Body psychotherapy training at university level – piloting a novel integrated master’s programme

Abstract

Over the course of the last decade a growing number of clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate and demonstrate the efficacy and clinical utility of body psychotherapy for various mental health problems. The statutory provider landscape for psychological therapies does however rarely provide these therapies for patients; several factors have been identified for this mismatch and among those the lack of university-accredited academic training schemes constitutes a major limitation for wider dissemination and implementation within highly regulated health care systems. This paper explores an innovative pilot to establish a master’s programme in clinical psychology with a focus on embodiment in Turkey/Istanbul. The curriculum represents an integration of perspectives from various body psychotherapy schools. Findings of the pilot are encouraging and may serve as a template for the development of similar schemes with support from professional bodies such as the European and United States associations of body psychotherapy.