Counselling and Psychotherapy courses at Birkbeck (CPB)

Opportunities within CPB

CPB is a cluster of courses which offers:

• training in counselling and psychotherapy
• courses in applying psychoanalytic ideas to work settings, organisations and human development
• short courses designed as introductory tasters, ideal if you have no previous knowledge or experience.

Background information

• First counselling training established in 1972.
• Located in a prestigious academic department.
• Excellent reputation with employers.
• Study of group and organisational dynamics alongside clinical practice.
• Distinctive multidisciplinary psychosocial perspective.
• Pre-clinical and clinical courses.
• Specialist training in child and adolescent counselling/psychotherapy.
• Daytime and evening courses.

Accrediting organisations

• The British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) accredits the following programmes:
• MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy
• MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents

Which course is right for me?

• If you have no previous experience and want to see whether counselling/psychotherapy is for you, we suggest you choose from our selection of short courses or study our Certificate of Higher Education in Psychodynamic Counselling.
• If you want to study counselling/psychotherapy as part of a wider understanding of society, our Counselling and Psychosocial Perspectives and our BA Psychosocial Studies and Principles of Psychodynamic Counselling (offered on a full-time and part-time basis), are the right courses for you.
• If you wish to progress to clinical training, you will need to first gain one-to-one experience with adults in a helping capacity. We suggest you study our Certificate of Higher Education in Psychodynamic Counselling followed by our MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy (October start or January start). Alternatively, you can study our Graduate Certificate Foundation for Counselling and Psychotherapy Training (October start or January start), then apply for our MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy (October start or January start).
• If you wish to progress to clinical training to work with children and adolescents, you will need to demonstrate significant experience over time of working directly with children/adolescents. We suggest you choose from our Certificate of Higher Education in Psychodynamic Counselling or our Graduate Certificate Foundation for Counselling and Psychotherapy Training (October start or January start), then apply to our MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents.
• If you are looking for Continuous Professional Development to learn how to apply a psychodynamic perspective to your current work or life, or if you have already completed a certificate in counselling skills but would like to deepen your understanding of the psychodynamic approach before applying to train as a clinician, then we suggest our Graduate Certificate in Psychodynamic Thinking.

Selection of publications by staff

• Calderon, A., Green, V et al. 2019. Short-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy with a depressed adolescent with borderline personality disorder: an empirical, single case study. Journal of Child. Psychotherapy, 45:2, 209-228
• Baker, J., 2014. Sibling relationships at work. Psychodynamic Practice 20(1), pp.28-39.
• Carswell, C., 2008. On Struggle, Study and Success. Therapy Today 18(10), pp.17-19.
• Fitzgerald, A., 2009. A psychoanalytic concept illustrated: will, must, may, can - revisiting the survival function of primitive omnipotence.  International Journal of Infant Observation and Its Applications 12(1), pp.43-61.
• French, L. and Klein, R. eds., 2012. Therapeutic Practice in Schools: Working with the Child Within. London: Routledge.
• French, L. and Klein, R. eds., 2015. Therapeutic Practice in Schools Volume Two: The Contemporary Adolescent. London: Routledge.
• Frosh, S., 2012.  A Brief Introduction to Psychoanalytic Theory. London: Palgrave
• Green, V., 2013. “Grief in two Guises”, Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 39:1, pp.76-89
• McEnery West, C. 2019. Beyond the Oedipus complex for women: rethinking identification and desire. Psychodynamic Practice, 2019, vol 25(4), pp. 356-368
• Richards, D., 2011. Encounters across the divide: Gender dynamics in group supervision of work with older adults. BAPPS Supervision Review, Winter Issue, pp.14-20.
• Spurling, L., 2017. An Introduction to Psychodynamic Counselling. 3rd ed. London: Palgrave.
• Spurling, L., 2015. The Psychodynamic Craft: How to Develop as a Psychodynamic Practitioner. London: Palgrave.
• Woodward, J., 2010. Internal state of emergency – working with an international student suffering from trauma in university service.Psychodynamic Psychotherapy 16(3), pp.257-271.
• Dudley, J., 2020. Nurturing free association in psychodynamic practice.
• Lasvergnas-Garcia, C., 2020. A qualitative exploration of psychoanalytic child psychotherapists’ perspectives on the links between personal analysis during training and professional development. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 46(1).