About the specialisation
According to the licence of the European Association for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and Counselling, the specialisation in “Therapeutic Techniques and Skills” is being launched in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Teachers, educators, childcare workers, teaching assistants, and social workers are often the first to notice a child’s difficulties. However, hindered by their own emotional issues and barriers, many of them are unable to fully dedicate themselves to the process of teaching and nurturing each child.
This specialisation provides insight into one’s own functioning, teaches how to recognise a child’s difficulties, how to talk to and listen to a child, and how to approach each child by taking into account their difficulties and way of functioning, while also being responsible for one’s own mental health.
Duration
Six-month specialisation for educators, teachers, social welfare centre staff, and teaching assistants
Who is it intended for?
Intended for educators, teachers, social welfare centre staff, teaching assistants, and all those who work with children and young people.
Programme content
- The importance of emotional literacy and therapeutic techniques for those working with children and young people
(what we need for successful work, what children need from us) - Attachment theory
(the role of attachment styles in the development of later relationships, understanding oneself in order to work with various issues in children) - Overview of the most common difficulties encountered in everyday work in schools and kindergartens – psychopathology
(universal approaches in daily work with diverse children) - Internalised disorders and working with them
(anxiety, depression, insecurity, trauma, child in divorce, loss) - Externalised disorders and working with them
(ADHD, behavioural disorders, aggression) - Working with parents, collaborating with colleagues, self-development, supervision
Programme structure and certification
- Each module from 2 to 6 includes 1.5 hours of supervision.
- Modules are held one weekend per month, lasting 10 hours (Fri–Sat or Sat–Sun).
- Between modules, participants must apply the knowledge they have gained and present their experiences in the supervision group during the next module.
- Completion of the specialisation involves a written examination, a personal development profile, and a presentation of the skills acquired through a selected case (case study).
- Upon successful completion of the specialisation, participants will receive a certificate from the BHIDAPA Institute and from EIATSCYP (the European umbrella association for child and adolescent psychotherapy), stating “CERTIFICATE IN THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND SKILLS”.
Training groups are closed groups with a fixed number of students. In the open module, students from all BHIDAPA and Institut D.O.M. educational groups may participate.
If a module is led by an international expert, it will be open, meaning that all interested individuals who are not enrolled in the specialisation may also attend, subject to the payment of the participation fee.
Programme director and lecturers
- The programme director and lecturer in Bosnia and Herzegovina is Dr Mirela Badurina, Gestalt psychotherapist, integrative psychotherapist for children and adolescents, and supervisor under supervision.
- The programme director and lecturer in Croatia is Dr Vesna Hercigonja Novković, professor of special education and integrative psychotherapist for children and adolescents. She is the project leader for the implementation of emotional literacy in schools and kindergartens in Croatia.
- Lecturer: Prof. Dr Dubravka Kocijan Hercigonja, neuropsychiatrist and integrative psychotherapist for children and adolescents. She is a renowned and internationally recognised expert in the field of neuropsychiatry, particularly child psychiatry.
- Lecturer: Prof. Dr Gordana Buljan Flander, psychologist and integrative psychotherapist for children and adolescents. Director of the Child Protection Centre of Zagreb. She is a world-renowned expert in the field of child protection.
- Lecturer: Dina Koren, professor of social pedagogy, integrative psychotherapist for children and adolescents. Special education teacher and head of children’s group therapy at the Kocijan Hercigonja Polyclinic.
Duration and structure of the specialisation
60 hours / 6 weekends of 10 hours each.
Start of the specialisation programme
The specialisation in therapeutic techniques and skills is planned to be organised again soon, with the first module on the topic “The importance of emotional literacy and therapeutic techniques for those working with children and young people”.