The institute’s training program offers a unique opportunity to specialize in parent-infant psychotherapy, following the increasing need in the professional community to understand the pre-verbal period of early infancy. This one-year program offers comprehensive theoretical and clinical training for therapists who have completed internship in the field of mental health.
The Clinical Training Program
About the program
Psychology in all its forms considers the infancy and childhood period as foundational – especially healthy parent-infant relationships. The Parent-Infant Psychotherapy Program was developed based on the assumption that the parent-infant relationship forms an essential foundation for the infant’s – and later the child’s and the person’s – development, in all fields. Today, all community entities coming into contact with infants and new parents – hospitals, family health centers, daycare centers, welfare entities, and others – are aware of the preventative value of infant psychotherapy. This awareness has in turn instigated a growing need of therapists. The goal of the program is to respond to this demand through formal training in this field.
Infant psychotherapy requires unique theoretical knowledge and clinical techniques, fundamentally separate from those required for ordinary psychotherapy. The therapist is required to simultaneously treat both the parents and the infant. In addition, while the parents communicate verbally, the infant communicates their state and needs solely in nonverbal ways, so that the therapeutic process also includes decrypting their language.
The program’s academic staff includes professionals specializing in therapy for adults, alongside those experienced in direct work with infants, in order to provide the full scope of theoretical and clinical knowledge needed to specialize in this field.
The program is intended for public health staff:
Clinical psychologists who have completed a clinical psychology internship at an institute recognized for this purpose, including child clinical psychology and educational clinical psychology.
Psychiatrists with at least two years of experience in psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Clinical social workers with an MA in the mental health track and four years of experience in psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Study program structure
This is a one-year program, including 2 semesters and 1 workshop.
- Theoretical studies: 4 courses including 12 lessons each.
- Clinical supervision: 24 sessions in small groups.
- Workshop: Two-day workshop will take place during the mid-semester break.
- Practical work at public health Clinics.