Foundation for Counselling and Psychotherapy Training

Birkbeck, University of London
Postgraduate Graduate Certificate Part-time 1 Year MedicineCounselling, psychotherapy, and occupational therapy

About this course

Our new Graduate Certificate in Foundation for Counselling and Psychotherapy Training has been designed to provide you with a pathway to full clinical training as a counsellor or psychotherapist. It is suitable for those working within the helping professions who have completed our Introduction to Counselling course, or equivalent.

You will learn about key concepts in counselling and psychotherapy with a focus on the psychodynamic method and psychosocial/organisational perspectives. You will be taught the significance of developmental life stages and the impact of these on the counselling relationship. You will also develop counselling skills in practical listening exercises and engage in a process of personal development through various experiential learning activities.

On completion of this counselling and psychotherapy training, you will be equipped with knowledge and understanding about the principles of counselling, developmental issues and psychodynamic theory and method. You will also have gained important foundational listening skills and have begun to develop the emotional sensibility necessary to apply to clinical training.

Highlights

  • Successful completion of this foundational course offers you the chance to apply for clinical training at Birkbeck with our MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy and MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents.

  • Our counselling courses are taught by experienced and practising clinicians.

  • Birkbeck has 50 years' experience of teaching psychodynamic counselling and practice and an excellent reputation with employers.

  • We have a distinctive multidisciplinary psychosocial perspective with academics coming from backgrounds in anthropology, cultural and postcolonial studies, education studies, gender and sexuality studies, literary studies, critical psychology, psychoanalytic studies and sociology.

    Careers and employability

    This course will enable you to make informed choices about whether counselling and psychotherapy training is right for you.

    On completion, you will be ready to apply to clinical training, including Birkbeck's MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy and MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents.

    If you choose to continue in your current work role, you will have acquired valuable skills and understanding which can increase your professional effectiveness, especially if you are in a helping role or working with people in some capacity.

    Graduates from our MSc clinical training courses go on to work as counsellors and psychotherapists in a range of settings, often related to the placements they undertook while training.

    We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

    • Career Prospects

    Graduates from this course typically go into the following occupations:

    1172 Social services managers and directors
    3219 Health associate professionals
    2229 Therapy professionals
    1231 Health care practice managers
    3214 Complementary health associate professionals
    2224 Psychotherapists and cognitive behaviour therapists

    Related Courses

    Law and Commercial Law

    Birkbeck, University of London

    LLB (Hons) Full-time 3 Years UG London

    A-Levels

    BBC

    UCAS Points

    112 points

    Law and Human Rights

    Birkbeck, University of London

    LLB (Hons) Full-time 3 Years UG London

    A-Levels

    BBC

    UCAS Points

    112 points

    Law and Language (French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish)

    Birkbeck, University of London

    LLB (Hons) Full-time 3 Years UG London

    A-Levels

    BBC

    UCAS Points

    112 points

    Course Details

    Qualification
    Graduate Certificate
    Study Mode
    Part-time
    Duration
    1 Year
    Start Date
    2025
    Academic Year
    2025
    Campus / Location
    London
    Scheme
    Postgraduate
    Subjects
    Medicine, Counselling, psychotherapy, and occupational therapy

    Offered by

    Birkbeck, University of London

    London

     View university profile
    Visit university website