Who are we?
For over twenty years, The Bowlby Centre
(formerly known as the Centre for
Attachment–based Psychoanalytic
Psychotherapy (CAPP)) has developed as
an organisation for the service and training
committed to the practice of attachment-based
psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
The Centre is a dynamic, rapidly
developing organisation. We provide a four
year part-time psychotherapy training
which is accredited by the United Kingdom
Council for Psychotherapy.
We also offer a referral service for the
public and a consultation and outreach
service for individuals and organisations.
We also offer a wealth of experience in the
fields of attachment and loss and particular
expertise in working with trauma, abuse,
relationship breakdown and addiction. We
are currently running short courses on
clinical issues including addiction, disability
and dissociation.
We offer an annual conference which
aims to further thinking and development
in the field of attachment.
What is our
approach to psychotherapy?
Attachment-based psychoanalytic
psychotherapy has at its core an
understanding of the importance of
attachment relationships to human growth
and development throughout life.
This
approach to psychotherapy, arising out of
the relational tradition of psychoanalysis,
draws upon a broad range of
psychoanalytic insights as well as radical
new developments in the rapidly growing
field of attachment theory.
Recognising experiences in the real
world
Understanding psychotherapy within the
context of attachment relationships means
that we see it as a co-operative venture
between therapist and client. The aim is to
develop a secure base from which to
explore the unconscious and experiences
of loss and trauma in the course of
development. We do not regard these
experiences as being confined to a private
world or to early life. Instead, we see
attachment relationships between
individuals as being shaped by groups and
society as a whole.
Experiences of loss and abuse as a result
of structures and pressures within wider
society cannot be split off and left as a
problem, separate to those with which
therapy concerns itself. The social
structures, pressures and everyday
experiences concerning class, disability, gender, race, sex and sexuality, together
with the complexity of the individual’s
response, can be worked with in a
profound way through attachment-based
psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
The importance of facilitating mourning
Mourning is vital to the acknowledgement
and understanding of the effects of
abandonment, loss and abuse, whether
emotional, sexual or physical. The support
of an authentic process of mourning forms
a central part of the therapeutic work. This
is crucial to the development of a sense of
self and the capacity to form and sustain
intimate relationships. Both a strong sense of self and good attachment relationships
are essential to managing stressful
experiences.
Developing evidence-based
psychotherapy
John Bowlby's original development of
attachment theory was promoted primarily
by his concern to ensure social recognition
for the central importance of attachment
and the experience of loss in early
development. He was also concerned to
strengthen the scientific foundations of
psychoanalysis, emphasising the
importance of basing our theories on
research findings as well as clinical
evidence. He recognised the need for
practising a psychotherapy which can be
demonstrated to be an effective
contribution to mental health care. Since
his original work, attachment theory has
come to occupy a key position in this fast developing
scientific field, providing a link
between psychoanalysis, developmental
psychology, neurobiology and the
behavioural sciences.
Valuing difference and diversity
Our therapists come from diverse
backgrounds and we look to all sections of
the community in welcoming students and
clients. We operate an equal opportunities
policy in our work. We are committed to
respecting and valuing differences and the
training aims to take into account the impact of class, culture, disability, gender,
race and sexuality on both students and
clients. Many people struggle against
discrimination, racism, poverty and
intolerance. Understanding this may be an
integral part of therapy. |
