The Association of Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists (ACPP) consists of highly trained and experienced therapists who apply psychoanalytic thinking and principles in working with couples. The ACPP has its theoretical roots in the Couple Therapy Model developed by the Tavistock Relations (formerly the Tavistock Marital Studies Institute, TMSI) in London. This way of working with couples is a discipline separate from individual and family work.

In 1994, FAMSA, Western Cape, funded by the HSRC, invited the training organiser of the TMSI, Evelyn Cleavely to South Africa, to run the first workshops in psychoanalytic couple therapy in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. Thereafter Andrea Hill, one of South Africa’s most experienced couple therapists and founding members of the ACPP, studied couple work at the TMSI in London in 1997 & 1998. On her return a year later, she and Jeanine de Villiers, another senior and founding member of the ACPP, facilitated the first couple therapy training group in South Africa. The training was based on the theoretical framework of the TMSI diploma course.

The ACPP is a national group of Psychotherapists with 59 active members. All members of the ACPP are registered therapists who have completed the in-depth 2 year couple psychoanalytic couple psychotherapy training program. After completing the training, members are required to attend ongoing peer education and reading groups that meet monthly. In addition representatives from the respective reading groups have formed an executive committee, the Exco, which facilitates the running of the ACPP. Part of the responsibility of the Exco is to run the training program as well as various workshops presented throughout the year.

This paper provides more detail about how the association was created and how the training started.

The ACPP would like to:

• Provide ongoing training and accreditation of couple psychoanalytic psychotherapists.
• Promote sustained ethical practice and principles in couple work
• Provide regular monthly forums to think psychoanalytically about couple work as  well as to encourage the continued professional development of couple therapists
• Create greater public awareness and education of psychoanalytic couple psychotherapy
• Encourage contact with similarly orientated organisations both locally and internationally

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