Please note that we are not able to sponsor students on this programme for a Student visa.
Develop a grounding in psychotherapy and counselling theory and skills – combining academic and practical components in a supportive and challenging environment.
As well as providing a solid background for those wishing to apply for further training, this certificate offers those who already work in the helping professions the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills. You'll build your understanding of a range of theories, with a focus on existential, psychodynamic and humanistic perspectives – though cognitive behavioural approaches are also considered.
You’ll also be introduced to the practical and ethical issues of working with clients in a variety of situations and develop essential communication and counselling skills – examining your own beliefs, assumptions and prejudices in order to help others do the same. Alongside this, you’ll develop your capacity to reflect on your own interpersonal and emotional processes, patterns and experiences.
In class you’ll debate with peers and join simulations, skills practice sessions and self-development workshops (usually in triads of ‘counsellor’, ‘client’ and ‘observer’) – learning to apply academic theory in practice. You’ll also have the opportunity to work with Regent’s Careers, Enterprise & Industry team to find professional placements.
Successful completion of this certificate will enable you to meet one of the main entry requirements for the MA Psychotherapy and Counselling.
Psychotherapy and Counselling at Regent's
Regent’s is a leading training institution for psychotherapy, with a reputation for innovation and critical thinking. Our courses offer training routes to professional practice and accredited professional status for students of all levels – so, no matter whether you’re just beginning your training or are part-way through, we have the right course for you.
Download Programme Specification – One-Year Pathway
Download Programme Specification – Intensive Pathway
Applying to Regent's is quick and easy. We accept direct applications year-round and there's no application fee. If you haven't received your exam results, you can still apply and we'll issue you with a conditional offer. You just need be clear in your application which qualifications you're currently studying for.
During the application process, you'll have the chance to upload supporting documents, including:
Credit transfer
If you’ve already studied part of your degree elsewhere, you may be able to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and join your new course at an advanced entry point. To apply for RPL, you'll need to state this clearly in your application and provide us with the certificates, transcripts and module descriptions for your previous course.
You can expect to receive a decision on your application within 10 working days. We'll assess whether you meet our entry requirements and will notify you of our decision via email. UCAS applicants will also receive official notification via the UCAS system.
For some of our courses, the selection process may include an interview or audition. They can take the form of a one-to-one interview, a group interview or a portfolio review, which may be conducted by telephone or online. Arrangements of these are made between you and the Admissions department.
If you wish to accept your offer, you must pay your (non-refundable) advance tuition fee deposit. This will confirm your place. Here's how.
Closer to the start of term, our Admissions team will send instructions regarding your registration process. This will include information on completing your online enrolment before you arrive, as well as a checklist of documents you'll need to bring with you to campus.
If you're an overseas student, you'll likely require a visa to study in the UK. Here's how to apply.
There are a wide variety of funding and scholarship opportunities to help you finance your studies. For more information, please visit our scholarships and funding page.
For the academic years starting in September 2023 or January 2024:
For the academic year starting in September 2024:
Non-refundable advance deposit:
UK students: £1,000
International students: £4,000
Read more about tuition fees.
If you receive an offer for a course, you’ll receive a pro forma invoice. To accept your offer and secure your place, pay your deposit payment as soon as possible.
The remaining portion of your first year’s tuition fees will be due when you enrol. At this time, you’ll receive your invoice for the full year. You can choose to pay for the year in full before the start of your first academic year or in three instalments, spread out across the academic year. The dates of these instalments will be determined by when your course starts.What do fees include?
Fees cover the cost of all tuition and access to the University’s IT infrastructure and library learning resources. Fees are presented for the first level of study which equates to two terms.
What other costs should I budget for?
You will need to budget additional funds for accommodation and living expenses, travel, and any additional trips, visits, activities or courses that you choose to participate in outside of the tuition offered as part of your course.
The library holds a limited number of copies of core textbooks and where possible in e-format. You will be encouraged to purchase your own textbooks and will need to budget approximately £80-£100 per year, depending on your course.
At Regent's you’ll have the freedom to explore your interests in a supportive and nurturing environment with interactive classes, regular one-to-one contact with tutors, specialist facilities, industry opportunities and tailored careers advice – ensuring you develop the skills, experience and confidence you need to succeed.
We centre our teaching around your individual goals, identifying the support you need to thrive. You’ll be part of a collaborative environment, that brings all the nuances of psychotherapy to life in the classroom as you learn the most current approaches and gain the knowledge, practical skills and confidence to pursue a career in this life-changing field.
Rather than promote a single approach, we teach a range of perspectives (covering existential, psychoanalytic, humanistic and integrative) via debates, simulations and placements – preparing you to make informed choices in your practice and meet the professional challenges of this rapidly-evolving field.
You’ll pair deep industry knowledge with hands-on experiences, taking part in a blend of learning formats to give your studies context:
Contact hours: each intake will have around 120 hours of contact time. This will be split roughly as follows:
You'll be taught by academics who all practice professionally and are recognised for excellence in their fields. They frequently speak at international conferences, so you can feel confident that you’re being taught the most cutting-edge methodology and thinking, and practice a wide range of therapy approaches – ensuring you’ll study contrasting views in an open and constructively critical arena.
You'll be allocated a personal tutor too, who'll meet you on a one-to-one basis at various stages throughout the year to support your personal and professional development.
We're really proud of the global nature of our courses, and our tutors also reflect this ethos – coming from a wide variety of countries and cultures across the world. In every way, you'll feel part of a global family.
Throughout the course, you'll be expected to undertake extra reading, research, revision and reflection, as well as preparing work for workshops, and working collaboratively with other students in preparation for assessment.
You do not need to be in personal therapy during the programme, nor is there a requirement for you to complete clinical practice hour but you may wish to do so voluntarily alongside your studies.
Your skills and knowledge will be assessed via academic essays, case study analysis, clinical portfolio, training supervision, process reports, reflections on skills practice and presentations. Two pieces of coursework include:
It's important to us that your learning and assessment is:
We welcome and support students with a wide range of disabilities and health concerns, including learning difficulties, visual and hearing impairments, mental health difficulties, autism conditions, mobility difficulties and temporary or chronic health conditions.
Our Student Support & Welfare team is here to support you. We ask that you speak with us as early as possible to enable us to support you. Find out more about our disability support and contact us.
We're interested in your potential, as well as your prior achievements – and review each application comprehensively on its own merit.
Minimum entry requirements for Level 7 – you'll need:
Minimum English proficiency requirement through one of the following qualifications (or equivalent):
| Qualification | Subject | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| GSCE* | English | C (4) |
| PTE Academic | Academic | Overall score of 67, with 59 or above in each component |
| IB SL or HL* | English A | 4 |
| IB HL* | English B | 5 |
| US HSD (studied in a majority English-speaking country)* | Cumulative GPA | 2.5 |
| IELTS* | Academic | Overall score of 7.0, with 6.0 or above in each component |
| UG degree | From English-speaking countries – defined by the UKVI | Second class |
Please note, we do not accept home/online editions of English language tests.
*Qualification satisfies the English language requirements of the UKVI for non-UK/Irish nationals.
We also offer conditional students a free, online diagnostic test known as the Regent’s English Proficiency Test (REPT). This must be booked in advance. Discover more.
For most of our students, the next step is to take a Master's. Successful completion of this certificate will enable you to meet one of the main entry requirements for our MA Psychotherapy & Counselling, among others.
Direct progression, however, will depend on your academic background – as well as your professional and voluntary experience. Please see the entry requirements for MA Psychotherapy & Counselling for further information.
After you've completed your course, you may be eligible to apply for a Graduate visa. This enables you to work, or look for work, in the UK for up to two years after you leave Regent's, without the pressure of having to secure a job immediately – applying your skills and advancing your career with valuable experiences and industry connections.
Don't worry if you feel overwhelmed – our Careers, Enterprise and Industry team are here to provide personalised advice and access to resources for life!
There are two options for completing the Certificate in Psychotherapy & Counselling. You can choose to study part time for one year, or undertake a full-time intensive programme.
*Please note that we are not able to sponsor students on this course for a Student visa*
The one-year Certificate consists of one four-hour session per week over three 10-week terms. We have three intakes each year in January, May and September.
Days include:
January – Thursday
May – Wednesday
September – you can choose from three options:
This follows the same course as the one-year Certificate, but is offered in a condensed format. Sessions last from 10:00–16:30 each day. There are four intake periods each year:
Weekday Intensive
Mondays and Tuesdays, 10:00-16:30
Starting 18 September
Weekend Intensive
Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00-16:30
Starting 16 September
Weekday Intensive
Mondays and Tuesdays, 10:00-16:30
Starting 15 January
Weekend Intensive
Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00-16:30
Starting 13 January
One year
Thursdays, 10:00-14:00
Starting 25 January
| Term 1 | |
|---|---|
| Therapy before Therapists | A look at how religion and philosophy have been used as forms of therapy, together with traditions of moral guidance and advice. The session also explores how the wisdom traditions of spiritualism, shamanism, astrology or mythology have also been used as ways of understanding ourselves and the world. |
| A Way of Working: An Overview of Humanistic Therapy | A general introduction to main themes of this approach, seen in the context of post-war social changes. The session includes a brief introduction to the work of Rogers and Maslow and explores their legacy in today’s counselling practices, including one-to-one sessions, consciousness-raising and other groups, and in the business world. |
| An Introduction to the Work of Carl Rogers | How did Rogers see the human being? This session presents an overview of his life and work, with an emphasis on his therapeutic goals and techniques. |
| Introduction to Gestalt Therapy: The Work of Fritz Perls | An introduction to the life and work of Perls together with an over-view of his basic concepts and techniques. We also explore the picture of the human being his work gives us, and see some current developments of his ideas. |
| The Body in Humanistic Therapy | An introduction to the life and work of Wilhelm Reich, focusing on his ‘energy model’ of human sexuality. We consider some of its social implications, together with more recent developments in bio-energetics and primal integration. |
| Describing Ourselves: The Fundamentals of Phenomenology | How often is our description of someone’s behavior really an opinion of them in disguise? This session introduces key ideas from phenomenology, which can help us to take a more open stance to our own, and others’ experience. |
| Power, Gender and Race in Therapy | We explore some of the different experiences men and women in society today, focusing on the issue of power. How are the social and racial inequalities reflected in the consulting room? |
| Society, Biology and Reality | Are human beings super-computers capable of re-programming themselves to adjust to an objective reality? An introduction to key Behaviourist themes of choice and conditioning, and the relationship of the individual to society. |
| Term 2 | |
| Facing the Unknown: Consciousness and Unconsciousness | Does a part of our mind take decisions and manipulate memories in ways unknown to us? Do we communicate feelings we know nothing about? Do our lives embody psychic patterns that are as old as the human race? These questions are raised by the work of Freud and Jung, and many of their followers. Today we begin with an overview of these ideas. |
| The Work of Sigmund Freud | An outline of Freud’s work, concentrating on his concepts of ego, id and super-ego and their emergence during various described psycho-sexual stages. |
| Melanie Klein and Object Relations Theory | An examination of some modern developments of Freud’s ideas, concentrating on the concepts of Transference and Counter-Transference. We also explore the move from a male to a female perspective of infant development. |
| The Role of the Group | Many human activities are group-based, and often bring out issues that are qualitatively different from one-to-one relationships. Here we shall explore some aspects of the group process from the work of Foulkes and Bion via Sixties encounter groups to current practices. A good opportunity to reflect on your PPD experiences. |
| The Work of Carl Jung |
Do human beings still resonate to ancient and symbolic patterns of being, first noted in the legends and mythologies of all cultures? We examine Jung’s concept of the Collective Unconscious, and follow the development of current Archetypal psychology. |
| Finding Your Place in Life: the Work of Alfred Adler | An early disciple of Freud, Adler went on to found a ‘life-style’ approach to therapy that from the start saw the individual in the context of the world. We explore the work of one of the first therapists to recognise the importance of social and health education, and the child’s place within the family. |
| Attachment Theory and Psychobiology | Traditionally, psychoanalysis has downplayed the importance of social and physical realities. However, recent research suggests that many of our early behaviour patterns may have genetic causes, and many mental states may have clear physical correlations. We explore some of these implications for the practice of therapy and counselling. |
| The Existential Alternative: a Challenge to Psychoanalysis | Are we really psychic objects defined by conflicting desires and drives? Existentialism offers a radically different view of the human being, questioning such fundamental concepts as the existence of the self, and asks if we are knowable at all. |
| Working with Dreams | Using psychoanalysis as a starting point, we shall explore different ways in which dreams can be explored. These include the theories of Freud, Jung, Adler, Perls and others. |
| Term 3 | |
| The Frame in Therapy | Different therapeutic needs, aims and goals are explored, together with the ‘boundary’ issues of time, money and confidentiality. We also look at issues of training and registration of therapists through the BACP and UKCP. |
| The Profession of Therapy | A look at the changing role of the therapist, and the nature of training today. |
| Transcultural Counselling | To what extent is the Western model of psychotherapy valid for people whose roots lie elsewhere? The issues this question raises go to the heart of our practice, which we place in the context of different cultural experiences and expectations. |
| A Spiritual Life | For many people, the spiritual experience is an essential aspect of their lives, yet somehow it rarely surfaces in therapeutic discussions. It seems as if therapists are frightened of the one practice that probably more cultures have in common than anything else. |
| Mental Health and Mental Illness | Many ideas about different emotional states are described in the language of medicine, but does that make odd behaviour an illness? We explore some common assumptions about ‘mad’ and ‘normal’ people, and look more closely at how these terms are used within different approaches. |
| A Matter of Ethics | All therapists are obliged to follow some code of ethics, but what is ethical behaviour? The views of philosophers and therapists are often at odds, and different goals can demand widely different responses -can they all be ethical? |
| Eating, Addiction and Dependency | When certain forms of behaviour dominate our lives we tend to call them addictions, and treat them differently from other activities. This week we explore how the concepts of addiction and ‘eating disorders’ are used by various therapeutic approaches. |
| Putting Theory into Practice: a case study | In this session we look at a case history from a number of perspectives to see how the theories presented so far might be applied in an actual situation. Both theory and practice sessions are used for this exercise, which will include small and large group presentations. |
| Working with Loss and Bereavement | Our only certainty in life is the fact of death, yet we always seem unprepared for its impact on our lives. The long-term effect of a loved one’s death can leave us shattered, betrayed and angry. How should we work with these possibilities in therapy? |
'I've done all my professional training at Regent’s. I chose to do the Certificate course because, of all the equivalent courses, this was the most comprehensive and well-structured. It also has an excellent reputation'. Fern Dickinson, Certificate Psychotherapy & Counselling alumna
