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PROFESSIONAL DIPLOMA IN FREUDIAN PSYCHOANALYSIS- (LIVE ONLINE) 30 CPD POINTS

Course Description:​

 

This course will explore some of the basic concepts of psychoanalysis, the first ‘talking cure,’ as they figured in the theory and practice of its founder, Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). It will also demonstrate, even if often disputed, their continuing relevance for contemporary mental health issues such as depression and addiction, and to current discussions about the meaning of sexuality and sexual identity. Freud’s discovery of the unconscious, that ‘the ego is not master in its own house,’ will open onto broader philosophical questions concerning freedom and responsibility, the pursuit of happiness, and the ways we seek to find some form of home or belonging despite what he called ‘our discontent in civilization.’ Some of the ideas of the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901-1981), who advocated a ‘return to Freud’ albeit in new and innovative ways, will also be discussed.

 

  • Lecture One: The Historical Background to Freud’s Discovery of the Unconscious.​

  • Lecture Two:  The Psychopathology of Everyday Life: how unconscious wishes and intentions are revealed in slips of the tongue, mishearing, bungled actions, dreams and jokes.​

  • Lecture Three: The Sense of Symptoms: Looking at how neurotic symptoms are a compromise formation between unconscious wishes and conscious counter-wishes.  â€‹

  • Lecture Four: Human Sexuality and the Oedipus Complex. Exploring Freud’s concept of Libido and Psychosexuality and why the Oedipus Complex (Family Complex) is the nucleus of the neuroses.​

  • Lecture Five: The Soul of Narcissism. The clinical meaning, according to Freud, of a now commonly misused term. Also discussing Lacan’s ‘Mirror Stage’ and how we acquire a sense of self-identity.​

  • Lecture Six: What is a Mother? What is a Father? Lacan’s reinterpretation of Freud’s Oedipus complex

  • Lecture Seven: Depression and Addiction. Two of the most prevalent contemporary mental health issues examined from a Freudian and Lacanian perspective

  • Lecture Eight: Freud’s ‘Dora’ Case Study. Exploring one of Freud’s most controversial Case Histories, and the question of ‘transference.’ Lacan’s reinterpretation will also be considered, as well as some feminist critiques

  • Lecture Nine: Our Discontent in Civilisation. Freud on the question of happiness and why we never feel quite at home in civilization. Comparisons with Lacan on the topic

  • Lecture Ten: Psychoanalysis in Context: An overview of the relationship between psychoanalysis, literature, philosophy, science and religion.

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Course Delivery:

  • Format: Live Online (via Zoom)

  • Duration: 10 Weeks

  • Schedule: Weekly, 2 hours per session

  • Total Contact Hours: 20

  • Additional Independent Study: Approx. 10 hours for reading and assignment preparation

  • Certification: Professional Diploma in Freudian Psychoanalysis

  • Awarding Body: State of Mind Psychotherapy & Counselling (CPD Standards Office Accredied)

 

Target Audience:

This course is intended for:

  • Accredited and pre-accredited counsellors and psychotherapists

  • Counselling & Psychotherapy Practitioners & Students

  • Clinical psychologists and mental health professionals

  • Addiction counsellors and key workers

  • Trainee therapists (final year or postgraduate level)

  • Allied health or social care professionals working in psychological settings

 

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Understand and apply core psychoanalytic concepts such as unconscious conflict, defence mechanisms, repetition compulsion, and the role of the therapeutic relationship.

  • Analyse addiction and compulsive behaviours as symbolic expressions of unresolved psychic trauma and early relational dynamics.

  • Formulate client presentations using a psychoanalytic lens, integrating developmental, intrapsychic, and relational factors.

  • Work more effectively with resistance, transference, and countertransference in individual and group settings.

  • Reflect on the therapeutic stance and its impact on clinical outcomes.

  • Apply psychoanalytic understanding to addiction treatment and complex mental health presentations in ethical, trauma-informed ways.

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Assessment Requirements:

1. Attendance:

  • Minimum 85% attendance required for certification

  • Active participation in discussions and case reflections is encouraged

2. Summative Written Assignment:

  • Title: TBC

  • Length: 2500 words

  • Submission Deadline: 3 weeks after course completion

  • Content: Participants are asked to reflect on a clinical case (real or composite) using psychoanalytic concepts covered in the course. They should demonstrate understanding of key theory, clinical application, and ethical awareness.

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