Our internationally respected trainings and conferences team deliver practical and advanced training to allied mental health professionals.
We have also been hosting a range of UCL postgraduate programmes from certificate to doctoral level for over 20 years, attracting students from the UK and abroad who wish to advance their research and clinical understanding and skills.
Explore our courses
Upcoming courses
Training Courses
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AMBIT Gathering
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 20th April 2023
- 60 minutes
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AMBIT: Local Facilitator Training (Previously Known as AMBIT Train the Trainer)
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 22nd May 2023 - 26th May 2023
- 5 days
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Anti-racism and mental health in schools e-learning
This free online training course is designed to improve education staff’s understanding of the impact of racism on mental health.
- Online
- Approx. 3 to 5 hours of self-guided content
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Assessment of Children and Families in Care Proceedings: An Anna Freud Centre Approach
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 27th November 2023 - 29th November 2023
- 3 half days
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Assessment of Representational Risk on the Parent Development Interview
The aim of this course will be to provide participants with a broader multidimensional view on some of the other current theoretical and empirical ideas around the assessment of parental representations.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 10th May 2023 - 12th May 2023
- Two days spread over three days
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CBT and Motivational Interviewing: Supporting Children and Young People to Engage in CBT
Motivational Interviewing (MI) ideas have been applied very successfully across a range of presenting difficulties and with populations who at times find it difficult to engage with help. This course will provide an overview of MI theory and techniques, particularly highlighting and teaching skills in those techniques that might help a CBT therapist engage a young person in different stages of therapy.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 23rd May 2023
- One day
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CBT and Motivational Interviewing: Supporting Children and Young People to Engage in CBT (HEE Funded)
Motivational Interviewing (MI) ideas have been applied very successfully across a range of presenting difficulties and with populations who at times find it difficult to engage with help. This course will provide an overview of MI theory and techniques, particularly highlighting and teaching skills in those techniques that might help a CBT therapist engage a young person in different stages of the
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 23rd March 2023
- One day
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Delivering and evaluating effective mental health and wellbeing interventions in school: applying learning from HeadStart - Manchester
- Manchester Central
- 28th March 2023
- 1 day
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Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy
DIT is designed to be implemented by therapists with an interest in and experience of psychoanalytic/dynamic psychotherapy. The workshop provides a basic introduction sufficient to enable participants to begin practicing this manualized treatment with supervision.
- Online - via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 23rd March 2023 - 18th May 2023
- 5 days
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Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) Supervisor Training - Part 1
- Online - via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 23rd June 2023
- 1 day
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Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) Supervisor Training - Part 2
- Online - via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 22nd September 2023
- 1 day
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Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) Supervisor Training - Part 3
- Online - via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 24th November 2023
- 1 day
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Dynamic Interpersonal Training (DIT) Refresher Course
- Online - via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 26th January 2024
- 1 day
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Early Years and the Transition to School
Please join us for this EYIM webinar on the transition to primary school and school readiness. Speakers will include the AFC Schools Division and colleagues from PEDAL (Play in Education Development and Learning). More speaker information coming soon.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 20th April 2023
- 1 hour and 30 minutes
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Early Years Fundamentals Webinar Series
The Early Years Fundamentals webinar series provides bite-size training on topics of key importance to professionals working with children aged 0-5. Each term we will cover a new theme with several webinars delivered monthly within that theme.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 29th March 2023
- 1 hour and 30 minutes
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Environments for Recovery: How schools and other educational settings can respond following critical incidents
This event will describe evidence-based principles that can guide the response to a critical incident. The voices of children and young people who have experienced critical incident will be highlighted as they provide their own ideas about what did help them to recover and what would have helped them more.
- Resource for London, 356 Holloway Road London N7 6PA
- 29th June 2023
- 6 Hours
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Family Ties: Therapeutic Assessment and Treatment of High Conflict Separated Parents and their Children
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 3rd October 2023 - 21st November 2023
- 6 half days
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Initial mental health awareness
An introduction to mental health in schools, raising staff awareness about children and young people’s mental health and how to offer support.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 18th April 2023
- 2 hours
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Interpersonal Psychotherapy Training for Adolescents with Depression (IPT-A)
This course will provide a comprehensive introduction to the knowledge competencies of IPT-A for depression in adolescents and an introduction to the skills competencies, which will be developed more fully in supervised clinical casework.
- Online (joining instructions will be shared with registrants close to the event)
- 2nd May 2023
- 5 days plus 1 follow up day
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Interpersonal Psychotherapy Training Refresher
The clinically focused workshop will provide a refresher for recently trained IPT therapists and will focus on how to implement the key objectives of the IPT model in routine practice. During this day we will give particular attention to key issues that are often difficult for therapists to feel confident in during initial casework, such as conducting a symptom review, finding a focus, negotiating useful and relevant goals, and maintaining links between the interpersonal context and symptoms across the session.
- Online - via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 1st June 2023
- 1 day
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Leading Lundy National Community of Practice
Our first gathering is open to organisations with experience of applying the Lundy Model of Participation across teams/divisions/departments, and who are able to evidence impact and share resources.
- St Thomas Centre, Ardwick Green North, Manchester M12 6FZ
- 29th March 2023
- 1 Day
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London Family Hubs Development Community of Practice: Tour of a Family Hub
The London family hubs development community of practice gathering bring together colleagues in London who are leading the development of family hubs or are interested in starting their journey to develop family hubs. They provide an opportunity to: -find out more about the role of the National Centre for Family Hubs -hear about the family hubs development journey in Westminster -take a tour of a family hub -share learning with others working on family hub development in London
- Church Street Family Hub
- 17th May 2023
- 2 hours
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Managing anxiety in the classroom
Learn more about the impact of anxiety on children and young people, and how to support pupils with anxiety.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 26th April 2023
- 2 hours
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Measurement tools for understanding mental health need
This course gives an introduction to using standardised mental health and wellbeing tools in a school or college context. These tools can be used to better understand the needs of children and young people.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 20th April 2023
- 2 hours
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Measuring the impact of mental health and wellbeing interventions
The course focuses on monitoring the impact of mental health and wellbeing interventions and support in schools and colleges.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 2nd May 2023
- 2 hours
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Mental health and school attendance
Learn more about emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), and how to support students experiencing it.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 18th April 2023
- Approx. 2 hours
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Mentalization-Based Treatment for Adolescents (MBT-A)
In this course people will be able to get an overview of MBT-A; an understanding of the specific complexities about working with adolescents; an understanding of the development of mentalization and the relevance of it in relationships and in the maintenance of a self esteem, affect regulation and impulse control. The course will also touch on issues such as working with self harm, working with trauma and family work.
- Online – live and self-directed learning (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 27th April 2023 - 12th May 2023
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Mentalization-Based Treatment for Adolescents (MBT-A) (In-Person, London)
In this course people will be able to get an overview of MBT-A; an understanding of the specific complexities about working with adolescents; an understanding of the development of mentalization and the relevance of it in relationships and in the maintenance of a self esteem, affect regulation and impulse control. The course will also touch on issues such as working with self harm, working with trauma and family work.
- Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, 4-8 Rodney St, London N1 9JH, UK
- 19th July 2023 - 21st July 2023
- 3 days
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Mentalization-Based Treatment for Antisocial Personality Disorder (MBT-ASPD)
MBT has been adapted for the treatment of people with antisocial personality disorder (MBT-ASPD). This three-day training will outline how mentalizing can contribute to the understanding of ASPD and how mentalization based treatment can be used to treat people with ASPD in health care and criminal justice systems.
- Online – live and self-directed learning (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 1st September 2023
- 3 days live training and 9 hours self-guided content - online course
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Mentalization-Based Treatment for Children (MBT-C): A Time Limited Approach
The course will introduce an adaptation of Mentalization-Based Treatment for use in clinical work with children in middle childhood (5-12) and their parents.
- Online – live and self-directed learning (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 24th April 2023 - 12th June 2023
- Six afternoons (approximately 18 hours)
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Mentalization-Based Treatment for Children (MBT-C): a time limited approach, London
This training will provide an introduction to Mentalization Based Treatment for Children (MBT-C), a time-limited approach to working with children aged 5-12, with a range of clinical presentations.
- Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, 4-8 Rodney St, London N1 9JH, UK
- 3rd July 2023 - 5th July 2023
- 3 days
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Mentalization-Based Treatment for Families (MBT-F)
The basic element of this course will cover the theory and research base of mentalization-based therapy with families, with an introduction to some of the core clinical skills used in MBT-F. The primary focus will be on the clinical practice of MBT-F.
- Online – live and self-directed learning (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 20th September 2023 - 19th October 2023
- 6 half days
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Mentalization-Based Treatment for Families (MBT-F) training in Spanish and English, Barcelona (Spain)
The basic element of this course will cover the theory and research base of mentalization-based therapy with families, with an introduction to some of the core clinical skills used in MBT-F. The primary focus will be on the clinical practice of MBT-F.
- Instituto Universitario de Salud Mental Vidal i Barraquer (Ramon Llull University), Sant Gervasi de Cassoles 88, 08022 Barcelona, Spain
- 26th June 2023 - 28th June 2023
- 3 days
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Mentalization-Based Treatment for Families (MBT-F), London
This course aims to provide mental health practitioners with a basic foundation in MBT-F to help them support children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, and their families.
- Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, 4-8 Rodney St, London N1 9JH, UK
- 15th May 2023 - 17th May 2023
- 3 days
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Mentalization-Based Treatment: Basic Training
Mentalizing refers to our ability to attend to mental states in ourselves and in others as we attempt to understand our own actions and those of others on the basis of intentional mental states. A focus on this very human activity as a therapeutic intervention forms the core of mentalization based treatment (MBT). MBT was initially developed for the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) although it is now being used on a wide range of disorders.
- Online – live and self-directed learning (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 27th March 2023 - 29th March 2023
- 1 month programme (3 days live training and 21 hours self-guided content - online course)
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Mentalization-Based Treatment: Reflective Parenting
This two-day training aims to introduce Reflective Parenting; a model of parenting based on theoretical ideas from mentalization and attachment theory.
- Online – live and self-directed learning (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 5th June 2023 - 12th June 2023
- 3 days
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Mentalizing and Mentalization Based Treatment with Adults (MBT Adult): An Introduction
This self-guided training covers most of the theoretical knowledge that is currently taught on the MBT courses organised by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.
- Online
- Online Training Programme - 4 hours learning content
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Mentalizing and Mentalization Based Treatments with Children, Young People and Families (MBT CYP) – An Introduction
This self-guided online training will introduce participants to Mentalizing and Mentalization Based Treatments for Children, Young People, Families, Parents, Carers and Teams.
- Online – self-directed learning
- 3rd April 2023
- Online Training Programme - 6 hours learning content
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Mentalizing in Practice: Working with Parents and Infants
This course will explore Mentalizing and the importance of the parent/carer’s ability to mentalize effectively, to support the development of the infant’s mind, attachment to their parent/carer and capacity to reflect and to relate to others.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 6th June 2023 - 27th June 2023
- 4 half days
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Mentalizing the Body in Research and Clinical Practice: Parental Embodied Mentalizing Assessment (PEMA™)
Intensive Clinical Training Program for Professionals Working with Infants and Parents
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 29th January 2024 - 2nd February 2024
- 5 half days
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Motivational Interviewing and Mentalizing
How do you help people who aren’t sure they want help? This course explores the theory and practice of Motivational Interviewing – a client-centred approach to strengthen their own motivation to change and support them in making changes.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 14th September 2023 - 15th September 2023
- 2 days
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Multi-family groups in schools e-learning
Multi-family groups in schools are a systemic intervention that help children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural challenges, by bringing together multiple families and education staff into one group. This e-learning gives education staff the knowledge needed to set up and run their own multi-family group in their setting.
- Online
- Online training programme - combination of two hours film and written materials equivalent to five hours learning content
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National Centre Family Hubs Third National Conference: Family Hubs and Integration
For the National Centre for Family Hub’s third National Conference, we will be joined by a range of experts from local authorities, the NHS, children's social care and schools to discuss family hubs integration. This conference will take place in-person at a central London location. Further details to be confirmed soon.
- The Abbey Centre
- 27th April 2023
- 6.5 hours
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Reflective Functioning Training on the Adult Attachment Interview
The Reflective Functioning on Adult Attachment Interviews course focuses on the coding of ‘reflective functioning’ of adult attachment interviews (AAI-RF). Coding of 'reflective functioning' is a way to operationalize the concept of mentalization, which Fonagy and colleagues have developed into a core theoretical concept in our model of normal and pathological emotional and self-development. The coding involves looking at thinking as revealed in interview narratives about important emotional attachment relationships, to see how far the person draws on a psychological model of motivation, of what happens in close relationships - to what extent they think in terms of their own and other people's minds, feelings, attitudes, intentions and so on, when they try to understand their experiences.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 10th May 2023 - 12th May 2023
- 3 days
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Reflective Functioning Training on the Parent Development Interview
This three day course aims to provide an understanding of parental reflective functioning/mentalization and to become a reliable coder of RF of the Parent Development Interview.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 5th June 2023 - 9th June 2023
- One full day, four half days
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Relational approaches for supporting children and young people
Learn more about relational approaches and the impact of adopting a relational approach on pupils and the wider school community.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 17th May 2023
- 2 hours
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So What Does it Take to Effectively Support Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools
The "So What?" seminar series has been developed by the Applied Research and Evaluation Division here at the Anna Freud Centre. It aims to build the bridge between evidence and practice in child mental health by asking "So what does this mean?" in response to research findings, project outcomes, and the work of our collaborators. In this seminar we will look at support for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing in schools. Drawing on learning from several different projects and approaches. Along with discussing research findings we’ll look at specific approaches and explore the sustainability of them. We will consider the implications of what we are learning with young people, parents, carers, and practitioners in a panel discussion.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 27th March 2023
- 1 hour 30 minutes
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Story Stem Assessment Profile Training
This course teaches the administration, coding and application of the Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP) within both clinical and research domains. As part of SSAP, children are presented with the beginning of a ‘story’ highlighting everyday scenarios and asked to ‘show and tell what happens next.’
- Online – live and self-directed learning (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 6th June 2023 - 23rd June 2023
- 4 days (with a break between all days)
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Story Stems Assessment Profile (SSAP) Refresher
The Anna Freud Centre runs a three-day training course teaching the administration, coding and application of the Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP) within both clinical and research domains. The Story Stem Assessment Profile (SSAP; Hodges and Hillman, 2004) asks the children to respond to a set of narrative story stems where they are given the beginning of a ‘story’ highlighting everyday scenarios with an inherent dilemma. Children are then asked to ‘show and tell me what happens next?’
- Online – live and self-directed learning (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 3rd July 2023
- 1 day
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Traumatic Bereavement: Supporting Children and Young People at School or College
This course will help professionals working in education settings to recognise and support children and young people who may have experienced traumatic bereavement.
- Online - via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 4th July 2023
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Traumatic Bereavement: Working Therapeutically with Children and Young People
The course will provide an introduction to traumatic bereavement and practical approaches to identify, measure, and provide formulation-driven support. It will explore how to apply these approaches with children and young people in a therapeutic setting.
- Online – live via Zoom (Joining instructions will be sent to the email address you booked on with at least one working day before the event)
- 20th April 2023 - 27th April 2023
- 2 half days
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