This course offers a wide-ranging study of psychoanalytic theory and its applications to culture and cultural artefacts, as well as direct experiential understanding of emotional development through observation of an infant or young child, with some opportunity to observe an organisation in the second year.
In partnership with:
University of East London
Organising tutor
Judith Edwards
Course aims
• A supportive intellectual and experiential culture within the student and staff group, in order to explore psychoanalysis both as a clinical discipline and a wide-ranging field of intellectual enquiry.
• An opportunity to develop your own particular interests in the writing of a final dissertation on a subject of your choice.
Is this course for you?
• Students are drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds, including practising clinicians, those interested in later training, and those interested in looking in more depth into their own field.
• While students from all ethnic groups are usually graduates or practising professionals, we also welcome students from non-standard academic backgrounds.
Time commitment
Two years, part-time on Tuesday afternoons and evenings or one year, full-time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Assessment
• The MA is awarded by dissertation one term following completion of the other course modules.
• Those not wishing to do a dissertation can be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma on completion of a further short essay.
• Completion of the course leads to eligibility for the Tavistock Society of Psychotherapists, Allied Professional Division.
How to apply
Contact the course administrator for an application form or download from below.
Contact details for further information
020 8938 2355
olcadmin@tavi-port.org
Download Reference Request Form
Information on fees can be found here
Find out more information about the course here
Read the article about the course featured in the BMJ, July '05
Download a list of past dissertation subjects
Recent comments from staff:
‘Thank you for the opportunity to teach on this course-the students have been the best I ever taught in terms of interest and involvement’
- Freud teacher, practising psychoanalyst
‘’The course maintains its innovative reputation and combines this with rigour in assessment, feedback and monitoring of student progress. The diversity of modules, combining theory, applications and observation remain its great strength. Students are therefore stretched both intellectually, emotionally and in terms of their skills….the general level of attainment continues to be impressive with some students work being absolutely outstanding and very publishable…… the course now seems to have reached its period of maturity, has an established reputation and will I am sure continue to develop, drawing on students both from the UK and abroad’
- External Examiner, Professor of Politics and Director of the Centre for Psychosocial Studies, practicing clinician)
'I am always moved and impressed by the Observation Module. This is one of the distinctive features of this course, and requires disciplined observation and description which are the foundational skills of all research. Describing emotional states of mind is the work of fiction and poetry as well as drama. Each of these pieces of work is remarkable in its way whatever the final mark achieved'
- Professor Sally Alexander, one of M16's current external examiners, Modern British Historian, Goldsmiths University of London
You can download and read an example of work done on the applications strand, by recent student Aruna Wittman:
Recent publications of past students include:
Barone, K, (2005) ‘On the Processes of working through Loss caused by Severe Illnesses in Childhood’ Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Vol 19:1
Keating, Sharon, (2003) ‘Loss, Illusional Systems of Defence and Possible Reparation in Two Works by Ian McEwan, Free Associations, Vol 10 Part 3 (No 55) 283-330
Paiva, N.D. (2005), ‘The Potential in Not Knowing’ (Winner of Second Prize, Hamish Canham Memorial Essay), International Journal of Infant Observation, Vol 8, No 3, 279-289
Schlussel, Angela (2005), ‘Making a Political Statement or Refusing to Grow Up: Reflections on the Situation of Academic Youth in Postwar British Literature, The American Journal of Psychoanalysis, Vol 65,No 4, 381-401
Swinburne, Mike, (2000) ‘Home is Where the Hate is’ Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Vol 14 No 5, 223-238
Tower, Shawn, (2005) ‘Living with an Internal Other’, Psychotherapy and Politics International Vol 3 No 1 35-46
