Somatic Psychotherapy
Professional Online Training Program
Brochure | 2024
Institute of Somatic Psychotherapy
Sydney, Australia
[Link]
contact@[Link]
Revised October 2023
(c) IOSP 2023
03 Preface
04 Entry Requirement
05 What is Somatic/Body Psychotherapy?
06 Why Somatic/Body Psychotherapy?
07 The Embodied Practitioner
Table of Contents
09 The Training Program – IOSP Philosophy
10 The Training Program – The Aims of the Training
10 The Training Program – Theoretical Foundations
11 The Training Program – Options
13 The Training Program – Training Modules
13 The Training Program – Course Delivery
14 Peer Group Syndicates
14 Tutor Contact
15 CPD
15 Training Times for Global Citizens
15 Course Fees
16 How to Enrol: Admission Process
16 Contact IOSP
17 Appendix 1
18 Appendix 2
20 Appendix 3
PREFACE
The purpose of this document is to give prospective trainees an introduction to the
1-year training program in Somatic Psychotherapy. It includes information about
the philosophy and therapeutic approach of Somatic Psychotherapy, and the overall
structure and content of the training with an outline of each of the modules. We
describe the aims and objectives for each module, and a summary of concepts and
ideas on which the program is based.
We briefly try to place our training within the developing field of psychotherapy,
showing similarities and connections to other approaches as well as the differences
and unique features which distinguish an IOSP-inspired psychotherapy approach
from other ways of working.
This course is designed for existing mental health practitioners and allied health
practitioners as outlined in the entry requirement on the next page of this
document. The training program covers several training modules. Trainees have
the option of accessing 15 live 2-hour online seminars as a stand-alone Seminar-
Only course, or completing the more comprehensive Full Course with additional
learning of 12 syndicate small group meetings. Both training options are endorsed
for the maximum annual 40 CPD hours by PACFA.
The guest lecturers for the seminars include Kathrin Stauffer (psychotherapist and
author of "Anatomy & Physiology for Psychotherapists: Connecting Body & Soul"
and "Emotional Neglect and the Adult in Therapy: Lifelong Consequences to a Lack
of Early Attunement", and Gill Westland (founder and Director of Cambridge Body
Psychotherapy Centre and author of "Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication in
Psychotherapy").
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ENTRY REQUIREMENT
Applicants are required to have:
undergone and provide documentation of having done at least 200 hours of
relevant training in so called 'mental health' such as: psychiatry, psychotherapy,
family therapy, psychiatric nursing or social work
current experience working with people in these fields on a 1 on 1 or group
basis
self-awareness, emotional maturity and intellectual capacity for academic study.
Full course applicants to this course will be interviewed prior to acceptance
following registration to ensure all participants meet these requirements.
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WHAT IS SOMATIC/BODY
PSYCHOTHERAPY?
Somatic Psychotherapy (or Body-Psychotherapy, Body-Oriented Psychotherapy, or
Somatic Psychology) is an umbrella term for various approaches within
psychotherapy that consider the body-mind connection to be fundamental and
indivisible and this, implicitly, incorporates a therapeutic orientation towards the
body.
The holistic nature of the field of Somatic Psychotherapy is the result of vast and
diverse influences such as psychoanalysis, philosophy, humanistic psychology,
eastern philosophies and spiritual traditions, dance, theatre, body therapy, reform
pedagogy as well as trauma theory, infant research, neurobiology and
neuroscience.
The “hidden tradition” (Marlock & Weiss, 2015) of Somatic Psychotherapy pre-dates
Freudian Psychoanalysis (Boadella, 1997), and was later developed by Wilhelm Reich
and many others, both in Europe and America. As many ideas and movements
developed in isolation from each other, there emerged a large number of different
modalities or methods within Somatic Psychotherapy. It has recently “become a
respected movement well-established within the mainstream of modern
psychotherapy” (Marlock & Weiss, 2015).
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WHY SOMATIC/BODY
PSYCHOTHERAPY?
In psychotherapy, people change primarily because they want to, and/or are open
to new perspectives and experiences. Psychotherapy generally promotes these new
experiences by exploring the person’s cognitive, imaginative, emotional and
interactive processes. We understand this therapeutic conversation as a dialogue
within the safety of the therapeutic relationship.
It is of crucial importance that Somatic Psychotherapy extends this exploration to
physical sensations, motoric and movement impulses, including those relating to
deep emotions held within the body. Somatic Psychotherapy pays attention – and
attends to – the non-verbal and embodied dimensions of a human being, which
may also touch or connect with something of our spirituality. We understand this
therapeutic conversation as a dialogue within an embodied therapeutic
relationship. It is this scope, attention and attentiveness that makes Somatic
Psychotherapy holistic.
The IOSP Somatic Psychotherapy Training Program (outlined in this brochure) is a
generic or integrated Somatic Psychotherapy training and does not follow any one
particular method.
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THE EMBODIED
PRACTITIONER
When people enter into psychotherapy, they often do so with an expectation that
psychotherapy is a treatment where something that is “wrong” with them is being
“fixed”. The practitioner is seen as an expert who knows something that they don’t
know, and it’s that knowledge and expertise that ultimately provides the fix.
However, should the desired result not be forthcoming, then therapy “didn’t work”,
or perhaps wasn’t done properly.
In contrast, Somatic Psychotherapists don’t just treat symptoms (like anxiety or
depression), they attend to people’s needs and especially to their embodied
internal emotional and psychological processes. Somatic Psychotherapists engage
with the subjectivity of other people. The “fix” is what happens relationally between
the practitioner and a person. The focus of therapy is on a person’s inner and lived
reality. In other words: there is no expert who supposedly does something to
someone.
Such psychotherapeutic work goes beyond understanding the technique, theory
and method. Instead, this therapeutic position requires a deep connection with
one’s own processes. Practitioners, effectively, will want to be very aware of their
own subjectivity - which is essentially also embodied.
Unfortunately, training approaches in our field tend to pay insufficient attention to
subjectivity – both to the subjectivity of the client/patient and also, significantly, to
that of the practitioner. These therapeutic approaches and trainings, in effect,
perpetuate the prevalent forms of ‘dis-embodiment’. They also may not pay a great
deal of attention to key relational issues between the client and therapist, and
between the client and the outside world.
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Out of these dilemmas, at least three positions emerged which inform the attitude
of IOSP:
IOSP is utilising significant aspects of the “European view” of Body (Somatic)
Psychotherapy. The European Association for Body Psychotherapy (EABP)
supports the view that psychotherapy is a profession in its own right – as
opposed to a more US American view where a medical professional
“does/provides” a form of psychotherapy.
We are in line with the psychotherapy training standards of PACFA for
psychotherapists. PACFA emphasises that the formation of a psychotherapist
requires a level and depth of training involving the three distinct aspects of
training, supervised practice, and personal therapeutic work. PACFA considers a
“key aspect of Psychotherapy training is developing relational depth within the
training, one’s personal work with clients and supervision. The outcome is the
development of a practitioner who can critically reflect on and articulate their
practice.” We concur with this statement.
In addition to this, we believe that Somatic Psychotherapists need to have
access to their own Sense of Self as a prerequisite to be with and to engage with
the Sense of Self of another person, and to capture a sense of how this dialogue
might make itself known in the therapeutic relationship.
The intension of IOSP’s training program is to address the third statement in the
list.
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THE TRAINING PROGRAM
– IOSP PHILOSOPHY
Our ambition is to establish a training program in Somatic Psychotherapy that is
holistic, somatically-oriented and puts the relationship between person and the
somatically informed practitioner at the centre of attention in the therapy. The
training makes somatic aspects central – they are core to the training.
Despite some significant differences, what is understood as the common ground
between the various schools of Body (Somatic) Psychotherapy is that they usually
share the following aspects, usually not found in other modalities of psychotherapy:
Body, mind, and psyche (a person) is seen as an indivisible, interconnected
dynamic system
Early formative experiences in human development have lasting effects on both
the somatic and psychological dimensions of a person
The psychological dimension can be accessed, touched and affected via the
somatic dimension (bottom up) as well as cognitively/intellectually (top down)
A trust in the inherent potential of “human nature” for self-regulation, self-
organisation, and maturational growth and development
We would like to add two important elements to this list:
Instead of body-mind unity, we consider the concept of ‘Self’ being at the centre
of our clinical work. The Self, as we understand it, is the organisation of
subjective emotional experience – and it is embodied within our nervous
system. “The Embodied Self” is at the very centre of who we are and how we
experience ourselves as a person.
We believe – and practice – that Somatic Psychotherapy is quintessentially
relational: how we are with people in our consulting rooms, how we relate with
each other, how we relate to ourselves, and the meaning that we give to the
experiences we have of these relationships. These all lie at the heart of Somatic
Psychotherapy practice.
We believe that this is very different to just adding somatic techniques or
mindfulness exercises to largely cognition-based or other non-somatically oriented
approaches.
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THE TRAINING PROGRAM
– AIMS OF THE TRAINING
In the ideal world, IOSP would be offering a four-year training program with face-
to-face delivery of the content. The ongoing focus would be on theory, bringing the
theory alive during the training program, and enabling course participants to use
their skills in their clinical practice.
In the current world we are offering a program at a much smaller scale, that is
delivered largely online. However, the focus and aims are the same as they would
be in a longer training program:
1) Theory
Theory provides the conceptual framework for our clinical work. It gives us an
intellectual basis for “why am I am doing what I am doing?”.
2) Development of a Sense of Self
We will continually remind you to pay attention to your embodied Sense of Self. A
Somatic Psychotherapist who is aware of their own embodiment is more present,
and “as we become more aware of ourselves, we tune more acutely into our client;
we become more non-verbally interconnected” (Westland, 2015, pg. 81).
3) Ways of Working
So-called techniques are ways of working. We might use them to amplify or mute a
process, allow something to emerge more dynamically, or slow it down. As
practitioners, as we become more familiar with ways of working, these ways
become skills.
THE TRAINING PROGRAM –
THEORETICAL
FOUNDATIONS
The training is designed for participants to become familiar with body-oriented,
holistic, relational and humanistic principles, and to develop their own way of
working by integrating the learning into practice and/or their life away from clinical
work.
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We would like to stress that the IOSP approach is independent from particular
schools/modalities of somatic psychotherapy (even though we may refer to them).
Instead, we have been influenced by - and promote - the following contemporary
and relational theories, approaches and authors:
Embodiment theory
Infant development/attachment theory (Beatrice Beebe)
Trauma theory (Judith Herman)
Early neglect (Kathrin Stauffer)
Contemporary continental philosophy (Phenomenology and Hermeneutics)
Empathy in clinical practice (Kohutian Self Psychology)
Contemporary relational theory (Intersubjectivity)
Verbal and non-verbal communication (Westland)
THE TRAINING PROGRAM
– OPTIONS
People choose to engage with this Somatic Psychotherapy training for different
personal and professional reasons. It is our hope that the following guide will allow
you to make the choice that is most relevant for you (please refer to Entry
Requirement outlined earlier in this document).
Option 1: Seminars Only
This option will contribute to your Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
and/or be for their own personal benefit.
Participants will have access to 15 live online seminars, all set readings and other
resources. Participants will be expected to purchase a textbook which is in addition
to course fees. Engagement with course material will require approximately 2-3
hours per week in addition to attendance to the live 2 hour seminars.
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Option 2: Full Course
Participants can expect a more in-depth experiential training and learning process.
In this course we will elaborate to the material provided in the seminars through
the additional regular meeting via small syndicate groups.
The full course consists of and requires participation in – the following:
15 live online 2-hour seminars (approximately fortnightly)
12 Peer-group syndicates (approximately fortnightly)
Set readings, exercises and worksheets
Self-study
Journaling
Course Tutor Contact
Please Note: Participants attending at least 80% of the seminars/syndicates as part
of option 1 and 2 are entitled to receive a certificate of attendance of the IOSP
Training – which is endorsed for 40 CPD hours with PACFA.
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THE PROGRAM -
TRAINING MODULES
The training program covers five training modules of study.
1. Introduction to Body Psychotherapy
2. Sense of Self and Embodiment
3. Relational Somatic Psychotherapy
4. Trauma-Informed Practice
5. Making Somatic Psychotherapeutic work visible (Clinical Examples and Case
Studies)
An outline of the Teaching Objectives and Learning Outcomes for the Modules can
be found in Appendix 2.
THE TRAINING PROGRAM
– COURSE DELIVERY
At IOSP we believe that this training program is unique; it has been designed to be
undertaken online which makes the training much more accessible than most other
psychotherapy programs which usually rely on ongoing face-to-face contact.
It is also unique in that people in different countries and time zones can participate
together, which includes the lecturers.
The seminars are held on Mondays, 6pm, Australian Eastern Standard/Daylight
Time, roughly every second week, between March and November. Participants who
miss a session will have access to recordings.
“Full Course” participants will have an additional learning experience as they will
meet in self-managed small syndicate/peer groups. Depending on their physical
location, these meetings will be online, or face-to-face, or a combination of each.
Reading materials will be provided as a foundation for each of the seminars and
syndicate group meetings.
An outline of course dates and hours can be found in Appendix 1 (note: dates to be
updated for 2024).
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ABOUT PEER-GROUP
SYNDICATES
(FULL COURSE ONLY)
The Peer-Group syndicate component is offered only to participants of the Full
Training Program. Syndicates consist of between 4–5 participants, usually grouped
geographically – as much as possible. The syndicate groups will be organised
around set readings with guidelines to prepare for, and run, the syndicate groups.
Participants will have the freedom to structure their learning experiences according
to their individual and group needs.
Human beings emerge out of relationships and are shaped by relationships. While
the seminars will address the theoretical foundations of the training, the peer-
group syndicates will provide a more reflective, experiential, and relational
component. The creators of the training program believe this component does not
just deepen the learning, but could be experienced as the “fun part” as it allows for
a variety of human interactions.
When it comes to the topic of “relationships”, more traditional training programs
tend to focus on “How am I in relationships?” In contrast, this training program
focuses on the somatic / bodily / embodied components of our existence, and
hopefully will raise curiosity and awareness of, “What is it like - what does it feel like
– to be in relationship with others?”
ABOUT COURSE TUTOR
CONTACT
Tutoring is offered as part of the Full Training participant support. It will be
provided online by Veronik Verkest and Ernst Meyer for students who experience
any personal or learning difficulties / challenges. Please note that tutoring is not a
replacement for personal therapy.
Any questions regarding course structure, course work/projects will be addressed
by the student coordinator, Kimberley Lee.
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CPD
Participants in Australia: The training program has been endorsed by PACFA for 40
hours of CPD training (Full Training and Seminars Only programs). International
participants would need to confirm with their relevant national professional
associations if these CPD hours are acceptable.
ABOUT TRAINING TIMES
FOR GLOBAL CITIZENS
As this training program is delivered online, it is possible for students located
outside of Australia to attend both “Seminars Only” and “Full Course” sessions.
The chosen time slot of Monday, 6.00 – 8.00 pm (Sydney: AEST/AEDT) translates to
the following training times for the majority of the program, delivered between
March and October 2023: New Zealand: 8.00 pm – 10.00 pm; Tokyo: 4.00 pm – 6.00
pm; Berlin:10.00 am – midday; Cape Town: 10.00 am – midday; UK: 9.00 am – 11.00
am. Please note that the time slots may vary slightly because of daylight-saving
changes.
COURSE FEES
Year 1 - Seminars Only
The fee for the “Seminars Only” Program is: AUD $1,980 (inclusive of GST). The full
amount is payable on registration.
Full Course
The fee for the “Full” (no part payments) Somatic Psychotherapy Training Program
is: AUD $3,300 (inclusive of GST). The Early Bird Fee for Year 1 is $2,970 (a discount
of $330) and needs to be paid in full by 12 December 2023.
A non-refundable deposit of $250 is required on application. The remainder of the
total fees will be payable in full (no part payments) by 20th February 2024.
Note: These fees do not include: recommended books, personal psychotherapy
sessions, or individual body-therapy sessions.
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HOW TO ENROL:
ADMISSION PROCESS
The Full Somatic Psychotherapy Training Program will be done in several
steps:
Submit the application via the IOSP website. A non-refundable deposit of AUD
$250 is required at time of registration.
Applicants will then be contacted for a relatively informal interview via zoom and
may also be asked to provide relevant documentation of their professional
training and/or registration or accreditation.
Successful applicants will then receive an invoice for the remainder of the fee.
Once final payment has been received, the applicant will be given access to the
relevant course and reading materials and, in due course, to the Moodle web
portal. Early bird fees are available if paid in full by the 12th December 2023. The
final due date for fees is 20th February 2024 to allow for time to purchase
required textbooks.
The Seminars Only Program:
Register via the IOSP website.
Pay the full fee at time of registration.
Once payment has been confirmed, the applicant will be given access to the
relevant course and reading materials and, in due course, to the Moodle web
portal.
CONTACT IOSP
Institute of Somatic Psychotherapy: Sydney, Australia.
Website: [Link]
IOSP Course Coordinators
General Enquiries: contact@[Link]
Veronik Verkest: +61 412 210 339
Ernst Meyer: +61 405 235 798
Kimberley Lee: +61 407 068 399
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APPENDIX 1
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APPENDIX 2
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APPENDIX 3
THE PEOPLE INVOLVED WITH IOSP
IOSP FOUNDER + COURSE TUTOR: Veronik Verkest practices as a
contemporary somatic psychotherapist in private practice in Sydney
where she welcomes individuals to share their embodied
experience irrespective of their journey, sexuality and cultural
background.
In her sessions, she brings in her training in self-psychology / inter-
subjectivity, neurobiology, attachment & trauma theory, infant
research, meditation to attune and attend to her clients’ deeply felt
or buried unresolved trauma which is frequently held in the body.
Veronik is a Clinical Member of PACFA with a Diploma of
Contemporary Somatic Psychotherapy, Master of Counselling &
Applied Psychotherapy, an MBA, BSc (HON I Biochemistry) and
extensive experience in the corporate world and [Link] is also
trained as a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher
and as an AcuEnergetics® practitioner that combines the traditional
Chinese Meridian System and Chakra System in a relational
embodied manner to shift subtle energies.
IOSP FOUNDER + COURSE TUTOR: Ernst Myer is a Sydney-based
somatic psychotherapist in private practice.
He works extensively with former and current police and first
responders who have lived with the consequences of work-related
trauma injuries.
People also consult Ernst on crisis management, in particular
suicidality. He is a clinical member and board member of PACFA,
full member of EABP.
Outside of the therapy room he is interested in philosophy, politics
and history.
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STUDENT COORDINATOR: Kimberley Lee is a PACFA registered
counsellor (Graduate Diploma in Counselling), certified meditation
teacher, and Yoga Alliance certified trauma-informed yoga teacher.
Kimberley believes in healing through developing a felt sense of Self
with support and care through the process. Kimberley has lived
experience with adoption and an interest in working with adopted
people and their families.
She also has experience working with LGTBQI+ issues, dating and
relationships, people who work in the sex industry, and helping
people understand repetitive self-soothing behaviours, like drug
and alcohol use.
Kimberley is a communications consultant with a BA
Communications (Honours) and has worked with individuals, start-
ups, corporations, government agencies and not-for-profit
organisations in a variety of industries and sectors in this capacity.
She is passionate about empowering people with knowledge and
skills for improved communication and relationships in personal
and professional contexts.
SEMINAR TRAINERS
Katrin Stauffer
Kathrin PhD, is a UKCP registered Body and Integrative
Psychotherapist. Originally a biochemist, she retrained as a body
psychotherapist with the Chiron Centre in London and Cambridge.
She works in private practice in Cambridge, offering individual
psychotherapy, EMDR and supervision for psychotherapists,
counsellors and complementary therapists. She teaches as a guest
tutor at various institutions. She is also the author of Anatomy &
Physiology for Psychotherapists: Connecting Body & Soul(W.W.
Norton) and Emotional Neglect and the Adult in Therapy (W.W.
Norton 2020). Kathrin is the current president of EABP.
For more information see [Link]
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Gill Westland
Gill Westland is founder and Director of Cambridge Body
Psychotherapy Centre and a UKCP registered Body
Psychotherapist, trainer, supervisor, consultant and writer. She is a
full member of the European Association for Body Psychotherapy.
She is a co-editor of the journal Body, Movement and Dance in
Psychotherapy. She is the author of Verbal and Non-Verbal
Communication in Psychotherapy (Norton, 2015) and various
articles and book chapters.
In 2012, she wrote UK Body Psychotherapy Competencies, with
Clover Southwell & Michaela Boening. More recently, she has
written on Healing trauma through embodied relating: Re-
establishing rhythms of relating. (Routledge, 2020), and Beyond
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Using body awareness
and mindfulness meditation practices to research body
psychotherapy. In The Art and Science of Embodied Research
Design: Concepts, Methods and Cases. (Routledge, 2021).
Sladjana Djordjevic
Sladjana has a MA in clinical psychology, is a licensed Body
Psychotherapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, holder of
the National and European Certificate for Psychotherapy. She has
been actively involved in work of the EABP since 2014 and currently
is the EABP Council Chair.
Sladjana has been practising Body Psychotherapy for 15 years in
an individual and group setting, and is founder and director of the
Body Psychotherapy Centre in Belgrade. Sladjana is the author and
leader of continuous professional development courses
Embodiment in psychotherapy and Trauma – path of recovery,
which are regularly being held since 2019.
She has written numerous articles about Body Psychotherapy in
Serbian and English language. Some of them are: The Role of
Embodiment in Therapeutic Process: A Case Study in a book Body
Psychotherapy Case Studies and the chapter Body psychotherapy
and trauma in the book Trauma – our story. She is specialised in
working with relational and shock trauma, psychosomatic issues
and early development. [Link]
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