Mother and Infant Observation
Classes
Monday 12 January - Monday 06 July 2026,
20 sessions - Check class timetable
Monday 20 April - Monday 06 July 2026,
10 sessions - Check class timetable
Overview
The Mother and Infant Observation short course will provide insights to psychodynamic and psychoanalytic concepts and theories for understanding infant development. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the critical role of early infant development and relationships, as well as the lasting impact of these relationships in the later stages of development.
The course will cover:
- how to set up and conduct infant observations
- how to establish boundaries for observations
- the role of the observer and how to adopt this in practice
- the developing relationships between infant and caregiver(s)
- psychodynamic approaches to analysing observations.
You will be required to complete 30 hours of mother-infant observation outside of the allocated course hours. While Birkbeck can assist in identifying available families, participants are also expected to independently find suitable families for their observation work. You will take turns in presenting the insights of your observations to peers on the course.
This course will provide professionals and trainee counsellors and psychotherapists with the essential skills for undertaking infant observations, and you will gain a practical understanding of the theory and concepts that underpin infant development.
We offer several entry points to the Mother and Infant Observation course; please see the timetabling information above for an indication of the available course start dates.
As a student on this course, you will study alongside Birkbeck students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of Birkbeck current students whilst you learn.
You will receive a Birkbeck certificate of participation upon completion of the course.
Please note that all entry points of this course will have 30 sessions. The timetables above provide the schedules for the course entry points until the end of the current academic year. Sessions that continue into 2026/27 will be provided at a later date.
This course is non-credit bearing, so carries no credit points.
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Entry requirements
Entry requirements
Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.
This short course has no prerequisites.
As part of the enrolment process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.
International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.
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How to apply
How to apply
You can book directly onto the short courses you would like to take, using the Register button above which will direct you to the relevant booking page. Courses are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so apply early if you're interested.
We offer a 20% discount to those who are members of Birkbeck’s alumni, as well as the student and staff community. If you are eligible to claim this discount, please contact the Innovation Support Unit so that we can process your booking.