the following settings: - Department of Adult Psychiatry, Mater Misericordiae Hospital
- Department of Psychiatry, National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street
- The Royal Hospital, Donnybrook
- Department of Old Age Psychiatry, St. Ita’s Portrane & Beaumont Hospital
- Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Lucena Clinic, Orwell Road
- Hampton Mental Health Centre, St. Ita’s Hospital, Portrane
- Stewarts Hospital, Palmerstown
- Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health Research, St. Vincents University Hospital
- Navan Mental Health Service
- St Audoen’s National School, Dublin 8
- Mounttown Neighbourhood Youth Project, Dun Laoghaire
- The Drug Treatment Board, Pearse Street
- St. Brendan's Hospital, Dublin 7
Assessment - Continuous assessment of clinical progress by Placement Supervisors following each placement experience.
- Continuous assessment by the Tutor in Infant Observation.
- Infant Observation paper at the end of first and second years.
- Continuous assessment and examination relating to academic components.
- Thesis of 10,000 to 15,000 words at end of second year.
Careers
For students who wish to pursue training as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist but who have minimal clinical exposure to the phenomena of mental suffering, which include psychiatric illness, addiction, learning disability etc, this MA provides the ideal initial step of that training. Currently a basic requirement for entry into work in the field of mental health is having experience of mental health settings during training. The MA in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy is unique in Ireland in providing a very impressive amount of hours in challenging clinical settings. A graduate with this amount of experience should satisfy concerns of any potential employer regarding their ability to work in such settings. In addition the MA provides a basis for developing private practice in the years following graduation. For the duration of the MA students begin their own personal analysis, the cornerstone of any practice calling itself psychoanalytic.
Graduates are eligible to become members The Association for Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in Ireland (APPI), a recognised professional body for psychotherapists in Ireland.
Over the years the MA in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy has provided a very stimulating basis not only for those graduates who wish to pursue work and practice in the field of psychoanalytic psychotherapy but also for graduates who have taken up social and community care work in artistic and creative settings.
Entry Requirements To be considered for admission, applicants must hold:
- A minimum Second Class Honours (2.2) in an Undergraduate degree which has included an identifiable, formal component of psychoanalytic study or the DBS Higher Diploma in Psychoanalytic Studies, or
- A qualification with the equivalent psychoanalytic studies from a recognised third level institution
- An IELTS score of a minimum 6.0 or equivalent, where full-time study has been conducted in a language other than English or applicants whose first language is not English
- A personal statement of approximately 400 words outlining why they wish to pursue this particular course
- There are also 2 interviews with psychoanalytic practitioners as part of the entry process in order to assess suitability.
Programme Content
- Clinical Placements and Supervision
- Infant Observation
- The Theory and Practice of Dream Interpretation
- Psychopathology and the Family
- The Nosology of Mental Illness
- The Theory and Practice of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
- Transference Issues
- Ethics
- Criminology and Addiction
- Sexual Psychopathology
It is also required that students take up their own personal psychoanalysis. Cost associated with personal psychoanalysis is independent of the DBS programme fee.
Learner protection for this programme is provided in accordance with Section 43 of the Qualifications (Education and Training ) Act 1999.
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