COURSE ACCREDITATION GUIDELINES


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Authored on :
01/08/2019by :
Admin APPCIOS

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All about APPCIOS

COURSE ACCREDITATION GUIDELINES

Our aims

The purpose of APPCIOS is to support psychoanalytic and psychodynamic thinking and practice in organisational settings. We believe that a healthy and benign environment is essential to promote insight, thoughtfulness and emotional well-being.  For psychoanalytic or psychodynamic work to be effective and to thrive it must attend both to the individual and the organisational context that supports them. 

We promote practice that attends to the emotional experience of both practitioners and clients, within any organisation where services are provided for vulnerable adults, children and families -  in education, health, social care and a variety of other contexts. 

We are happy to accredit or approve any courses or trainings that support these aims through fostering a commitment to psychodynamic thinking.  

What kind of courses will we accredit?

We accredit a range of long courses and approve a range of short courses and webinars. 

We approve or accredit: 

  • long courses: these can be independently run, or in-house within a service provider organisation, or within an educational institution; participants usually require a minimum of Foundation Degree standard or its equivalent, but this is not essential;
  • shorter courses:  these can be one-off or independently run, or in-house within a service provider organisation;  
  • free-standing courses planned by an individual or group of APPCIOS-approved providers.  

What do we require of the courses and trainings that we approve or accredit? 

We are happy to approve or accredit any course or training that encourages an increased interest in and understanding of psychodynamic thinking and practice.  We focus particularly on courses that concentrate on the professional development of practitioners  who wish to use psychoanalytic or psychodynamic ideas in their practice, or that deepen the skills of professionals already providing supervised counselling or support to vulnerable client groups. 

We look for evidence that courses will assist practitioners in the following areas: 

  • to work as psychodynamic clinicians while remaining in their existing professional identity;
  • to work self-reflectively, through the quality of the relationships they create with their clients and their colleagues;
  • to attain a fuller understanding of the unconscious dynamics of their organisation and of the groups and individuals within it.

Students of any approved or accredited course will be considered eligible for one of the three levels of APPCIOS membership - Associate Membership, Senior Associate Membership, Full Membership.

We also approve CPD components which existing APPCIOS members can use to build towards higher levels of membership.

All courses should include a psychoanalytic understanding of the organisational context, and a commitment towards deepening the practitioner’s capacity to work effectively within it: course content is expected to take account of individual, group and organisational processes. 

We do not expect that any single course will equip a person for full membership of APPCIOS.  Graduates apply as individuals and we take into account their previous experience and training, and their capacity to assimilate experiential learning.   

Longer courses 

These are courses that are expected to establish or build upon a basic foundation of psychodynamic understanding.  They may lead towards Senior Associate Membership, or they may provide extra training for Senior Associate Members leading towards Full Membership.    

Longer courses need a clear, formal structure that can be mapped onto our accreditation framework. They should be a minimum of one year’s duration, with regular teaching input and group sizes that are appropriate to content, and cover all five aspects of our course requirements:

  • Academic ability and knowledge of psychoanalytic theory; 
  • Experience of work discussion and supervision; 
  • Experiential learning about the psychodynamic functioning of groups and organisations;
  • Personal development and self-reflective work; 
  • Experience of supervised formal or informal counselling in a workplace setting. 

We will seek evidence that programme staff are equipped to offer their designated areas of training within a psychoanalytic or psychodynamic framework, and trainers must qualify for APPCIOS full membership or be working towards this.  We require that at least one member of the training leadership be a full member of APPCIOS.

Shorter courses

These are courses that may lead to Associate Membership, or that can be compiled as CPD elements within a portfolio leading to Senior Associate or Full Membership.  

Trainings we approve can be as brief as one or two days, but are more usually 8-10 weekly sessions, or the equivalent over time.  They need not cover all five aspects of our requirements, but must focus on the use of psychodynamic thinking.  

We would seek evidence that programme staff are equipped to offer their designated areas of training within a psychoanalytic or psychodynamic framework, and trainers must qualify for APPCIOS full membership or be working towards this.  We require that at least one member of the training leadership be a full member of APPCIOS, or that they be closely supervised by a senior full member of APPCIOS.

What benefits will you receive from APPCIOS membership? 

  • a supportive network of psychodynamic thinkers through our interactive Community Site:  Psychodynamic Thinking;
  • the opportunity to advertise your course and its achievements on a publicly available internet platform;
  • ongoing support to further develop your course, if required;
  • as a Senior Associate Member, eligibility to participate in events run by the British Psychoanalytic Council for their student members, regular mentoring and access to consultation in your role as a course leader;
  • as a Full Member,  eligibility for membership of the British Psychoanalytic Council and for recognition by the Professional Standards Authority as Psychodynamic Organisational Therapists. 
  • access to Special Interest groups available via the Community Site;
  • opportunities for online discussion with psychoanalytic colleagues;
  • access to continuing professional development.

What benefits will your students receive from APPCIOS membership?

We hope that the students of your courses will wish to join APPCIOS at the appropriate membership level.  As members they will receive the following benefits:

  • a supportive network of psychodynamic thinkers through our interactive Community Site,  Psychodynamic Thinking;
  • access to Special Interest groups available via the Community Site;
  • ongoing mentoring support;
  • access to continuing professional development;
  • access to developmental pathways that enable committed practitioners to become Full Members of APPCIOS;
  • as Senior Associate Members, eligibility to participate in events run by the British Psychoanalytic Council for their student members;
  • as Full Members, eligibility for membership of the British Psychoanalytic Council and for recognition by the Professional Standards Authority as Psychodynamic Organisational Therapists. 

How do you get your course or training accredited by APPCIOS?

If you are running a course or training that you think could be accredited by APPCIOS,  please get in touch with our administrator, Michelle Safo.  Here’s her email address:  michelle.safo@appcios.info

Michelle will arrange an informal discussion via Zoom or Skype with a member of our  Course Accreditation Sub-Committee.  

If you are not yet a member of APPCIOS

If you are not already a member of APPCIOS, you will be asked to join.  This is not an arduous process.   

Send your full CV to our registrar, Tina Bool, at info@appcios.com

Tina will pass the information to an Admissions Mentor who will help you to compile the relevant documentation, and to arrange an interview with a member of our Accreditation Committee. 

If you are a member of APPCIOS

A member of our Management Committee or of our Course Accreditation Sub-Committee will be appointed to consult to you on shaping the course to APPCIOS requirements.  S/he will help you to submit a formal outline of the course or training, covering the following areas:  

  • the history, context and aims of the course; 
  • the organisational context of the course;
  • how the course is funded;
  • the name and qualifications of the course leader;
  • qualifications and CVs of other staff involved; 
  • what students will attend, and why;
  • how students are recruited; 
  • student numbers;
  • length of course;
  • teaching methods;
  • the theoretical underpinning;
  • the curriculum and reading lists (if appropriate);
  • any other information you wish us to know.

You may be asked to pay a small fee per hour for this service. 

The finalised application form is submitted to our Courses Co-Ordinator who will discuss it further with you, and submit it to the Management Committee for approval.  

In the case of long courses, we may ask to see examples of student papers.  Where there are concerns, we may arrange a visit with one or more members of APPCIOS.  Where courses are specialised we may recruit an external assessor with experience of that specialism.  

We expect courses or trainings approved by APPCIOS to maintain a close alliance with APPCIOS, and to keep us informed of any changes or concerns.

How do we help course leaders to run an APPCIOS-approved course or training?

  • We support and advise APPCIOS-approved providers in setting up and developing their courses to align with APPCIOS requirements.
  • We support and advise existing course and training leaders on how to align course content with our requirements, and with our levels of membership.
  • We provide facilities on our interactive Community Site to advertise their courses and to support their growth and development.  
  • We provide ongoing consultation, where necessary, on the delivery of courses.
  • Where elements are lacking, we provide extra support by recruiting members to develop and provide additional webinars or supervision.

How much does this cost?

An initial consultation is free.  We may charge a small hourly fee for further consultations towards planning your course, or aligning it with APPCIOS requirements.

If you need to join APPCIOS, your meetings with your admissions mentor will not be charged.  However,  if you are put forward for full membership, you will be charged a one-off fee for an interview with a member of the Accreditation Committee.  

As a member of APPCIOS you will be expected to pay a subscription of £55pa.  

Once your course has been accredited, APPCIOS will negotiate an ongoing annual fee.  This is usually 15% of the income generated by the course/training provision.   However, we recognise that each course is different.  We consider your circumstances carefully, and will always do our best to arrive at a viable arrangement.

Benefits include regular liaison, plus a free basic presence on our interactive Community Site, Psychodynamic Thinking.  This presence can be upgraded to offer additional services and amenities, such as monthly consultation or supervision.  Our fee structure for these is banded according to the size and type of your organisation.