BIRKBECK, University of London, FACULTY OF LIFELONG LEARNING
Course Code:
FFPS005N0CLS
Subject area:
Psychotherapy
Course title:
Training in Psychotherapy or Counselling: Which Course?
Type of Course:
Short Course
Institution:
Mary Ward Centre
Class Venue:
42 Queen Square
London WC1
Course Date:
Saturday, 30 May, 10:00am – 5.00pm
No. of Meetings:
1 Meeting
Course taught by:
Joady Brennan, MA
AIM
To introduce students to a range of theoretical approaches to counselling and psychotherapy and to explore
what is involved in applying for and undertaking the different kinds of training.
OBJECTIVES
 Introduce the Major Schools of Psychotherapy
 Clarify the roles of the professional associations (UKCP, BCP and BACP, BPS -details overleaf)
 Encourage students to reflect on which kind of training would be most suitable for them and their own
personal reasons for wishing to undertake training at this time in their lives
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the course students will be able to:
 Have an understanding of what may be involved in training in counselling or psychotherapy, the different
types of course available
 Begin to evaluate the personal implications of cost, time, model & career pathways across a range of
therapy professions.
 Reflect on their wish to undertake training and the best next step for each individual.
CONTENT
Topics will include
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Introduction to the Major Schools of Psychotherapy
The role of the professional associations (UKCP, BCP, BPS and BACP, details overleaf)
Counsellor training and accreditation
Psychoanalytic therapies and trainings
Creative Therapies Trainings
Training in Child Psychotherapy
Humanistic and Integrative therapies and trainings
Family Therapy Training
Training as a Counselling Psychologist
Selection for training
Costs and possibilities for funding
Where to go from here
TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS
A range of teaching methods may be used, eg. general lectures, exercises to help students reflect on their
wish to train (there will be opportunities to share reflections). Students will be encouraged to ask questions
throughout the day.
It is expected that approximately 75% of the course content will be covered in class
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
The course is not formally assessed. Students will be asked to use self-assessment as part of the course
evaluation.
READING:
No reading is required before attending the course. However, students may find the following interesting to
browse.
Malcolm C. Cross, Linda Papadopoulos Becoming a Counsellor: A Manual for Personal and Professional
Development Brunner-Routledge London 2001
Irvin D Yalom The Gift of Therapy: Reflections on Being a Therapist 2003 or Love’s Executioner & other
Tales of Psychotherapy 1991
Oliver Sacks The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales 1985
Robert Lindner The Fifty-Minute Hour 1999
Ed. E. Noonan & L. Spurling, The Making of a Counsellor, Routledge 1992
Essays written by students of the Diploma in Student Counselling and Diploma of Adult Counselling run by
Birkbeck College which show how student's classroom learning of theory is applied to their counselling work.
Counselling in Action Series. Sage Publications
Each volume covers a particular area of counselling/therapy including:
Patricia M d'Ardenne, Aruna Mahtani Transcultural Counselling in Action
Windy Dryden Handbook of Individual Therapy Sage 2002
Presents a comprehensive overview of the key approaches to individual therapy practice
Schapira, S Choosing a Counselling or Psychotherapy Training: Routledge 2000
Professional Bodies You may also find the training links on these websites helpful.
www.psychotherapy.org.uk United Kingdom Council on Psychotherapy
www.bacp.co.uk British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
www.bps.org.uk British Psychological Society
www.acp-uk.eu Association of Child Psychotherapists
www.aft.org.uk/ Association for Family Therapy & Systemic Practice in the UK
www.baat.org.uk British Association for Art Therapy
www.badth.org.uk British Association for Drama therapy
www.bcp.org.uk British Psychoanalytic Council
During the course the lecturer may also recommend other reading material.
Revised 2008