Child Development Program (CDP)
A. Van L. Brokaw, Director
Phone: 314-935-4623
THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Purpose
The Child Development Program provides professional training not ordinarily
offered in university course work or other professional training programs.
Participants gain an in-depth understanding of the psychological issues of
childhood through adolescence that will aid them in supporting a foundation
for sound human development. Graduates are equipped to prevent or detect crises
and have the skills for short-term therapeutic intervention as well as the
knowledge of when and how to refer to other professionals.
Methods
Classes meet from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Thursday evenings during the academic
year, for two years at the Institute, 8820 Ladue Road, 3rd Floor, St. Louis,
MO 63124. (map) The program
includes both course work and small group supervision. Along with assigned
readings, students will participate in one hour of supervision per week to
integrate theory with its practical applications. Video taped observations
of infants, children and families will be included. Periodic evaluations of
participants learning and discovery will occur.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Each of the two years will follow the natural sequence of development: prenatal life, infancy, toddler and pre-school years, latency, and the phases of adolescence. In the first year the focus is on normal development and includes the observation of children or adolescents and the management of normal developmental crises. The second year focuses on psychopathology, the deviations in development, and includes diagnostic assessment and therapeutic interventions.
CURRICULUM
First Year
Normal Child Development I
Normal Child Development II
Observation of Children or Adolescents
Second Year
Psychopathology of Childhood I
Psychopathology of Childhood II
Diagnostic Assessment of
Children or Adolescents
Therapeutic Interventions with
Children and/or Adolescents
CREDIT
Credit may be arranged through some university programs. Continuing
education credits are available. Participants in The Child Development
Program are approved by the State of Missouri for Clock Hours.
ELIGIBILITY
This unique program is open to individuals in education, mental health and
allied fields. Participants include school and day care administrators, teachers,
social workers, counselors, psychologists, psychotherapists, therapists in
special fields, nurses, and clergy.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications may be printed and mailed to:
Van L. Brokaw, Director
Child Development Program
St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute
8820 Ladue Road, 3rd Floor
St. Louis, MO 63124
Online applications will be available soon.
For questions or to receive additional information about this program contact
Cathy Krane, Executive Director at (314) 361-7075, x323, or e-mail her at csk@stlpi.org.
Acceptance into the program will be determined by both the written application
and a personal interview. Applications are accepted and processed throughout
the year.
TUITION
Currently, tuition is $1,950 per year and is subject to change annually. Limited
financial assistance, in the form of scholarships, is available from the Institute.
What the Alumni Say:
"The CDP gave me a broader and deeper understanding of children's development
and behavior which has been extremely valuable to me in my own work. The many
superb teachers & lecturers from the Institute became resources that I
have subsequently utilized in educational activities for my teachers and parents."
Andrea Atkinson
Director, Washington University Nursery School
"For a working professional, the CDP provides an excellent and well-balanced
combination of the theoretical and the practical. An efficient, yet thorough
course which expands one's breadth and depth of critical knowledge."
Susan Talley
Parents as Teachers, Kirkwood School District
"The CDP program helped me see young children and their parents through a
completely different lens. The program had such a positive impact on my personal
and professional life. I would recommend it to any adult learner working with
children."
Kathryn Zigler
Director, Early Childhood Education
Shirlee Green Preschool at Shaare Emeth
"The Institute's Child Development Program has offered me keener insight as
a teacher, mentor, and parent. I feel the experience has been invaluable to
me as a person. I would highly recommend the program to anyone who works with
children or just desires a higher understanding of human development."
Charlotte Dougherty
Co-Creator, Piwacket Theatre for Children
"The Child Development Program changed my life! CDP helped me make sense of
what I was consistently seeing in the classroom and with my families. It enlightened
me to a different understanding of myself and others."
Stephen P. Zwolak
Executive Director, University City Children's Center
"CDP turned out to be one of the most meaningful things I have ever done for
myself professionally. I have become a better teacher and better teammate with
the teachers I work with. I don't get frustrated with my children anymore because
I understand what's going on or I take the time to observe and figure it out."
Jan Rudert
Infant Classroom, Webster Child Care Center
"I completed the CDP program while also working on my Masters in Social Work.
CDP gave me an incredible knowledge of child development issues not addressed
in my MSW coursework. CDP was an excellent compliment to my graduate training.
I am using the knowledge I learned in CDP every day when working with families
that have children with developmental delays."
Nikki Scheele, M.S.W.
Service Coordinator, Missouri's First Steps
"The Child Development Program was better than all the college courses I have
taken. CDP has helped me more than anything else in my work with children and
parents."
Sharon Barnholtz, Ph.D.
Teacher, Community School
"Since taking the class I am still sharing evenings with our class-project
group and we use each other for support and a network too solve problems, We
have a great relationship that has common interests."
Jan Helfrich
Infant-Toddler Program Coordinator,
Clayton Child Center