The Graduate Certificate in Counselling Psychology is for students who are planning to go on and do further graduate work, whether through a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology or a related profession.
The course is for students who have an undergraduate degree, but you do not have to have a first degree in psychology. Some students use the programme as a bridge towards further study in counselling psychology, while others apply their knowledge and skills from the course within the counselling or psychotherapy profession.
As well as fulfilling the academic side of the programme, you need to be willing to investigate yourself and be open to exploring personal and interpersonal dynamics. This is a course for those with a willingness to expose their vulnerabilities and explore their own and others’ inner worlds.
The Graduate Certificate in Counselling Psychology has been designed to give you an excellent foundation for further advanced study in counselling psychology or related areas. A one-year part-time course, the programme blends theory and practice so you gain a rigorous academic base in counselling and psychology, as well as a significant and varied practical component.
Emphasising the connection between psychological theory and counselling, this programme is not just about understanding knowledge – it is about understanding how to apply what you have learned to ensure that your practice promotes psychological development.
On our Graduate Certificate programme, we focus on the therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the client and concentrate on the personal subjective experience of the whole person. This makes the emphasis of our approach holistic rather than diagnostic, in keeping with the ethos of counselling psychology.
You will investigate person-centred, psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural theories and use a range of practical modes from client case studies and interviews to personal diaries and role-play exercises.
Here are some of the questions the course poses:
This is not a professional training programme and is not intended to train you to be an independent practitioner. If you wish to undertake professional training in counselling psychology, leading to registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and chartered membership with the British Psychological Society (BPS) please see our Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology.
Practising clinicians teach this programme so you gain insight from experts working within the field who offer clinical examples from their own experience. Lecture sizes tend to be fairly small (typically around 25 people) so you learn within an intimate environment.
You will learn through a variety of methods including lectures, role-playing exercises and group presentations.
Dr Sara Chaudry is the course director of the Graduate Certificate in Counselling Psychology Programme. Sara is also tutor and lecturer on the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology. She has a broad range of clinical experience from working with diverse client groups, and she currently works in private practice.
To be awarded the Graduate Certificate qualification, you must successfully complete one piece of coursework for each of the six modules. Coursework formats include written assignments, a reflective diary, project work and class-based role-plays and presentations. Your project, which is a literature review where you choose a topic of interest and write a 2000-word essay, focuses on a specific mental health or psychological subject.
This course runs on one day a week (on a Wednesday) for one academic year. It consists of six modules, four of which are taught modules and two of which take the form of a project and personal and professional development. You will study two of the taught modules in the first term, and the other two in the second term. We expect you to use the time between the teaching hours for independent study.
One of the unique features of the programme is the variety of ways in which you apply your learning. For example within the ‘theoretical models in counselling psychology’ module, you will be given a client case and asked to write up a client study as though you were seeing the person in practice. This gives you the opportunity to choose a theoretical model and apply it within a client context.
Similarly, within the ‘understanding mental health module’, you learn about conditions including depression, anxiety, and psychosis and demonstrate your understanding by delivering a class presentation. You will also be asked to create a booklet for a layperson explaining a condition. In these ways, the course gives you opportunities to translate the theory you have learned into a practical application with a real-world impact.
Core Modules
Independent Project
For many students the programme is a means to progress towards doctoral study. Created with psychology graduates, healthcare professionals, teachers, social workers, managers and others professionals in mind, it gives you the opportunity to develop your interpersonal and counselling skills and improve the way you apply these skills within your professional practice.
Counselling psychology at the doctoral level is still a relatively new field in the UK. At City we offer the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology, which many students choose to move on to after completing the Graduate Certificate.
City was the first institution in the UK to provide UK-accredited counselling psychology training. City’s Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology is one of the largest of its kind, and has made City one of the premiere institutions for counselling psychology training.
This programme provides professional training that leads to eligibility for registration as a counselling psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and chartered status with the British Psychological Society (BPS).
This programme has recently been updated and re-validated to incorporate new BPS standards. It is at the leading edge of international developments in counselling psychology practice, research and theory; and brings together contemporary understandings from person-centred psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioural models of therapy. There is a strong emphasis on your identity and employability as a practitioner psychologist, including skills in assessment and formulation, leadership, service evaluation, psychological testing, qualitative and quantitative research methods.
The course is based on a relational pluralistic philosophy that values diversity, and promotes individual empowerment and social change. This means that we respect and value a wide range of approaches to psychological intervention and research, view relationships as central to wellbeing, and seek to enable trainees to make a positive difference both at an individual and social level through their clinical and research work.
You will join a vibrant community of practitioners and researchers, who will help you achieve your goals, and enable you to make a valuable contribution to the field of counselling psychology.
In years one and two as a trainee, you will focus on gaining clinical experience working in person-centred and psychodynamic models of therapy respectively. In year three, you will have the option of gaining experience working in a cognitive-behavioural, integrative or pluralistic model. By the end of the programme, you will have completed a minimum requirement of 450 supervised client hours in a range of placement settings.
Starting in your second year, you will work towards the production of a doctoral portfolio to showcase and integrate your learning as a counselling psychologist, across both professional practice and research domains. The portfolio contains elements, such as research papers, that you will be encouraged to submit for publication, thus further enhancing your professional contribution and employability.
During your training, you will develop key transferable skills as a practitioner psychologist, in research, psychological testing, service evaluation, team working and leadership. Your development will be closely supported and monitored throughout the programme, using formative and summative assessment, involving clinical tutors and research supervisors.
The programme is affiliated to the Centre for Research in Social and Psychological Transformation (CREST). CREST carries out world-leading research into psychological therapies. You have the option of choosing an area of doctoral inquiry that is aligned with CREST research activities. CREST also has a dedicated therapy and research clinic located at the university. This provides unique opportunities for you to engage in cutting-edge research. You can also undertake practice placements within the clinic.
Modules
Here are examples of some the modules we currently offer:
As an HCPC registered Counselling Psychologist you will be qualified to work in a range of settings, including the NHS, the voluntary sector and private practice. As well as providing psychotherapeutic interventions, your work may include providing clinical supervision, service management, teaching, research and consultancy. Click here to find out more about the scope of counselling psychology and about careers on the BPS website.
The DPsych aims to develop ethical, reflective and professional practitioners of counselling psychology who work collaboratively with service users to provide high-quality psychological services, drawing on evidence-based psychological practice in the context of a therapeutic relationship characterised by trust, respect, and appreciation for the subjective experience of the person and individuality of the client and their unique world view.
Our programme seeks to sit at the interface of science and practice. We value reflective professional practice and development of practice through the rigour of top class research.
You are equipped to work with a wide range of complex presenting issues; with individual adults and children, couples, families, groups and organisations; short and long term; in single and multi-professional contexts; and through transferring psychological skills to others in multidisciplinary teams. You will build a solid foundation of the clinical and professional knowledge and skills for working in mental health on the programme.
Equality of opportunity is central to the programme and trainees work in the course community to foster their valuing of difference in society and their own personal relationship to diversity, developed in relationship within the course community and then integrated into their practice outside. The diversity of our trainees is a highly valued feature of our course, and is integral to the learning context.
This programme of study enables graduates to meet the training requirements for chartered membership as a Counselling Psychologist with the British Psychological Society and the eligibility to apply for registration as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council.
The Counselling Psychology programme aims to:
The Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology is a three year full time programme of study. The programme is approved by the
Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), the statutory regulator for Practitioner Psychologists in the UK, and is also accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
In addition to activities within the modules, you are required to be on clinical placement. You will have a variety of different placements over your time on the programme. Time on placement varies but is usually a minimum of two days per week. Typically trainees stay in each placement for six months to one year. You may need to travel to a suitable placement. You are required to keep records of and reflections on your clinical development on placement. You will be encouraged to learn through working collaboratively with a supervisor from your placement context during the programme of study.
Please https://www.city.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/counselling-psychology-dpsych for further information.
The programme involves a variety of learning and teaching strategies for each module. The learning outcomes are achieved through a range of methods, including:
Please note that teaching is held on different days of the week over the three years of the course.
Assessment will be varied to reflect the range of professional competencies and experiences that you will develop on the programme. This includes:
We want your time on the Counselling Psychology DPsych course to be as inspiring, challenging and stimulating as it can be. As part of our dedication to enhancing the overall student experience, we support you throughout your studies in many different ways:
Throughout the programme, trainees are exposed to a range of approaches and their application to practice, so they can conceptualise human psychological processes from different perspectives, sensitising them to clients’ needs and the choices they may make, enabling an understanding of how other psychologists work and fostering respect for both clients and professionals who operate from a range of conceptual world views.
The programme teaches humanistic, psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural and systemic therapy approaches, as well as contemporary developments.
Trainees are required to demonstrate professional competence in a minimum of two models of psychological therapy in order to successfully complete their programme of training. Trainees will be required to present coursework and undertake supervised clinical practice using more than one psychological model.
Gain integrated clinical training and extensive professional development through GCU’s DPsych Counselling Psychology – the only programme of its kind in Scotland. Counselling psychology is a rapidly growing area of applied psychology, and a wide range of diverse settings are in need of highly skilled HCPC Registered Counselling Psychologists.
In this doctorate programme, you’ll expand your ability to work with complex client groups and contribute impactful research to the field of psychological health.
We draw on our relationships with active practitioners to give you a world-class and highly relevant education, with clinical training in both humanistic (person-centred) and cognitive-behavioural approaches. We take a holistic and comprehensive approach to instruction, and you’ll develop your skills in applied psychological theory and research as well as complete work in ongoing clinical placements.
Here, you’ll be a part of a thriving, open and diverse community with a shared investment in social responsibility and a commitment to the common good.
DPsych covers Psychotherapeutic Competencies and Skills; Critical Enquiry in Counselling Psychology; Advanced Research Methods and Dissertation; and Personal and Professional Development in modules ranging from 15 to 60 credits.
To reach the award of D.Psych, you much achieve a total of 540 credits. Early exits points are available at PgCert in Psychological Counselling (60 credits); PgDip in Psychological Counselling (120 credits); and MSc in Psychological Counselling (180 Credits) levels.
The D.Psych programme is delivered over three years full-time and up to 7 years part-time. Trimester attendance for teaching is over two days per week (Thursdays and Friday) full-time and one day per week, part-time. In subsequent years attendance is on Fridays only, supplemented by several intensive teaching weeks.
Placement experience of at least 450 hours of supervised clinical practice must be gained during the programme and placement practice is on-going year-round. Full-time students are expected to undertake placement activities over two days per week (outside the timetabled academic days), developing a range of related skills in addition to direct client work. Students are responsible for securing placements, although the programme provides considerable support and opportunities towards this.
On graduation, you will qualify for Chartered Psychologist status with the British Psychological Society and you are eligible to apply for HCPC registration.
Our graduates benefit from the growing demand for in-depth training and leadership abilities in the field of psychological therapy – and from GCU’s excellent academic reputation and world top 5% ranking. Our alumni work as registered counselling psychologists, making a positive impact in independent practice and academia, the NHS and in social care, organisational, educational and forensic settings.
Health Psychology plays a key role in improving the health and wellbeing of the population. This course, based in the heart of London, was one of the first Masters in Health Psychology and has been accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) since 1999. It includes an innovative portfolio of assessments geared to developing transferable skills, and relating directly to the world of work. The course also provides the opportunity to gain work experience and apply your knowledge in a health psychology setting, whilst considering future career plans. The course is taught by a core team of enthusiastic and supportive research-active staff, with collaborative links to external institutions in London and beyond. Successful completion of the course (Stage 1) is a prerequisite for the further training (Stage 2) to become a health psychologist registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC).
In addition to the core taught programme, we work with a range of practitioners to provide additional professional training in areas such as resilience, coaching and clinical practice.
The course will give you an in-depth understanding of the theoretical and applied bases of health, illness and disease. The main aim is to help you to develop the theoretical and methodological skills essential for conducting independent research and applying health psychology in practice.
We provide a coherent programme of study covering the content, methods and application of health psychology. In particular, the course emphasises the importance of an evidence-based approach to health psychology, and develops the core skills needed for Stage 2 training. Within the core modules, there is considerable flexibility for you to choose particular areas of study of interest.
The following modules are indicative of what you study on this course.
Core modules
Option modules
Students can choose to undertake a work experience placement within a health related setting by taking the optional ‘work experience in a psychological setting’ module. Students will negotiate with tutors on finding a placement and arrange suitable supervision. Some recent examples of work experience opportunities include:
Hospitals: The Cassel Hospital (Personality Disorder service); The Royal Marsden Hospital (Neuro-oncology, paediatrics); Kings College (Dental Institute); Sussex Partnership Trust Children and Young Person's Mental Health Services; Great Chapel Street Medical Centre; Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore; Great Ormond Street Hospital; Mildmay Hospital; The Royal Brompton Hospital, London.
Charities: EnhanceAble (a registered charity that provides services for people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and autism); Westminster Drug Project; Southwark Your Way (a programme that offers flexible mental health support and guidance to suit service user’s needs); Headway Hertfordshire; Mind, Hammersmith and Fulham; British Red Cross; The 240 Project (a community and activity centre in West London which works with vulnerable and excluded people); Terrence Higgins Trust; Jewish Women's Aid; Westminster Parent Mentoring project; Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Service; Women and Girls Network; NSPCC; Kith and Kids; Alzheimer's Society; Freedom from torture; The Muslim Youth Helpline.
The course is a prerequisite for those wishing to pursue Stage 2 training leading to Registration with the HCPC as a Health Psychologist. This route is only available to those who have Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) with the BPS. However, it also serves as a precursor to those wishing to pursue a PhD in Psychology, and other areas of applied psychology such as clinical or counselling psychology. The majority of our graduates work in academic or health-related professions, for example: psychology researcher or lecturer, smoking cessation advisor, chronic pain therapist, health consultant.
Graduates from the Health Psychology MSc course at the University of Westminster work at all levels and, in all areas of health and related professions. Most students go on to undertake further postgraduate training be it in research, teaching or work related training. Many alumni of the course work as HCPC registered applied psychologists including, health, counselling and clinical psychology. Others have worked to enhance their career opportunities in their chosen disciplines including Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Advertising and Recruitment. Others work as, consultants, freelancers and academics.
