Observational Studies Online Program

Across two years, students cultivate a refined awareness of early emotional states, interpersonal dynamics, cultural contexts, and the impact of the observer’s own experience.

The training strengthens the capacity to:

• Notice subtle affective, sensory, and relational cues
• Attend closely to moment-to-moment experience
• Reflect on the emotional meaning of what is observed
• Develop containment and emotional attunement and and the capacity to bear the unknown/certainty.
• Apply observational insight to clinical and professional work.

Year One Online

The first year includes:

Four or five weekly Infant Observation seminars per month, each centered on the student’s ongoing observational experience.

• The observer visits the family once a week for one hour, ideally starting soon after birth (or even before) and continuing until the child’s second birthday.
• The observer is a non-participant witness who avoids taking notes during the visit, responding to questions, or acting as a professional clinician. Their role is to simply be present and receive the experience.

The observation focuses on the infant’s development, their interactions with family members (especially the primary caregiver/mother), the emotional atmosphere of the home, and the unconscious communications between family members.

Students develop the foundational observational stance, steady attention, emotional presence, and the capacity to reflect deeply on the experience of the observed relationship.

This sustained, regular, and neutral presence over time allows the student to witness the emergence of the infant’s personality.

Weekly Supervision Group

Immediately following the visit, the observer writes a highly detailed, account of everything that happened, including their own feelings and reactions , which are seen as central to understanding the emotional impact of the observation. This material is discussed in a confidential seminar group with experienced seminar leaders on a weekly basis.

Year Two Online

Students will continue with their second year of Infant Observation. An optional Work Discussion Seminar is also offered, where participants present clinical encounters and observational moments from their own professional environments.

The skills developed in Year One become tools for exploring unconscious communication and relational processes in diverse contexts. All components outside the Infant Observation seminars are optional and scheduled based on the needs and availability of the group.

Annual Joint Gathering

At the end of each academic year, students from the online program and the in-person program in Washington, DC, come together for a joint meeting. This gathering is designed to:

• Strengthen personal and professional connections.
• Create a sense of intimate community across the WBCP
• Build a national network of colleagues committed to observational learning

The shared meeting honors the Tavistock tradition of learning in community and offers a meaningful bridge between the two program tracks.