The School of Psychotherapy - Activities and Events • As well as running the counselling and psychotherapy programmes at Independent College Dublin, the School of Psychotherapy hosts and supports a number of local and national activities in the promotion of psychotherapy in Ireland. • The School of Psychotherapy hosts clinical seminars, public speaking events, book launches and Annual Conferences on behalf of organisations such as the A.P.P.I. (Association for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy), I.F.P.P. (Irish Forum for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy) and the College of Psychoanalysts. • There are monthly reading and supervision groups hosted by the School of Psychotherapy with members who are clinicians, academics, professionals, students and others. Attendance at these meetings is by agreement with the group coordinators. • The third Annual Psychoanalysis and Film Festival is scheduled to take place at Independent College Dublin in February, 2012. The First Film Festival (Theme: Love and Madness) and the second Film Festival (Theme: Obsessions, Passion, Pathos) were hugely successful, drawing large wide-ranging audiences for the film screenings and discussions.
Psychotherapy aims to assist the individual to overcome the psychological difficulties that he or she might encounter in life. In order to do this, the psychotherapist must have a thorough understanding of how the mind works, how we adopt particular stances in relation to the world and other people, and how we develop particular interests. Psychotherapy is a field that is rapidly developing in Ireland. Psychotherapists are employed by the health services and in many caring and professional organisations which address mental health issues. Some psychotherapists work in schools, the prison service and in private practice with clients who are referred by their GPs or psychiatrists, or who self-refer to deal with particular issues in their lives. Pauline O’Callaghan, Lecturer
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