The BPC's Report
ACCREDITATION AND RE ACCREDITATION
Introduction
This report covers both the reaccreditation of the APPCIOS Psychodynamic Organisational Therapy (POT) training and the accreditation of the APPCIOS Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training (PPT).
The POT training has been reaccredited, subject to requirements and with recommendations as detailed in this report.
The PPT training has been accredited, subject to requirements and withrecommendations as detailed in this report.
The Registration Committee team members were:
- Sally Beeken Registrar
- Nicola Chadd Registration Committee member
- Rob Clacey Registration Committee member
- Jane Dunning Lay member
- Kelly Hylton Visiting member
- Flora Michalopoulou BPC trainee member
- Laura Dunn BPC Head of Operations (note taker)
The BPC visiting panel had access to all the policy and operating documents relevant to the application, all the training programme’s seminar lists and reading lists, details of all the trainers, and the last six clinical papers. We have also had the previous re-accreditation reports for the POT. Helpful introductory letters for both POT and PPT trainings facilitated navigation through the various documents.
The panel met with representatives from the management team, training, trainees, and supervisors. We met at the BPC offices on Wedmore Street since APPCIOS has no premises of its own, its courses being exclusively online.
We also invited written feedback from all parts of the training and organisation from those who were unable to attend the site visit, and that feedback is included in this report.
Background
Psychodynamic Organisational Therapy (POT) APPCIOS was formed in 2011 by group of clinicians wishing to provide a professional home for people working psychoanalytically in organisations. Its core training in Psychodynamic Organisational Therapy (POT) held its first approved webinar after accreditation by the BPC in 2014-15.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training (PPT)
Since the last reaccreditation visit, APPCIOS has been developing a second training, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training (PPT). This began in 2022. Seven trainees form the first cohort; at the time of the visit none had yet qualified but two were at the stage of preparing their qualifying portfolios.
Structure
The structure of the organisation is made up of a Board of Trustees, Management Committee, Professional Standards Committee and Ethics Committee. The members of the Management Committee undertake management of a number of functions:
- Admissions Mentoring and Membership Support;
- Development and Online Therapeutic Services;
- Websites, Webinars and Social Media;
- Partnerships, Affiliation and CourseAccreditation.
The two trainings, Psychodynamic Organisational Therapy (POT) and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training (PPT), each have a Steering Committee, in addition to which there is an Independent Assessors’ Panel, a Steering Committee for Online Therapeutic Services and a Quality Assurance Committee.
Membership is of APPCIOS is divided into Associate Members (AMs), Senior Associate Members (SAMs) and Full Members (FMs). Full members have been admitted by a process of APEL (Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning) or have completed a portfolio training within APPCIOS.
Meetings mostly take place by internet link. APPCIOS has embraced the possibilities and advantages of internet working and so members are able to participate in the life of the organisation irrespective of location and geographical constraints.
Management Team and Board of Trustees
The visiting panel met with four members of the Management Committee and four trustees; it was confirmed that three members of the Board are lay members. We were told of the early origins of APPCIOS in the Thornby Hall therapeutic community and the wish to legitimise the extensive portfolio training of those involved, hence the first BPC accreditation in 2014. There has been considerable development since then, and in relation to ongoing plans to continue to grow the organisation the BPC team were directed to the CEO’s report. Development plans include creating the role of finance officer, and an updated website.
The Board of Trustees ensures scrutiny of the organisation, with regular meetings between the CEO of APPCIOS and the Chair of the Board as well as a couple of strategy meetings. In terms of regulation, formal, minuted board meetings are held every three months, and the course is considering holding more meetings with the Board and the Management Committee.
Safeguarding and Fitness to Practice were discussed, and APPCIOS will send the Registrar their written safeguarding policy.
With regards fitness to practice, APPCIOS described their complaints procedure and Code of Ethics. They confirmed that they have adopted the BPC Standards of Conduct, Practice and Ethics and have incorporated an explicit organisational element for their members. Any concerns raised would go first to the Chair of the Management Committee who would liaise with the Ethics Committee; the Chair of Ethics also sits on the Professional Standards Committee and so issues of complaints can be discussed in both.
A theme throughout the day was the question of boundaries, with members of the organisation sometimes fulfilling several different key roles. This is particularly pertinent in that there is more sharing of personal information than is usual in a training setting, due to similarities with the therapeutic community ethos. The visiting team were assured that there is not a free flow of information and that there are clearly defined roles and tasks, that there is a boundary over what is and isn’t shared, and that the psychodynamic frame is held.
APPCIOS recognised the need for careful management of who is in contact with whom and in what capacity. The visiting panel noted that these boundaries will need to be managed even more carefully if the PPT graduates go on to provide personal therapy to organisational therapists with the organisation. We were informed that most people are in personal therapy or therapeutic supervision, that therapeutic supervision helps people understand the interface between personal experiences and organisational clinical work, and that therapeutic supervision is a requirement for all those who go on to achieve Full Membership.
The BPC panel noted that APPCIOS clearly comprised a good group of like-minded people but thought that it would be important to include people in the group who might challenge this way of thinking. We were told that this was indeed being considered, and that APPCIOS is currently encouraging more people who are business orientated to help develop the organisation.
Impressions
The BPC panel were struck by the passion and commitment of the management group.
The organisational strand of the training is well established and confident in its strength and identity. The PPT training is still evolving as will be discussed later in this report.
As was noted in the meeting, the APPCIOS management structure clearly comprised a good group of likeminded and committed individuals; we felt that to build on this it is important to ensure greater diversity of experience and perspective.
In terms of maintaining boundaries, APPCIOS recognised that there has to be careful management of who is in contact with whom and in what capacity. The visiting panel noted that these boundaries will need to be managed even more carefully if the PPT graduates go on to provide personal therapy to organisational therapists with the organisation and would like to see ongoing evidence that this issue is prioritised.
The Steering Committees
The BPC panel met with eight members of the steering committees; all were involved in the discussions of both trainings but for clarity the report is divided into POT and PPT.
Psychodynamic Organisational Therapy Training (POT)
The POT Handbook gives a description of this particular training and the “specialist skill set that differs from individual psychoanalytic psychotherapists working within the consulting room”. It is a portfolio training, “individualised and incremental and is assessed against APPCIOS’s standardised criteria which align with the BPC’s registration to practice as a Psychodynamic Organisational Therapist”.
We discussed the nature of this portfolio training and the “training escalator”, in terms of the organisational experience required for the different levels of membership. The BPC panel was told that trainees typically gain experience in the organisations in which they work, that they don’t necessarily need consulting experience but that they need to understand organisational dynamics and complete an organisational observation. They all have a mentor, and they are free to choose their own clinical and therapeutic supervisors in discussion with their mentor.
The role of the mentor is central. Currently there are twenty-one and they act in a voluntary capacity. Most are from within APPCIOS and most are Full Members. They are assigned to trainees collaboratively, matching them with the interests of trainees at interview. They give Senior Associate Members (SAMs) ongoing feedback about their progress. Seminar leaders and therapeutic supervisors also provide feedback.
The steering committee is concerned with the oversight and development of the training. Assessment is separate and conducted by an independent panel, with the aim of being an open and discursive exercise. Trainees are not required to submit a self-assessment but, as a new development, they are now required to keep a journal and submit this as part of their portfolio.
Not everyone wants to progress to become a Full Member (FM), but those that do have termly meetings with their mentors. The mentors themselves meet regularly, to discuss issues but not individual trainees. These meetings are led by a member of the steering committee.
Application for membership involves submission of an applicant’s portfolio following a discussion with mentor and applicant to see if the portfolio is ready and to check for any gaps. The handbook states the requirements for the different levels of membership. It then goes first to two members of the Steering Committee before finally going to a panel.
As someone approaches Full Membership, they attend a confidential analytic interview to determine that they have internalised a robust psychoanalytic core. Currently these are all conducted by the same analyst, but APPCIOS is looking to expand the pool.
APPCIOS advises people to keep their portfolios for the whole time that they are practising and have recently confirmed that they will keep a record of the portfolios for the time they are registered with the organisation. A spreadsheet is centrally held within the Management Committee which details as to what each member is doing, their level of membership and a record of their CPD.
Impressions
This portfolio route to qualification makes APPCIOS unique among BPC registered organisations, and the course is clearly proud of their achievements. The route to the different levels of membership seems to be clearly delineated and the open and collaborative nature of the process is part of ethos of the training.
There were areas which the BPC visiting panel thought could be tightened up in order to maintain standards. Notably, the panel recommends that confirming original certificates and evidence be sought for all members joining APPCIOS.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training (PPT)
In contrast to the POT training, the Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training (PPT) is a new development, with two of its first cohort of seven trainees moving towards qualification. Open only to full members of APPCIOS, it is regarded as a “top up” training, although for BPC accreditation it needs to meet in full the requirements of all psychodynamic psychotherapy trainings registered with the BPC. In the PPT handbook it describes being “designed to equip APPCIOS organisational therapists to offer formal psychodynamic psychotherapy to individual clients, both within private practice and within organisations, online and face-to-face”.
Discussion concerned the nature of the training and its parity with other BPC accredited psychodynamic psychotherapy trainings. The curriculum has been developed with the understanding that most trainees already have extensive theoretic training, and recommended reading assumes trainees’ familiarity with core texts. The course also strives to find a balance between thinking about the organisational and the individual internal contexts.
It was noted that it has been difficult to find supervisors for this training, and also hard to find male training patients. Trainees take two cases and must have worked for at least six months with the first case and have their supervisor’s approval before they take a second case. A supervisor’s report is required every six months, although this hasn’t always been possible. Most supervisors’ reports are written in conjunction with the trainee, but again this didn’t always happen.
Trainees write a clinical paper at the end of their work with their patients and also submit a journal. The visiting team suggested that there should be a six-monthly reports from the trainees alongside their supervisors’ reports.
There is no time limit for completion of this training, although the theoretical component takes place over a two-year block. The training extends if the clinical cases extend past these two years, and clinical seminars continue whilst cases are ongoing. During the clinical seminars students will bring a case to discuss, mostly in the form of a presentation, although there is flexibility. Sometimes the cases brought are their training cases, but sometimes other work is looked at.
Tutorials are one-to-one and it was hoped that there would be one tutorial per term, but we were told that sometimes this didn‘t happen. Other ways of staying in touch included having conversations at the end of seminars or review discussions at the end of term.
Trainees also have their own WhatsApp group for mutual support.
A prior agreement with the BPC Registrar was that one of the training cases be in person and the other online. We were told that it had not always been possible to ensure in-person patients and that exceptions had been made where the trainee already had extensive experience of working face to face.
It was confirmed that all trainees had to have personal therapy, although not necessarily at the time of the training. This may be reconsidered in the future. One person hadn’t had therapy with a BPC registered therapist and so went back into therapy. The visiting team wondered whether there could be an experiential group during the training. Some will have this if they are conducting an infant observation as part of their training (for those who have not yet undertaken an infant observation, this is a requirement of the PPT).
The visiting team wondered about possible difficulties in future if there was a cohort of trainees who were less experienced than this present group and they stated a need for APPCIOS to prepare for this. We were told that an issue for APPCIOS is keeping the costs down, given their aspiration to train people who might otherwise not be able to afford training.
Impressions
There was a clear drive and enthusiasm behind getting this course up and running, and the visiting team recognised how much work has gone into this. We also felt that the steering committee was open and receptive to suggestions as to how to continue to develop the course to ensure that necessary rigour was maintained. There were a number of areas which the course needed to review, discussed during the accreditation visit and outlined below.
We thought that the relatively extensive level of prior experience of members of this first cohort has contributed to its success, but that there is a need to tighten up various components of the course to ensure parity with other BPC registered psychodynamic psychotherapy trainings. For example, rather than assuming trainees had read certain key papers and texts, we felt that as a course they should be reading them together and discovering and re-discovering their continued relevance.
We would like to see trainees submit six-monthly reports, with both these and six-monthly supervisors’ reports being a requirement of the course. We also recommend termly meetings with tutors. And we would suggest that the cases brought to clinical seminars are always training cases, unless the trainees in question do not currently have training patients.
In connection with such considerations, we think it important that the PPT training be considered as a training in its own right, with parity with other BPC accredited psychodynamic psychotherapy trainings, rather than a top-up training, notwithstanding the fact that it is open only to APPCIOS members.
Trainees
The BPC visiting team met separately with POT and PPT trainees.
Psychodynamic Organisational Therapy (POT)
Four POT “trainees” attended. The BPC panel had a sense from their introductions of their important work with marginalised groups. They told us how many “trainees” had found APPCIOS accidentally, and usually when they were struggling with the work they were doing. They felt very well supported by the organisation with the range of supervision, trainings and events that they had access to. It was noted that many APPCIOS members come from a non-traditional background.
Asked about the mentor system, which seems pivotal, they confirmed that everyone has a mentor, although a couple of “trainees” had only met with theirs once or twice. Many felt that their mentor was an important source of understanding as to how they could progress through APPCIOS, and they described meeting with them in different settings and capacities, in contrast to the more specific role of supervisors. Many “trainees” were matched with mentors by senior people within APPCIOS and this often worked well.
“Trainees” valued being given the time to progress at their own pace and appreciated APPCIOS’s willingness to allow then to take their time. Whilst there was not a traditional cohort as such, “trainees” felt connected to others through the groups they shared in.
Asked if there was anything they’d like to be different, they felt that the communication from APPCIOS could be improved. Overall, though, the feedback from this group, as well as some email feedback we received from members unable to attend, was very positive, with no major concerns raised. The accessibility of the training to people of diverse backgrounds and across geographical locations was particularly valued, and despite – or sometimes because of - the online nature of APPCIOS, those engaged in the POT felt themselves very much a part of the organisation and supported by it.
Impressions
The visiting panel was struck by the enthusiasm and commitment of this impressive group of “trainees”. We refer to the handbook for details of required competencies but would like to see greater clarity over standards and how these are measured, as well more details of the theory content (for example, a list of required reading).
The comment about finding APPCIOS by accident was interesting and the panel recommends that APPCIOS does more to promote itself, for example in terms of what it is, what psychodynamic thinking is, and how you become a member (in particular requirements for full membership).
We wondered about the variation in how often “trainees” had contact with their mentors and thought clearer guidelines would be helpful.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training (PPT)
Seven PPT trainees attended, all of whom are Full Members of APPCIOS. In addition, we had email feedback from one of these trainees.
The overall feeling among trainees about the course was extremely positive. There was a general feeling that the PPT training had contributed significantly to trainees’ development and deepened their practice, notwithstanding their prior learning and experience. They recognised that the course was still evolving and expected that there would be adjustments to it based on their experience as the first cohort.
All agreed that the reading requirements had been too much at the beginning, but this had been adjusted. More generally, the trainees felt well supported and said that when there were issues they were raised with the steering committee and responded to clearly.
We discussed the likelihood that future cohorts might be less experienced than the current group of trainees, and the need for clearly defined structures and standards.
They described the clinical seminars and tutorials as very helpful. Each trainee had two different clinical supervisors.
An issue for some had been a difficulty in finding training patients, particularly male training patients. Some had also experienced difficulty in finding supervisors, because of the online requirement or due to the requirement for supervisors themselves to be five years post qualification. It was thought that some of the hesitancy among potential supervisors was because the training is still relatively unknown. APPCIOS is now trying to develop clearer and more well-defined structures and clearer pathways for accessing supervisors and therapists and hopes to build a pool of suitable supervisors who are familiar with the work of the organisation.
In terms of more specific comments, one trainee who felt initially resistant to the requirement to have psychoanalytic therapy is now very glad she did so. Another said that it took a while to get used to the training being conducted online and to getting to know her fellow trainees in this way. But a trainee who was a wheelchair user said she would not have been able to do the training had it not been online.
There was evident congeniality within the group and they feel they have bonded well, although they thought there might have been ways better to get to know each other at the start of the course, and they would recommend this for future cohorts. The visiting team wondered how conflict and serious concerns were managed. The issue of the multiplicity of roles within APPCIOS was raised. It was felt that there would be less crossover as the training evolves.
We discussed the likelihood that future cohorts might be less experienced than the current group of trainees, and the need for clearly defined structures and standards.
Impressions
The trainees were an enthusiastic and committed group who clearly value this opportunity to train as psychodynamic psychotherapists. The accessibility provided by this being an online training was important.
The trainees clearly felt valued and listened to and able to influence aspects of the training as it continues to evolve.
We did think the balance between flexibility and maintaining standards needed to be kept in mind, ensuring a parity between this and other BPC registered psychodynamic psychotherapy trainings.
The panel thought that although the current trainees seem to constitute a happy and united group, there is nevertheless a potential for conflict, given the multiplicity of roles held by trainers and the clear potential for boundary issues within these roles. The panel recommends explicit structural consideration of this multiplicity of roles and, in order to manage future difficulties within the organisation, the development of good and transparent processes for handling conflict.
Training Supervisors
We met with six training supervisors, all supervisors for the POT.
Psychodynamic Organisational Therapy (POT)
The panel asked how APPCIOS decides who becomes a supervisor. It was confirmed that APPCIOS doesn’t decide this; supervisors are usually already supervising in some capacity and this experience is built on, with the idea that you become a supervisor by supervising. Therapeutic supervision is typically for those working in organisations rather than those in consulting rooms.
To be a supervisor of an organisational therapist you have to be a full member of APPCIOS; you are then able to offer supervision to junior members within an organisation. Some Senior Associate Members offer supervision under supervision, and APPCIOS is developing a training for people who want to become POT supervisors.
There was a discussion about what therapeutic supervision is and it was described as being an amalgam of therapy and supervision, based on the therapeutic community tradition. It isn’t quite therapy but is more than just supervision, APPCIOS were clear this does not replace individual therapy, but it sometimes enables someone to start personal therapy.
It was felt by those attending the session that each supervisee is different, but all are very engaged. Supervisees are often working in places where psychodynamic thinking isn’t necessarily welcome, and this can be a challenge. It is the role of the supervisor to attend to these frictions. The panel was told that members don’t necessarily join APPCIOS to gain BPC registration, but more in order to develop themselves, and a point was made that APPCIOS rescues those who are out of their depth.
In terms of standards, where there are particular concerns about a supervisee, the supervisor might go to the Head of Membership, the Management Committee or their own supervisor.
Impressions
The group of supervisors we met were clearly experienced and dedicated. They have a unique set of clinical experiences to enable them to understand and conduct therapeutic supervision.
However, this is a very different model of supervision than is normally encountered in BPC registered organisations. The panel was satisfied by its rationale, as explained to us, but nevertheless wondered about dangers as well as benefits from this model. We would like to see a clear ethical framework and guidelines to ensure appropriate boundaries in therapeutic supervision are maintained.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training (PPT)
Whilst no PPT supervisor was able to attend in person, we had emails from two supervisors, both of whom wrote that they were happy with the standards overall and with liaison with APPCIOS. It was recognised that APPCIOS had put a lot of effort into the training, and it was seen to be well organised, with trainees well looked after.
Members and Graduates
Six members / graduates attended this session. We also received email feedback mentioning high standards overall, appropriate levels of liaison and high quality webinars and seminars.
There was a real feeling in the group that APPCIOS brings psychodynamic thinking to those who would otherwise not have access to this and that it is a very supportive community.
We were told by the group that there were plenty of opportunities to connect with other members of APPCIOS, and to dip in and out as much as is wanted. For example, a meeting late last year for all leaders of the different groups that are part of APPCIOS which was experienced as extremely helpful. A reading group and annual conference were also mentioned.
The panel asked more about the structure of APPCIOS, noting that traditionally the postgraduate body holds the committees such as an ethics committee, training committee and so on. We were told by the group that felt they had a voice in terms of how they wanted the organisation to develop and that structures were developing and taking form.
In general, the group seemed very satisfied with APPCIOS. The multiplicity of roles evident throughout the day was highlighted by one member as giving everyone a voice, in line with the therapeutic community model, with the channels of communication open to everyone. The panel noted there was lots of positivity and were interested that there was very little criticism of the organisation. (This was noticeable throughout the day in all the different meetings.)
Impressions
As noted above, there was great positivity among the graduates and members who attended this group. This is testament to APPCIOS as a valuable and valued organisation, but again the BPC panel did wonder about conflict and potential complaints, and the need for some forward thinking to create a robust structure to deal with such eventualities.
Final comments
In the concluding meeting, the Registrar confirmed that the BPC is happy to reaccredit the POT training for a further 5 years, subject to a number of requirements and recommendations, as detailed below.
The BPC is also happy to accredit the PPT training for 5 years with the requirements and recommendations detailed below.
The visiting panel was impressed by how much development there has been over the 5 years since the previous reaccreditation visit. There has evidently been a huge amount of work to make the organisation more professional.
Some of the issues that the panel wanted to raise were in relation to the therapeutic community ethos of APPCIOS. Alongside the multiplicity of roles held by some members, the therapeutic community ethos raises boundary issues which the panel felt should be explicitly and structurally addressed. Furthermore, the panel wondered how it might be inhibiting the developmental aims of APPCIOS and adversely affecting progression, in connection with the relationship to money, but also to value and cost. It was suggested that APPCIOS needs to think about embracing the realities of the commercial world whilst maintaining the therapeutic community ethos; to grow and disseminate the good work it is doing it will need more money.
There was also some thinking needed about authority within the organisation, particularly in the setting and maintaining of standards. This may also be linked to standardising and documenting the processes and requirements.
Requirements / Recommendations
Requirements
Clear and stringent processes to confirm certificates and evidence when members join APPCIOS, and as part of their portfolio training.
Delineating and documenting the roles and structures of supervision, therapeutic supervision, mentors etc. and explaining these for those unfamiliar.
6 monthly reports for PPT trainees to coincide with supervisor reports.
Recommendatons
To maintain a confirmed pool of supervisors.
Development of the PPT syllabus using the BPC theory and practice requirements as an anchor.
Termly meetings with supervisors.
Cases brought to clinical seminars to be training cases unless the trainee in question does not currently have a training case.
Consider putting in place experiential groups for PPT trainees.
To re-visit their understanding and use of therapeutic supervision in relation to the potential for boundary violations.
The development of good and transparent processes for handling conflict, given the multiplicity of roles held by members.
BPC Actions
Sally to send APPCIOS the theory and practice requirements.
APPCIOS Actions
To send Sally the link to the safeguarding policy.
Recommendation to Council
- The APPCIOS Psychodynamic Organisational Therapy training (POT) be reaccredited and revisited in five years’ time.
- The APPCIOS Psychodynamic Psychotherapy training (PPT) be accredited and revisited in five years’ time.
DATE: 9th May 2025