5-day dynamic interpersonal therapy - About this course

DIT is designed to be implemented by therapists with an interest in and experience of psychoanalytic/dynamic psychotherapy. Anyone who meets the full requirements can attend otherwise they cannot proceed on to the clinical part of the training programme. Only those individuals who: a) possess a diploma level or equivalent training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy or counselling and, b) who pass the role play exercise at the end of the course can then go on to supervised clinical practice (two cases for 16 sessions each – all session taped) in order to become practitioners in DIT. Please note that cost of the supervision is not included in the price of the training.

The pre-entry requirements in detail:

1. Evidence of a course of study (this could be through different courses over time) that has exposed you to the fundamentals of psychoanalytic theory as specified in the Psychodynamic Competences framework (www.ucl.ac.uk/CORE)

2. A minimum of 150hrs of supervised psychodynamic work (reference required)

3. At least one year of weekly personal psychodynamic psychotherapy/counselling

4. At least two years’ employment in an NHS, private capacity or voluntary institution working in a therapeutic capacity with adults with mental health problems

5. HPC, BPC, BPS, UKCP or BACP registration (or an equivalent professional registration at the discretion of the course tutors*)

*We can accept applicants who are based abroad as long as they meet the pre-entry requirements. Although we can accept applicants registered with an equivalent non-UK professional body, those trainees without a valid UK registration will not be able to obtain the BPC registration. They will, however, be able to practise DIT in their country on successful completion of training and supervision.

You will be required to provide evidence of the pre-entry requirements. If you meet these criteria and would like to secure a place on the course please make a booking via the link at the bottom of this page. You will then be required to fill in the application form which will need to be sent back along with evidence of each point outlined above and on the form.  

Please send the form and all evidence in one email to: DIT@annafreud.org 

Please note, Peter Fonagy teaches approximately a 1/4 day on the DIT training and Alessandra Lemma will teach 1/4 day. Tamara Gelman will lead on the training. 

The workshop provides a basic introduction sufficient to enable participants to begin practicing this manualized treatment with supervision. The course includes presentation of theories and techniques, observation of live role-plays, discussion and formulation of specific cases.

We encourage applications from those employed for NHS Talking Therapies services.  We have a limited number of places fully-funded by Health Education England (HEE) for NHS Talking Therapies services.  

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on DIT@annafreud.org.  

For those who wish to progress to the next stage, it is necessary to obtain a ‘Certificate of Competence’. This is a requirement for taking on supervised cases to reach practitioner level. It will involve a taped role play with an actor which is then assessed. If this is passed, then delegates can proceed to taking on supervised cases.

During this role-play students will have to evidence:

• An aptitude for identifying relational and effective themes from the patient’s material: the aim is to ensure that the student can pick up on themes but there is no requirement to evidence a capacity to formulate

• A capacity to articulate and share with the patient these relational and effective themes in a clear and coherent manner so as to test their relevance to understanding the patient’s current predicament

• Demonstrate the DIT therapeutic stance.

It is advised that trainees start supervision soon after passing their role plays. The deadline for starting supervision is one year after the training. After one year, trainees would need to complete the DIT Refresher training if they wish to go into the supervised practice.

Supervision should not take more than 18 months to complete. We strongly recommend that supervision is completed within two years of completing the 5-day training. If supervision is not successfully completed within three years, without attendance at the DIT Refresher training the trainee will be required to repeat the training. Once the refresher course has been attended further supervision time is provided for completion of the training.

The supervised practice component will involve seeing two patients under weekly supervision. Each patient will be seen for 16 sessions of weekly DIT. This is typically structured as half an hour supervision per patient over 16 sessions.

In addition, four additional tape recordings will need to be submitted for rating. All therapy sessions will be audio or videotaped. In the first case, three tapes will be randomly selected and rated according to the DIT rating scale. For the second case, assuming that a student is progressing well in the training, one tape will be selected for rating. Where there are concerns about the student's progress an additional two tapes may be requested and rated.

At the end of the supervision period, trainees will be able to see DIT patients with weekly supervision until they are registered DIT practitioners.

For any enquiries relating to the second stage of the training, please email DIT@annafreud.org.

Upon the successful completion of the clinical casework the trainee will need to submit a 3000 word case study, which should evidence a capacity to integrate theory and practice through giving an account of work with one of the two training cases.

Trainees are expected to submit their case study within three months of completing their last case.

Please see the submission guidelines here.

There will be an additional fee of £150 for case study marking.

If the case study passes the trainee will be accredited by the BPC and will receive a certificate from them for a fee. If the case study does not pass the trainee will be allowed to resubmit the same case study revised according to the marker's comments. If the case study fails a second time, the trainee must write up another case and will be referred to a DIT supervisor for private tuition. If the trainee fails a third and final time, they will not be eligible for BPC accreditation.

Once the trainee has passed the case study, there is a CPD requirement to have one hour of DIT supervision for every 12 hours of DIT therapy work for the first year of work as a DIT practitioner. This equates to an hour of supervision a month if you have a caseload of three DIT patients. This supervision does not count towards accreditation as a supervisor. However, it is helpful to consolidate one's understanding of and work within the model by gaining more experience before going on to becoming a supervisor.

Beyond the first year, we advise using peer supervision of DIT work.

To maintain DIT practitioner status, there is a requirement to see at least one patient a year.

This training is accredited by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) and those who complete the training successfully will be able to join the BPC Roster of ‘kite marked’ practitioners.

Please note that there will be an annual cost of £50 to appear on the Roster, or £25 per year for those already a BPC Registrant, to be paid directly to the BPC.

Please read here the complete process for becoming an accredited DIT practitioner.

After completing the DIT course there is a timeframe of one year in which to begin training cases under supervision. Most trainees will begin seeing training patients within six months from attendance at the DIT training course. Where a period of more than one year has lapsed since attending a DIT training course, the trainee is required to attend a refresher training course before commencing clinical work. If more than three years has lapsed since attending a DIT training course, a full training course will need to be repeated before clinical work can commence. In special circumstances clarification may be requested from the Anna Freud Centre (DIT@annafreud.org). Such queries will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

DIT accreditation is awarded by the British Psychoanalytic Council. DIT trainees wishing to obtain practitioner status must successfully complete:

• a minimum of two concurrent clinical cases under session-by-session supervision

• four recorded clinical sessions which are formally marked by an accredited supervisor

• a case study marked independently by Anna Freud Centre following the successful completion of clinical work.

Requirements for clinical cases:

Following the 5-day DIT training course a minimum of two clinical cases must be completed to the satisfaction of an accredited DIT supervisor. The recommended timeframe for completing clinical work is within two years of starting the first clincial training case. Where more than two years has lapsed before training cases are complete, trainees will be required to attend a Refresher Training which will provide subsequent one year period in order to complete clinical work. In the event that a period of three years or more has lapsed before completion of clinical casework, trainees will be required to repeat DIT training upon recommendation from their supervisor that passing remaining training requirements is viable.

Cases are required to be completed consecutively rather than having any overlap so that there is time to focus on relevant DIT competencies and consolidate learning from one case to the next. Clinical sessions are accompanied by session-by-session supervision with 30 minutes supervision provided for each 50-minute session. This amounts to 16 hours of supervision (eight hours per case) for two clinical cases of 16 sessions duration each.

Where the supervisor identifies some difficulty on the part of the trainee to meet the required DIT competencies and/or where it has not been possible to complete a clinical case, there may be a requirement to submit additional recordings and/or source an additional case(s) in order to satisfy requirements. All additional work will need to be discussed with a supervisor in the first instance and additional funding may need to be sought in order to provide the extension.

Requirements for clinical session recordings:

DIT trainees are required to record training cases for the purpose of submitting sessional recordings to their supervisor. The trainee has a responsibility to ensure correct permissions are sought in relation information governance for managing recorded clinical material and this needs agreement with the supervisor before clinical work commences.

DIT trainees will need to provide four recordings for formal marking purposes. Usually, three recordings are submitted from the first training case, which comprises the IPAF session along with a recording from the middle and ending phase of DIT. If the recordings from the first training case meet the requirements to proceed, then a fourth recording will be required from the second training case. Where trainees have failed to demonstrate DIT competencies to the supervisor's satisfaction additional recordings may need to be submitted to fulfill requirements. This decision will be made in discussion with a supervisor who can provide feedback on any areas of concern and guidance to prepare for additional submissions. There will be an additional fee incurred for resubmissions.

Requirements for the Case Study:

Once supervisees have completed a minimum of two concurrent clinical cases to the supervisor's satisfaction, including formal marking of four sessional recordings, the supervisor can give the go ahead to write up a case study. We expect supervisees to submit their case study within three months of completion of supervision. With reasonable grounds, an extension can be sought from Anna Freud Centre for a further three months in order to complete the case study. If further time elapses the trainee may be required to attend a Refresher Training and/or in some cases may need to undertake a further supervised clinical case which will be written up for the case study submission. Supervisees should mark clearly on the cover sheet their supervisor's name to ensure that an independent marker is allocated.

There are some guidelines towards completing the case study provided as part of the training course. Supervisors may provide general feedback about how to approach writing a case study, including possible theoretical sources that would support the work. However, supervisors have no involvement in the writing or proofreading of the case study as this in an independent assignment.

When the case study has been marked a copy of the marking schedule will be sent to the supervisor by way of feedback.

Awarding Accreditation:

The British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) will award a certificate of accreditation. Practitioners may wish to add their name to a list of DIT practitioners on the BPC website and a fee may be incurred for this provision. Supervisees should check the website entry and are advised to get in touch with the BPC service directly should they with to edit any details.

At the end of the supervision period a supervisee will be able to see DIT patients with weekly supervision from an accredited supervisor until they are registered DIT practitioners.

Once the case study is passed, there is a CPD requirement to have one hour of DIT supervision for every 12 hours of DIT therapy work for the first year of work as a DIT practitioner. This equates to an hour of supervision a month if you have a caseload of approximately three DIT patients. This supervision does not count towards accreditation as a supervisor; however, it is helpful to consolidate a working understanding of the model by gaining more experience before going on to becoming a supervisor.

Beyond the first year, we advise using peer supervision of DIT work. Please contact the Anna Freud Centre or consult the BPC website to source local DIT practitioners.

To maintain DIT practitioner status, there is a requirement to see at least one patient a year.

The online platform Zoom will be used to deliver this training. Prior to booking on, please ensure you meet the system requirements so you're able to join this training. 

Before the training, please test your equipment is working by going to Zoom.us/test and follow the instructions.