Psychoanalytic psychotherapy brings a different lens to couple counselling

Published in Blog by Andrew Balfour on June 28th 2022

Tavistock Relationships Chief Executive Andrew Balfour is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and an Adult and Couple Psychotherapist. Here he explains how training in Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy changed his career.

The training gave me invaluable experience of working in co-therapy with senior colleagues and offered a rich immersion in the conceptual and clinical approaches to psychoanalytic work with couples.

A rewarding pathway to research, clinical work and teaching

“I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to undertake the couple psychoanalytic psychotherapy training at Tavistock Relationships. Having already completed clinical psychology training, followed by the Adult Psychotherapy (M1) training at the Tavistock Clinic, I might well have stopped there.

But I was fascinated by the clinical papers I had read which described the analytic approach to working with couples – and, when I was given the opportunity of doing the abbreviated professional training in couple psychotherapy (a two-year course, ‘entry with advanced standing’) I jumped at the chance and have never looked back.

Couple psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a fascinating and fast-developing area of psychoanalytic work – and Tavistock Relationships is at the cutting edge of the international field.

The training gave me invaluable experience of working in co-therapy with senior colleagues and offered a rich immersion in the conceptual and clinical approaches to psychoanalytic work with couples. This has formed the basis of a truly fascinating career over more than two decades of working with couples – doing research, clinical work, and teaching – as well as forming the foundation for a thriving private practice. Couple psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a fascinating and fast-developing area of psychoanalytic work – and Tavistock Relationships is at the cutting edge of the international field."

Meet the Tutor - Online Event 6 July 2022: Clinical Qualification in Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

If you are considering our four-year Clinical Qualification in Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, (minimum two-years with advanced standing for suitably qualified applicants) there is still to sign up for our Meet the Tutor event on 6 July - in time to apply for September 2022 entry. Register here.

Alternatively, view more information about the course and how to apply.

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Andrew Balfour

by Andrew Balfour

Chief Executive

Andrew Balfour, Chief Executive of Tavistock Relationships, originally trained as a clinical psychologist at University College London and then as an Adult Psychotherapist at the Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust, whilst in a staff post. He then trained as a Couple Psychotherapist at Tavistock Relationships, where for more than 10 years he was Clinical Director before becoming CEO in 2016. He has many years’ experience of working psychotherapeutically with couples, developing new projects and conducting research.

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