ISTDP Core Training Program
The ISTDP Core Training Program is a structured, experiential training pathway designed for mental health clinicians seeking to develop competency in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP).
Commencing June [2026], the training is delivered in a blended format, combining:
- Live online teaching and supervision, and
- Face-to-face intensive workshops held 3–4 times per year
This format allows participants to integrate learning into active clinical practice while benefiting from immersive, in-person skills development.
Training Focus
The Core Training covers:
- Assessment of anxiety, defenses, and character structure
- Identification and management of resistance
- Working with complex presentations including trauma, personality vulnerabilities, and somatic symptoms
- Developing moment-to-moment pressure, challenge, and regulation skills
- Building capacity to track unconscious processes and therapeutic alliance
The training is suitable for clinicians who are:
Registered mental health clinicians who wish to develop or consolidate skills in ISTDP and experiential dynamic psychotherapy.
It is suitable for:
- AHPHRA registered Clinical psychologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychiatry registrars and mental health nurses with therapy experience.
- Social workers registered with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).
- Counsellors with registration under their relevant associations.
- Practitioners seeking a more emotion-focused, relational, and depth-oriented approach to treatment.
Prior experience in psychodynamic or experiential therapies is helpful but not required. Participants should be actively seeing clients and willing to engage in self-reflection and video-based learning.
Learning Environment
The program is intentionally small-group and relational, fostering a safe and rigorous learning environment where clinicians can:
- Present clinical material
- Receive detailed feedback
- Reflect on their own emotional responses and patterns in the therapeutic process
The training emphasises clinical humility, curiosity, and precision, supporting participants to develop both technical skill and emotional capacity as ISTDP therapists.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. This is a foundational (core) training. Prior experience in psychodynamic or experiential therapies is helpful but not required.
The program is delivered in a blended format, combining live online teaching with face-to-face intensives held 3–4 times per year.
Yes. Video-based learning is central to the training. Participants are expected to progressively develop capacity to record and review clinical work, in line with ethical and consent requirements.
Places are limited. Please complete the Expression of Interest form to receive further details.
