By the end of the third year of training, students are required to complete a dissertation paper of at least 10,000 words (excluding bibliography and appendices) on a theoretical topic of their choice, relevant to integrative psychotherapy.
The dissertation represents an important stage in the student’s professional and academic development, aiming to strengthen the capacity for independent study, critical thinking, theoretical integration, academic writing, and reflective analysis.
Students are encouraged to select clearly defined and appropriately focused subjects. Broad or overly general topics such as “Depression” or “Anxiety” are not recommended, as they do not allow sufficient depth of analysis within the scope of the dissertation. Instead, students should formulate more specific and analytically focused themes, such as:
- “Depression in Women Living in Rural Areas”;
- “Social Anxiety in Adolescents and Online Communication”;
- “Attachment Trauma and Emotional Regulation in Adults”;
- “The Role of Shame in Eating Disorders”;
- “Mentalization in Borderline Personality Organization”.
The dissertation should demonstrate: depth of theoretical understanding; familiarity with scientific and psychotherapeutic literature; integrative thinking; critical and analytical reflection; coherent academic argumentation; the capacity to connect theory with psychotherapeutic practice and human experience.
Recommended Dissertation Structure
The dissertation should generally include the following sections:
1. Title Page
Including: dissertation title; student name; year of training; department/institute; date of submission.
2. Table of Contents
3. Introduction
The introduction should: present the topic and its relevance; explain the motivation for choosing the subject; briefly introduce the structure of the paper.
4. Main Theoretical Section
This section should: review relevant literature; critically analyse concepts and theories; compare perspectives where appropriate; integrate different psychotherapeutic models and approaches; demonstrate theoretical coherence and academic depth.
Students are encouraged not merely to summarise literature, but to formulate their own integrative understanding of the topic.
5. Discussion and Integrative Reflection
The discussion section should: synthesise the analysed material; reflect on implications for psychotherapy practice; explore clinical, developmental, relational, social, cultural or existential dimensions of the topic; demonstrate critical and reflective thinking.
6. Conclusion
The conclusion should: summarise the main ideas and findings; highlight the relevance of the topic for integrative psychotherapy; reflect on future directions for research or clinical practice.
7. Reference List
All sources must be cited according to APA style guidelines.
Students are expected to use: academic books; peer-reviewed scientific articles; recognised psychotherapeutic literature; contemporary research sources relevant to the chosen topic.
8. Appendices (Optional)
Appendices may include: tables; diagrams; questionnaires; supplementary materials relevant to the dissertation.
Academic Writing and Referencing Standards
The dissertation must be written in a clear, coherent, academic and professionally appropriate style.
Students are expected to: use formal academic language; structure ideas logically; support arguments with scientific literature; correctly cite all sources; avoid plagiarism and inappropriate use of uncited materials.
Both in-text citations and the final bibliography must follow APA referencing style.
Evaluation Criteria
The dissertation will be evaluated according to: relevance and clarity of the chosen topic; depth of theoretical understanding; quality of literature integration; critical thinking and analytical capacity; coherence and organisation; originality and reflective depth; academic writing quality; correct APA referencing; professional and ethical standards.
The dissertation is viewed not only as an academic requirement, but also as an important step in the development of the student’s professional identity as an integrative psychotherapist.