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IoPP is a training and research institute for qualified therapists who want to deepen their clinical practice and develop specialist expertise. Our programmes are not designed to train people to become therapists from the outset. They support established practitioners to extend their thinking, clinical confidence and professional contribution in psychosexual, relationship and related specialist practice.
Our teaching is pluralistic in philosophy and relationally integrative in practice. We do not begin with the assumption that a single therapeutic model is right for every person, relationship or clinical situation. Instead, we help practitioners draw thoughtfully on ideas from humanistic, psychodynamic and evidence-based traditions, including CBT, alongside psychology and neurobiology.
At the centre of this is the therapeutic encounter: the practitioner and client working collaboratively to make sense of what matters, determine appropriate aims and support informed, autonomous choices. We value clinical work that is rigorous, compassionate and responsive to the particular person in front of us.
Specialist practice requires more than acquiring knowledge and techniques. We encourage practitioners to develop reflexivity, self-awareness and sensitivity to the lived experience of the people they work with. Learning at IoPP connects theory, research, clinical practice and personal development.
We value practitioners who invest in personal therapy and ongoing development, and who bring authenticity, congruence and thoughtful self-reflection to their work. Our faculty are interested not only in therapy itself, but also in theory, the history and evolution of the therapeutic field, and the ways in which different approaches connect, complement and sometimes diverge.
We promote high standards of ethical, reflective and accountable practice, supported by academic rigour and continuing professional development.
We aim to create an accessible, respectful learning environment in which difference is valued. Equality, diversity and sexual-affirmative practice are integral to our curriculum and student experience.
We believe excellent training combines challenge with care. Learning is most effective when practitioners can be curious, honest and supported in their development.
We engage with current knowledge, emerging research and changing clinical realities, helping practitioners contribute thoughtfully to the future of the field.
Many people who study with IoPP are interested not only in clinical practice, but also in research, personal and professional development, and influencing the wider therapeutic field. Through SPARC, IoPP’s applied research centre, we support a growing community of clinician-researchers and opportunities for research-informed development.