Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) 5-day

"I liked the personal clinical examples of the trainers and the depth of knowledge the trainers have. I also like the big group discussions." Participant, March 2022

"It was really interesting, informative, a good mix of exercises and good time for practising skills - really enjoyed it, thank you." Participant, March 2023

"I enjoyed the emphasis on the application of psychodynamic (specifically attachment) theory to relationally oriented practice, delivered with good balance between information, teaching, and experiential work. Peter Fonagy's address on mentalisation was particularly inspiring and helpful." Participant, April 2024

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 the complete process for becoming an accredited DIT practitioner here.

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 Anna Freud (DIT@annafreud.org). Such queries will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

This training is run in person and online (check the specific dates to understand the format the training will be delivered in.)

The online platform, Zoom will be used to deliver online training. Prior to booking, please ensure you meet the system requirements so you can join this training session, to test your equipment visit Zoom.us/test and follow the instructions.

Upon booking, you will be asked to confirm that you have read and accept our terms and conditions and our privacy notice. Please read these documents before booking:

• Terms and conditions

• Privacy notice