Psychodynamic Counselling and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Foundation Degree) - 2013/2014 entry

Year 1

Modules 1 2, 3 and 4 (worth a total of 120 credits at Level 4) involve intensive study of short-term psychodynamic counselling, cognitive behaviour therapy, personal development planning, and an introduction to the experiential study of group and organisational dynamics. They prepare you for taking up training placements in counselling agencies in Years 2 and 3.

Years 2 and 3

Modules 5 and 6 (worth a total of 120 credits at Level 5) develop the study of the principles of short-term psychodynamic counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy and their application to clinical work. The modules include theoretical and practical seminars, training placement experience, a work-based learning project, and theoretical and experiential study of group and organisational dynamics.

The programme concludes in the spring term of Year 3, though you may need to continue in your training placement until you have accomplished sufficient client counselling experience. In the summer term of Year 3, you will have the option of beginning a top-up programme of study for a BSc degree. Progression to the BSc and then MSc will enable you to develop skills in intensive and long-term psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy.

Students who continue to the Bachelor Honours degree complete four terms teaching; the first term beginning in the summer of the third year of the foundation degree, and finishing at the end of the next academic year. 

On the completion of the Bachelor Honours top up, students may then apply for a two-year MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy. The further study in the Bachelor Honours and MSc will provide students with training in longer term intensive psychotherapeutic work.

Graduates go on to careers as family therapists, group analysts, psychodynamic counsellors, psychotherapists and mediators.

For the duration of the teaching on the foundation degree (two years and two terms) students will need to attend two evenings per week, for three and a half hour teaching sessions. Terms are 10 weeks each. A reading week is included each term.

In the second and third years, students need to take up their training placements in a therapeutic agency, which minimally involves 6–8 hours per week. Students take up simultaneous training experience of psychodynamic and cognitive behaviour approaches. Where possible these two training experiences will be available in the same therapeutic agency.  In some instances students may have to attend two different training placement agencies during the week to gain experience of the different modalities. So it may be the case that students will need to have more time available, possibly at least an additional half day for training placement experience.

Students need to be able to attend training placements on a weekly basis during and beyond term dates. Arrangements for holidays during the placement need to be made in liaison with the college tutor and the placement manager or supervisor. In order to meet the course training requirement of 150 client contact hours, students may also need to attend the training placement for additional hours during the university vacations.

Although the formal teaching of the foundation degree will be completed by the end of the spring term in Year 3 of the foundation degree, students will very likely need to continue in their training placement at least for another term in order to fulfil the course training client contact hours requirement.

Students will also need to be in personal psychodynamic therapy, with a therapist approved by the course, at least for Years 2 and 3 of the degree, minimally attending therapy once weekly for a fifty minute session.  Students are recommended to commence personal therapy as soon as possible before Year 2.

Students also need to be able to devote a minimum of 8 hours per week to private study and preparation of course work.

Programme structure

Year 1 is divided into four modules: modules 1, 2 and 4 each last for one term, and module 3 extends over a three-day weekend. It provides an introduction to key principles of short-term psychodynamic counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy. Students are introduced to basic psychodynamic concepts and techniques and their application to short-term work. They are also introduced to theories of infant development and their application to clinical practice. They are introduced to key cognitive behaviour concepts and competencies and methods of assessment and structuring sessions. Students study personal development planning, as well as being introduced to research and evidence based practice as well as themes of diversity. They are also introduced to a psychodynamic understanding of groups and organisational processes. Module 3 consists of a weekend group relations training, which provides an experiential study of group and organisational dynamics.

Year 2 includes module 5 which is a double module lasting 25 weeks. The final Module 6, also a double module, begins in the the last five weeks of the summer term. This year involves a deeper study of methods and techniques for establishing a focus in short-term psychodynamic work and working with endings. In cognitive behaviour therapy seminars, students study case formulation and behaviour activation techniques as well as the use of trap and action tools. They also learn how to use a cognitive therapy rating scale in their clinical work. Students continue to study personal development planning including a psychodynamic perspective on learning as well as further study of the diversity themes and organisational processes.

At the beginning of the second year, students begin their training placements in an approved agency where students work under supervision. On the programme, students participate in work discussion groups for both modalities where they can discuss their own cases. Students also attend another weekend of group relations training at the end of the second term.

Year 3 concludes the teaching in module 6 over two more terms including seminars and workshops at a more advanced level for each modality as well as workshops in research, diversity and generic counselling themes. Teaching finishes at the end of the spring term. Students continue their clinical placements in both modalities until the end of the academic year. Students who wish to progress onto the Bachelor Honours degree begin the first teaching module in the summer term.

Teaching methods

Year 1: Students attend lectures and seminars in both short-term psychodynamic counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy, in which they are introduced to the study of the theoretical and conceptual framework, and its application to clinical practice, for each modality. Students participate in weekly practice sessions in which they have an opportunity to develop skills in the practice of both modalities through structured experiential exercises and roleplays followed by discussion and reflection upon what has been experienced.

Generic skills workshops cover a variety of topics including personal development planning, study skills, diversity, research, generic counselling themes such as ethical issues and writing summaries and reports, and the study of the application of psychodynamic principles to organisational processes.

Small and large experiential groups run throughout the programme, and are an opportunity for the students to reflect upon the experience of being on the programme. Each group is run by two of the tutors in the role of consultants. The task of the group is to examine what it means to be a student on the course group and to be studying two modalities. This is done primarily through exploration of unconscious processes in the group. The role of the tutors is to offer consultation about the group process and dynamic. From time to time all the students and staff meet in a large experiential group in which the tutors offer consultation about the dynamics of the course as a whole.

Years 2 and 3: Students continue to attend theoretical seminars in both short-term psychodynamic counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy as well as generic skills workshops on more advanced topics. Having started their clinical placements in both modalities they also attend work discussion groups in each modality bringing clinical material from their placements for discussion. Small and large experiential groups continue throughout these years.

Tutorials: in all three years. students will have regular individual tutorials. The purpose of the tutorials is to monitor the student’s learning, personal and professional development. Tutorials are also occasions for feedback and assessment of the student’s progress.

Group Relations Training: students participate in a Group Relations Training weekend in the First and Second years of the course. These take place after the end of the second term. The first of these weekends counts as Module three of the course and is assessed by an essay, the weekend in the second year is not assessed. The Group Relations Training is a temporarily created organisation which is devoted to the study of group and organisational processes. There is no formal didactic teaching. The weekend is to further students’ understanding of group and organisational dynamics through experiential learning.

Placements

Students are required to be in approved placements from the second year and throughout the remaining course, where they receive supervision for their therapeutic work. As far as is appropriate, they join the staff team of the organisation for the duration of the placements. The college lecturers are responsible for providing a selection of suitable training placements for the programme.

Placement organisations are independent of the College and operate their own selection criteria. Students may be required to attend a selection interview for a placement, and there will be ongoing support from the College lecturers.

Personal therapy

Students are required to be in personal counselling or psychotherapy with an approved psychodynamic practitioner no later than the beginning of the first term of the second year. It is recommended that they begin therapy as soon as possible upon joining the programme. Staff can advise students about how to obtain appropriate personal therapy.

Additional costs

Because this is a professional as well as an academic training, students should be prepared to meet additional costs to further their professional development. Students will have to pay the costs of their personal counselling or therapy for the duration of the course. Fees vary enormously but as a rough guide, students in once weekly therapy should expect to pay between £30 and £50 per week. Students may be recommended to be in therapy more than once a week>

Some training placements are not fully able to meet the programme requirements for supervision which will involve the student paying for additional supervision. In some cases, students will be advised by their tutors to seek additional supervision in order to aid their learning. Supervision may be on a fortnightly basis and would normally cost between £30 and £50 per session.

A few of the therapeutic placement agencies used by the course may need to charge the student a fee of between £10 and £20 per week to cover the cost of the supervision that is provided by the agency.

Suggested preliminary reading

• Bauer, G. P. and Kobos, C. (1987) Brief Therapy: Short-Term Psychodynamic Intervention, Aronson.
• Coren, A.(2009) Short Term Psychotherapy: A psychodynamic approach (2nd Edition), Palgrave.
• Howard, S.(2010) Skills in Psychodynamic Counselling & Psychotherapy, London: Sage.
• Grant, A., Townend, M., Mills, G., Cockx, A., (2008) Assessment and Case Formulation in CBT , Sage Publications.
• Greenberger, D. & Padesky, C.A. (1995), Mind Over Mood: A Cognitive Therapy, The Guilford Press: New York.
• Kennerley, H., Kirk, D., Westbrook, J (2007) An Introduction to Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: Skills and Applications. Sage Press.
• Spurling, L. (2004) An Introduction to Psychodynamic Counselling, Palgrave.

Staff

• James Binnie, BSc (Hons), DipHE, RMN, BSc (Hons), MSc (in progress), BABCP accredited. Senior cognitive behavioural psychotherapist working in the NHS and private practice.
• Jeannie Bruce, BA (Hons), NRHP (Assoc 3) PG Dip (Evidence based psychological therapies) in progress. CB Therapist, in private practice and with EAPs. Training and Development consultant.
• Sarah Ellard, BA (Hons), MSc, PgDip CBT – Cognitive Behaviour Therapist and Psychodynamic Counsellor working in the NHS
• Jan Fish, BA (Hons), MSc. BACP accredited counsellor. Individual and couples counsellor and supervisor in the health service.  Jan is the co-ordinating tutor for the 2010 / 13 cohort.
• Rachel Gould, BA, MA, PG Dip Psychotherapeutic Counselling (University of Sussex), PG Dip Psychoanalytic Observational Studies (Tavistock Centre) Senior Accredited Counsellor/ Psychotherapist BACP. Senior/ Specialist Counsellor in Learning Disabilities
• Rebekah Gant, BA, MTS (Harvard), MSc, PGDip CBT (IAPT), BACP and BABCP Accredited. Senior Cognitive Behavioural Therapist working in the NHS.)
• Jonathan Smith LLb (hons) CQSW, UKCP reg. Psychodynamic Psychotherapist. Staff Counsellor in the NHS, Student Counsellor & Supervisor.

• In addition to the online application, you will need to submit a supplementary application form.
• We expect a large number of applications for the limited number of 24 places on the programme. The more relevant experience (e.g. of work and /or personal therapy), and /or previous courses which applicants have achieved, the stronger will be their chance of selection.

• Early application is advisable. Late applications will be considered if vacancies are still available and/or there are places on the waiting list.
• Depending on the volume of applications, applicants may be shortlisted for selection interview on the basis of their written application and reference. Selection interviews include individual and group interviews.
• Details of closing date for applications and dates of interviews will be available early in 2013.

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