bpf North: Psychoanalytic & Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training

The bpf North’s Psychodynamic / Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training offers a pathway to becoming a psychoanalytic or psychodynamic psychotherapist. This training is accredited by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC). This part-time training includes a combination of in-person and online teaching. The structure is designed to fit around current work commitments.

Trainees can apply to take psychoanalytic pathway, which will prepare them to work with patients three-times-per-week, or the psychodynamic pathway, which will prepare them for once-per-week work with patients.

Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy is based upon psychoanalytic theory and practice, and derives from knowledge of the unconscious processes that influence the mental life of the individual. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy utilises this knowledge to promote psychological development and to treat and prevent mental suffering, illness and dysfunction in individuals, groups and organisations.

Course graduates may expect to use their professional training and qualification as the basis for both autonomous independent practice and a career in the NHS.

Attend our Virtual Open Day to watch a presentation about this course.

Formerly run by the North of England Association of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists (NEAPP), this training was established in 1992. It was the first training in England outside London to be accredited by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC).

In 2024, NEAPP joined the British Psychotherapy Foundation, forming the bpf North.

This part-time training includes a combination of in-person and online teaching. The structure is designed to fit around current work commitments.

We intend to teach this course on Saturday study days in Newcastle upon Tyne (once per month), alongside online seminars. This will make the training more accessible for trainees in surrounding cities in the North of England, such as Leeds, Manchester, Bradford, Liverpool, and Sheffield. This structure also makes training more feasible for those who live in some areas of Scotland, such as Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.

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Training as a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist

On the psychoanalytic psychotherapy pathway, the training takes a minimum of four years. This pathway is intended for those who wish to work with patients three times per week.

There are five core components to the course:

• Personal psychoanalytic psychotherapy or psychoanalysis at a minimum frequency of three times per week with an experienced psychoanalyst or psychoanalytic psychotherapist approved by the Training Committee. This should begin one year or more before the academic course, and continue at least until qualification for membership.
• Theoretical seminars.
• Clinical seminars.
• Observation of an infant with associated seminars.
• Supervised psychoanalytic psychotherapy treatment of two patients.

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Training as a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist

On the psychodynamic psychotherapy pathway, the training takes a minimum of four years. This pathway is intended for those who wish to concentrate on working once or twice a week with patients.

There are five core components to this pathway:

• Personal psychoanalytic psychotherapy or psychoanalysis at a minimum frequency of once per week with an experienced psychoanalyst or psychoanalytic psychotherapist approved by the Training Committee. This should begin one year or more before the academic course, and continue at least until qualification for membership.
• Theoretical seminars.
• Clinical seminars.
• Observation of an infant with associated seminars.
• Supervised treatment of two patients in psychodynamic psychotherapy.

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Modified Entry – Training as a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist

For those who are already trained as Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists with the Association of Child Psychotherapy, or Adult Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Psychotherapists who are not registered with the BPC, we may be able to offer a modified entry to this training.

After discussion with the trainee, the Training Committee may relax the requirements for theoretical seminars to take account of study already undertaken in earlier training. Adult psychotherapists who have not attended Infant Observation Seminars will have to complete a year’s observation of a baby and write a paper on their experience.

Undertaking a clinical training in Psychoanalytic / Psychodynamic Psychotherapy represents a major personal investment in terms of time, money and individual development. We hope the following information will give you a sense of what training at the bpf might be like. We aim to keep fees as affordable as possible.

The 2025/2026 Course fees are: £4,244

If clinical work needs to continue beyond the four years, there is a reduction in the annual fee to £1,994.

Please note that all fees will increase annually in line with inflation.

There is no additional cost for the Infant Observation component of this training.

Additional costs associated with training, such as personal therapy and supervision, will be covered by the trainee.

Applicants will have been in psychoanalytic psychotherapy with a BPC-accredited practitioner for 1 year prior to the course start date. The psychotherapist you choose needs to be experienced (we normally ask that they have 5 years of work experience since they qualified). The therapy should be in-person.

We always recommend that you contact us before starting with a new therapist to check that the therapist will be suitable for this training. Please email us with any questions, and we will be able to offer guidance.

Those wishing to undertake the psychoanalytic pathway need to be in psychoanalytic psychotherapy three times per week, for at least one year prior to the course start date.

Those wishing to undertake the psychodynamic pathway need to be in psychoanalytic psychotherapy once per week, for at least one year prior to the course start date.

It is usually expected that applicants will have completed a foundation course in psychoanalytic/psychodynamic theory prior to starting this training. Applicants should also have voluntary or work experience in a listening role.

Resources

Applications for this training are now open, and the next intake for the course is October 2025.

To start the application process, please first complete this questionnaire and return it to: [email protected]

There is a non-refundable application fee of £170. This fee covers two interviews.

On offer of a place on our trainings, successful applicants will be required to pay a non-refundable £400 deposit fee in order to secure their place.

If you have any questions about this training, please email us at: [email protected]