Psychotherapy and Counselling

Entry requirements

As an accelerated professional training programme, this programme requires entrants to be both personally and professionally suitable for counselling training and ready to begin counselling practice within six months of programme commencement. The entrance requirements therefore combine personal suitability requirements with professional experience and academic requirements.

UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a subject relevant to counselling and psychotherapy. You should also have substantial relevant experience of working in helping roles in counselling or a cognate area, such as education, social work, nursing, mental health practice, applied psychology or equivalent.

We will also consider a UK 2:2 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a subject relevant to counselling and psychotherapy with references confirming your aptitude for study at postgraduate level.

If your undergraduate degree is not relevant to counselling and psychotherapy, you may be admitted at the discretion of the programme director as long as you meet the personal and professional suitability and relevant experience requirements laid down by the British professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy.

As this is a professional training programme, students are subject to the University’s Fitness to Practise policies and processes.

Entry to the full-time programme is subject to passing the professional suitability interview. For the part-time programme, progression from Year 1 to Year 2 is subject to passing the professional suitability interview.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The Doctorate in Psychotherapy and Counselling is an advanced professional training, meeting recognised standards for psychotherapy and counselling training and education. Designed to meet the needs of both international and local students, the programme provides a route to a qualification in psychotherapy and counselling at doctoral level. It contains a recognised qualification to practise as a psychotherapist or counsellor, and combines theoretical insights from the psychodynamic and person-centred traditions with practical experience gained in a range of psychotherapy and counselling agencies and advanced research engagement.

Studying at a world-class institution, you will benefit from outstanding resources to support your learning on this established and recognised programme. Learning is facilitated by core tutors who are experienced practitioners of counselling and psychotherapy, as well as by clinical tutors and practice supervisors who help students reflect on their therapeutic work. A distinctive feature of this programme is the opportunity to gain practice experience at a range of counselling agencies, including our own dedicated placement agency, Hope Park Counselling Centre, one of very few such research and practice centres in the UK.