About Us
The CPPAA is a professional body of Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists qualified to work with a range of developmental, behavioural and emotional problems.
At the CPPAA, we aim to maintain and foster the highest standards of clinical practice of its members and of the training of Child Psychotherapists. We do this by providing our members with ongoing professional development and a forum for clinical discussion. The CPPAA is based in Victoria but members may work and live across all of Australia.
Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy is an internationally recognised and specialised approach in therapeutic work with infants, children, adolescents and their parents, families and carers. It has a long history and body of knowledge which is based on research and experience from clinical practice. At the CPPAA, we keep our members up-to-date as new research and literature evolves.
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The CPPAA functions under Articles of Association and in accordance with a Constitution by means of an Executive and a number of Sub-committees. The CPPAA has an extensive Code of Ethics and Procedures for Implementation of the Code of Ethics.
Child Psychotherapy is an industrially recognised profession under the Health Professional Services Award (HSUA 3).
The CPPAA is an accredited member organisation of the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Association of Australasia (PPAA). The PPAA maintains high standards of practice, training and ethics in psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
WHAT IS CHILD PSYCHOANALYTIC PSYCHOTHERAPY?
Child Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy is a form of treatment and research focused on infant, child, adolescent and parent mental health problems. Child Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy helps those experiencing emotional or behavioural difficulties and unhappiness in their relationships and functioning.1 The CPPAA-accreditation ensures the highest standard of psychoanalytic psychotherapy practice, training and ethics, as a result from our assessment skills and evidence-based training.
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Emotional distress often goes undetected, disguised as illness, aggressive tendencies or odd behaviour. Children and adolescents can react to emotional pain with behavioural difficulties or dysfunctions or hidden hurt in dreams, nightmares and play.*
Psychotherapy
COUNCIL MEMBERS
President & PPAA Representative: Yvette Willoughby
Vice-President & Training Committee Chair: Ros Webb
Immediate Past President: Carolyn Coburn
Secretary: Lucy Meldrum
Treasurer: Judy Whittle
Membership Committee Chair: Jan Smith
Monash Mental Health Science (MMHSc)
Child Psychotherapy Studies Representative: Jennifer Re
Professional Development Committee Co-Chairs: Alexis Aytekin & Sharyn Brew
Administration Assistant: Heather Falkiner
OUR MEMBERS
CPPAA members are qualified Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists who have successfully completed rigorous and comprehensive tertiary level postgraduate qualifications and clinical training of a minimum of four years.
Our members are also required to hold professional qualifications in another health discipline, most usually psychology, mental health social work, occupational therapy, medicine, psychiatry or mental health nursing.
Want to become a member? Find out if you’re eligible.
There are many kinds of emotional difficulties severe enough to need the attention of specialists and expert help. Internal distress can impede normal developmental process, resulting in problems affecting family, relationships, school, play and work. It is vital to help vulnerable children and adolescents early as without attention, emotional development can be obstructed and difficulties can persist into adult life. Child Psychoanalytical Psychotherapists have a thorough understanding of children within their families, environment, school and community and how this is connected to their inner world. Linking past experiences with present, and interaction between the child’s inner experience and outer world leads to insight, understanding and reorganisation of internal dynamics. This dissipates internal conflicts, creating fulfilment of potential within children and adolescents.*
*Paraphrased from "Wont they just grow out of it?" Victorian Child Psychotherapy Association Inc., 1993
SUPERVISION AND CONSULTATION
CPPAA members are qualified to provide clinical supervision to mental health practitioners and to provide consultation to schools and other agencies working with children and parents.