Psychotherapy with a Therapist in Analytic Training: What to Expect

Deciding to begin psychotherapy is a very personal decision. Alongside questions about what may be troubling you, there are often practical ones: who to see, what kind of therapy might help, how long it might last and what it will cost.

One option that is perhaps less widely known is psychotherapy with a therapist who has reached the clinical stage of an established analytic training.

I am currently able to offer a small number of places on this basis through my training with the West Midlands Institute of Psychotherapy, or WMIP.

I thought it might therefore be helpful to explain what this means, what kind of psychotherapy I offer and what you can expect in practice.

What is analytical or depth psychotherapy?

The psychotherapy I offer is analytical psychotherapy, sometimes described as depth psychotherapy.

The word depth reflects a simple but important idea: not everything that influences how we feel, behave and relate to other people is immediately available to conscious thought.

Experiences and relationships, particularly those that have been important to us, can leave patterns in the way we experience ourselves and others.

Ways of coping that once helped us may continue long after they are useful. We can find ourselves repeatedly entering similar relationships, struggling with the same feelings or making choices we do not entirely understand.

The relationship that develops between therapist and patient is also important.

Over time, familiar ways of relating can sometimes emerge within therapy itself. Rather than regarding this as an obstacle, analytical psychotherapy can use what happens between us as another way of understanding patterns that may also be present elsewhere in your life.

This is therefore usually a slower and more exploratory form of psychotherapy. There is no predetermined programme that everyone must follow and no assumption that every difficulty has a quick solution.

What does "in analytic training" mean?

Someone seeing patients at this stage of training is not beginning their study of psychotherapy.

Before starting clinical work, trainees undertake a substantial period of theoretical and clinical study, alongside their own personal analysis, and must be assessed as ready to begin seeing training patients.

Clinical work then takes place under regular supervision with an experienced senior analyst.

What does supervision mean?

Supervision is one of the central features of analytic training.

Throughout the therapy, I regularly discuss and reflect upon my clinical work with an experienced senior analyst appointed within the training structure.

This takes place confidentially and within the professional and ethical framework governing the training.

Supervision provides another space in which the therapeutic work can be thought about carefully: what may be emerging, what may be difficult to express, what may be happening within the therapeutic relationship and whether something important might be being overlooked.

Why do therapists work with patients during training?

Analytical psychotherapy cannot be learned from books and seminars alone.

Training in the analytic traditions therefore combines theoretical study, personal analysis and closely supervised clinical experience.

Working therapeutically with patients under supervision is a central part of becoming an analytical psychotherapist.

The aim is not simply to learn a set of techniques. It is to develop the capacity to listen carefully to another person's experience, to tolerate uncertainty rather than reaching too quickly for an explanation, and gradually to recognise patterns, relationships and feelings that may not initially be obvious.

What might this offer you?

People come to analytical psychotherapy for many different reasons.

Some are struggling with anxiety, low mood, loss or difficulties in relationships. Others find themselves repeatedly encountering the same problems without fully understanding why.

Some may not have a clearly defined symptom at all, but have a sense of being stuck or want to understand themselves and their relationships more deeply.

The work is generally long term. For a training patient this will commonly mean at least twelve months and may continue considerably longer, depending upon the individual and the work that develops.

What does being a training patient mean?

It is important to be transparent that the therapy contributes to my own professional training.

In return, I have a responsibility to approach the work with seriousness, consistency and respect for the trust involved. My clinical work is supported by regular supervision and takes place within the ethical and professional requirements of the Institute.

What happens first?

We begin with an initial consultation, and sometimes more than one meeting.

This gives us an opportunity to understand what has brought you to therapy, what you hope might change and whether analytical psychotherapy seems appropriate for you.

It is also an opportunity for you to get a sense of me and of the way I work.

Sessions take place in person in central Birmingham, approximately fifteen minutes' walk from the railway station.

How to enquire

You can contact me directly through this website or by email at info@drfrancescomanfredonia.com to enquire about availability.

Alternatively, you can contact the WMIP training-patient referral service. The referral coordinator can discuss what you are looking for and, where appropriate, put you in contact with a suitable therapist in training.

Further information is available on the WMIP website under Therapy with a trainee.

If you are uncertain whether analytical psychotherapy is what you are looking for, that uncertainty is entirely reasonable. An initial conversation can simply be an opportunity to think about it together.