[Postgraduate education in psychotherapy]

In the first part the author summarizes views of 95 Czechoslovak psychiatrists as regards the position of psychotherapy in the Czechoslovak health services and the position as regards psychotherapeutic training. From the summary ensues that the number of specialized departments does not correspond to the needs of our health services and the author emphasizes the need of better organization of psychotherapy in practice. At present there are opportunities of training in psychotherapy in particular in the psychotherapeutic section of the Psychiatric Society of the Czech Medical Society and in the Institute for Postgraduate Medical and Pharmaceutical Training in Prague. Both alternatives comprise compulsory participation in psychotherapeutic training groups. To make psychotherapeutic training more available, the author informs in the subsequent part of the paper on the possibility of education and training of health workers in psychotherapy. In this connection the author emphasizes the selection of participants, the principles of group psychotherapy training and the demand of selection of experienced supervisors and tutors. Training in psychotherapy should be differentiated to make differently oriented programmes possible; e.g. the programme for specialists in psychotherapy and another programme for doctors working in clinical medical branches. Finally the author deals with the perspective problem of specialization examinations in psychotherapy and indicates problems associated with institutionalization of psychotherapy.