University Course: Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy

There are special conditions for psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents, which result from the fact that:

• Infants, children and adolescents are much more dependent on their caregivers than adults seeking psychotherapeutic treatment,
• psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents and their caregivers is adapted to the respective developmental stage of the child, which requires in-depth knowledge of developmental psychology.
• psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents must always include their attachment figures, which requires special relationship skills.
• Infants, children and adolescents use forms of communication other than verbal communication to express their feelings and report on their experiences. It is therefore necessary for thechild’s psychotherapistto be competent in these forms of communication in play and in working with metaphors and the intervention techniques derived from them,
• psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents and their parents requires knowledge of the specific living conditions of children and adolescents in the school environment, the legal conditions for the protection of minors and family and parental law,
• the spectrum of mental disorders of childhood and adolescence requires diagnostic knowledge of age group-specific disorders,
• basic knowledge of somatic development and its disorders is necessary.

This makes special knowledge requirements essential for psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents. This has been taken into account in the guidelines for psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents (PDF, in German).

This university course aims to provide psychotherapeutic practitioners with in-depth knowledge to support them in their competence in psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents and their carers.

• You can access the supervisors of the course here: PTW_SupervisorInnen-Liste-ULG-KiJu.xlsx
• Detailed information on the scope and structure of the university course, the admission requirements, the examination regulations, the costs and the curriculum can be found summarised here: Info & Curriculum (PDF, in German).

The university course fulfils the criteria set out in the further education and training guidelines for psychotherapists/guidelines of the Federal Ministry of Health on the basis of reports by the Psychotherapy Advisory Board, most recently dated 2 December 2014 (Guidelines for psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents, p. 7ff).

The university course is run on a part-time basis, i.e. the seminars take place on Fridays from 4 to 9 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 6 pm.

The curriculum of the university course consists of seminar-based continuing education courses grouped into five thematic blocks (150 teaching units in total), as well as practical psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents and their caregivers under supervision (a total of 200 units of psychotherapeutic work and 50 units of accompanying supervision). Before beginning practical psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents and their carers, at least 100 psychotherapeutic sessions with adults must have been completed.

The course comprises a total of 30 ECTS credits, the seminar part can be completed in the course of approximately one academic year (assuming a corresponding minimum number of participants). The actual duration until completion of the programme is ultimately determined by the time density of psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents and their caregivers. A total duration of at least two years should be assumed.
The number of participants is limited to 21.

The course can be completed at the earliest one year after registration in the list of psychotherapists with the certificate of completion of further training in infant, child and adolescent psychotherapy in accordance with the guidelines of the Federal Ministry of Health from 2014.

On 27 January 2016, the University Course: Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy received a positive decision from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Health with regard to compliance with the guidelines for psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents and the further education and training guidelines for psychotherapists from the Psychotherapy Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Health.

This means that Sigmund Freud University is authorised to certify that graduates of the university course have completed further training in infant, child and adolescent psychotherapy in accordance with the guidelines of the Federal Ministry.

The SFU is also obliged to maintain and publish a list of psychotherapists who have successfully completed further training in infant, child and adolescent psychotherapy. The Federal Ministry of Health lists the Sigmund Freud Private University in a list of further education institutions for the field of child and adolescent psychotherapy under this link.

Successful completion of the university course in infant, child and adolescent psychotherapy is confirmed with the issue of a certificate.

Psychotherapists registered in the list of the Federal Ministry of Health as well as training candidates in their specialised training from the training status: “Psychotherapist in training under supervision” are admitted. Members of other professional groups are definitely excluded from participating in this university course.

Participation in individual seminars of the university course that are not dedicated to psychotherapeutic work (module 6 of the curriculum) is also possible for members of psychosocial and pedagogical professions as well as professional fields of the health care system after prior admission by the course management.

Apart from these admission requirements, the course management decides on personal suitability on the basis of an admission interview. If there are doubts about suitability in this admissions interview, a further admissions interview must be conducted with another member of the management team. If the results of these two admission interviews diverge, the head of the Institute for Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy will be consulted and the decision will be made in consultation.

In order to register for the university course you have to:

• the completed and signed registration form
  Download: ULG_KiJu_Anmeldung_eingetragene-Psychotherapeutinnen.docx or
  ULG_KiJu_Anmeldung_Psychotherapeutinnen-i.A.u.S-2024.docx
• confirmation of your entry in the BMG’s list of psychotherapists or, if you wish to begin further training during your specialised training, confirmation of the award of the status: psychotherapist in training under supervision
• a copy of a photo ID

Please send your application documents by email to the course heade.
You will then be invited to an admissions interview and will receive the training contract upon admission.

Participation in individual seminars

Participation in individual seminars on the university course is possible subject to availability. Psychotherapists registered in the list of psychotherapists of the Federal Ministry of Health as well as psychotherapists in training under supervision are admitted.

Written registration using the registration form.docx is required (registrations can only be considered if the registration form is completed in full).

Examination regulations for seminar courses

The examination regulations of the SFU for courses with an immanent examination character apply to seminars:

Attendance is generally compulsory. Attendance of at least 80 per cent of the actual attendance time is required for positive completion of these courses. The requirements necessary to provide proof of performance can be taken into account:

– The active participation of students in the course (e.g. contributions to discussions);
– active participation in the development of material during the course (e.g. through presentations);
– the follow-up of course content (e.g. in the form of written comments);
– the preparation of written seminar papers

Final thesis

A written description of a psychotherapeutic treatment of an infant, a child or an adolescent and their caregivers of 15 to 20 pages is required for graduation. In this thesis, the treatment must be reflected on, integrating the content of the seminar courses applicable to this treatment and focussing on the special features of psychotherapeutic work with infants, children, adolescents and their caregivers, such as indication, diagnostics, framework conditions and setting, psychotherapeutic relationships, intervention techniques, course of treatment, problems during treatment.
The case presentation must fulfil scientific criteria (citation rules, literature references).

Final colloquium

The final thesis must be discussed in a final colloquium with two teachers from the university course, one of whom is a member of the management team. In the event of a negative assessment of the final thesis or the reflection in the final colloquium, the course participant is entitled to make use of further training units (for a fee) in accordance with the recommendation of the two colloquium leaders and to submit a further written case presentation and reflect on this in a further final colloquium.

Cost valid as of summer semester 2026:

• Students of the SFU: € 3,229
• SFU alumni: € 3,669
• External students: € 4,119
• Admission fee: € 550
• Examination fee for the degree: € 190

Info & Curriculum (PDF, in German)

Psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents and their caregivers at the psychotherapeutic outpatient clinic for infants, children and adolescents at SFU may only be started after the first seminar part of the university course has been successfully completed.

The university course is run on a part-time basis: the seminars take place on Fridays from 16:00 to 20:00 and Saturdays from 9:00 to 18:00.

• Winter semester 2025/26: Course catalogue seminar part 2 – WiSe 2025/26.pdf
• Summer semester 2026: Course catalogue seminar part 1 – SoSe 2026.pdf

Here you will find the list of psychotherapists who have been certified by the SFU as having completed further training in infant, child and adolescent psychotherapy in accordance with the guidelines for psychotherapeutic work with infants, children and adolescents and the further training guidelines for psychotherapists issued by the Psychotherapy Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry of Health:

• List of Psychotherapists – Oct. 2025.xlsx

Address:

Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna
Freudplatz 1, 4th floor / room 4009
1020 Vienna
Phone: +43 1 798 40 98 416