Integrative Relational PsychotherapyMaster’s degrees (Continuing Education)

Despite the long-standing presence of humanistic psychology in a significant number of North American universities, this approach is largely marginal in universities in our country, usually limited to brief mentions and concise descriptions of its key figures and main ideas within the context of a particular course subject.

Thus, while in the United States and Canada the so-called third wave of psychotherapy has gradually gained ground, developing its principles and research, in Spain humanistic psychotherapists have had to create their own training programmes through their own associations, operating outside academia and relying heavily on self-management.

The mistrust shown by many of those responsible for training psychologists within state institutions may stem from the influence of certain actions once led by therapists linked to the humanistic movement — what Ramón Rosal (Erich Fromm Institute of Humanistic Psychology) refers to as the “adolescent stage of the movement”.

These practices have undoubtedly helped to trivialise and taint, with a certain aura of mystical magic in some circles, everything associated with this movement.

However, more than fifty years after the emergence of the humanistic movement, the message conveyed by authors such as Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers or Rollo May remains relevant within our training programmes. Their contributions concerning human growth and development, the importance of the therapeutic bond and authenticity in the relationship, the therapist’s active attitude, communication and interpersonal connection, as well as listening and empathy, are today accepted across all approaches, even if the theoretical foundations supporting them are not always conveyed.

True to this legacy, and based on the model developed by Richard G. Erskine, the Master’s in Integrative Relational Psychotherapy provides training in a unifying therapeutic approach that recognises the inherent value of every individual and responds appropriately and effectively to the person on the affective, behavioural, cognitive, physiological and spiritual levels of functioning.