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Keri Delport
‘The practical and professional aspects of the course are incredible. It has taught me how to work reflectively, to sit with tension and vulnerability, and how to truly be with people.’ Keri Delport
The Regent’s DPsych Counselling Psychology programme is a professional doctorate in counselling psychology validated by The Open University. The programme consists of taught theory, practice and research modules over three full-time years, a practitioner psychologist training, and a doctoral research degree.
The DPsych underwent a successful revalidation during 2019 and has subsequently been revalidated with no conditions for a full-term period of five years with effect from 1st September 2019.
The programme meets the learning outcomes and standards of training for counselling psychology required by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Upon successful completion of the programme, you will be eligible to apply to the BPS for Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) status and for Full Membership of the BPS Division of Counselling Psychology. You will also be eligible to apply to the HCPC Register of Practitioner Psychologists to work under the legally protected title of Counselling Psychologist.
The Regent’s DPsych programme promotes a relational, pluralistic and anti-discriminatory ethos in therapeutic work and in research. You will explore existentialist and phenomenological theories and practices, contemporary second-wave and third-wave cognitive behavioural therapy approaches, and relational psychodynamic psychotherapy, together with fields such as critical psychology, art and literature, postmodernism and pluralism, ontology and epistemology, and ethics.
You will gain an understanding of how different theories and perspectives conceptualise the nature of distress and the role of the therapist, and explore diverse ways of working in different settings and among different communities.
Throughout your training, you will be encouraged to demonstrate critical thinking, creativity and reflexivity. You will learn how to respond to your clients’ needs while also considering organisational parameters and contextual demands. You will explore the nuances of the “between spaces” in encounters with others and the ethics of intersubjectivity.
This programme will enable you to:
The DPsych is a three-year full-time programme. It is taught over Autumn, Spring and Summer terms. Each term is 10 weeks long, with one reading week per term.
During Year 1, the taught components run over two days a week (Mondays and Tuesdays). In Years 2 and 3, when placement activities increase and the doctoral research stage begins, teaching occurs on one day per week (Mondays or Tuesdays). There is no teaching in the Summer term of Year 3.
During the days you are not on campus, you will be expected to undertake placement(s) and placement supervision, to carry out independent study and doctoral research, and to attend personal therapy.
Our trainees work in practice placement settings such as NHS primary, secondary and tertiary care services, acute mental health services, student counselling services, drug and alcohol services, specialist clinical health and eating disorder services, and third sector settings.
You can expect to undertake practice placements, in which you will work under the title of Trainee Counselling Psychologist, for one to two days per week throughout your training.
You will need to complete a minimum of 450 client hours, 75 supervision hours and 120 personal therapy hours and keep a log of your placement work and professional development over the course of three years.
Module Title | Credits | Overview |
---|---|---|
Counselling psychology theory and practice | 20 credits | |
Existential phenomenological approaches in counselling psychology | 20 credits | |
Cognitive behavioural approaches in counselling psychology | 20 credits | |
Working with distress difference and discrimination | 20 credits | |
Ethics settings and professional issues | 20 credits | |
Year 1 counselling psychology research | 60 credits | |
Year 1 professional practice | 20 credits |
Module Title | Credits | Overview |
---|---|---|
Advanced existential approaches to human development and practice | 20 credits | |
CBT approaches 2: Third wave | 20 credits | |
Psychodynamic approaches to counselling psychology | 20 credits | |
Year 2 professional practice | 30 credits |
Module Title | Credits | Overview |
---|---|---|
Clinical seminar: Pluralistic and integrative working | 20 credits | |
Advanced counselling psychology practice, research and employability | 20 credits | |
Doctoral research clinic | 10 credits | |
Year 3 professional practice | 40 credits |
Applying to study at Regent's University London is quick and easy. We have put together some helpful information to guide you through the process. We accept direct applications and there is no application fee.
September 2020
Early deadline: Wednesday 11 December 2019 click here to find out more about this deadline
You can apply in the following ways:
If you have not uploaded the relevant supporting documents during the online application process, you should ensure that we have the below supporting documents as soon as you have completed your application. These can be sent to the Regent’s Admissions Department via email to [email protected].
Supporting documents:
In your personal statement (maximum 2000 words), you might consider including:
Your completed application along with all the relevant documentation will be assessed to determine whether you meet our entry requirements. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview day in person (interviews cannot take place over the phone or online). Shortly after the interview date the Admissions team will notify you of the decision via email.
If you wish to accept the offer, please pay the advance tuition fee deposit (non-refundable) to confirm your place.
Please see here for information on how to pay.
Closer to the start of the term the Admissions Team will send information regarding the registration process. This will include information on completing your online enrolment prior to your arrival as well as a checklist of documents you will need to bring with you to fully register onto the programme.
Read our Admissions Policy.
If you are an overseas student requiring visa sponsorship to study in the UK, our team will be in touch with information on applying for your student visa and the documents you will need. More information can be found on our visas and immigration page.
Regent's MPhil/PhD Progression Scholarships reward the loyalty of undergraduate students or taught postgraduate students who progress to enrol on an MPhil or PhD degree with us. It's our way of saying thank you. Scholarships are worth up to 15% of tuition fees.
Student Finance England (SFE) is now offering postgraduate doctoral loan funding for UK and EU nationals, and students in some further categories.
Alternative loan funding for students studying at Regent's University London.
Annual tuition fee: £13,000
Thesis submission fee: £2,700
Home/EU students: £1,000
Non-EU students: £4,000
Non-EU students in receipt of US Federal Loans: £1,000
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 year of study.
You will need to budget additional funds for accommodation and living expenses, travel, and any additional trips, visits that you choose to participate in outside of the tuition offered as part of the programme.
The library holds copies of core programme text books and where possible in e-format. You will be encouraged to purchase your own books and will need to budget approximately £80-£100 per year for this.
The DPsych also entails additional costs and fees. These are listed below. Please note amounts are approximate and may be subject to change:
Fees are payable in the following instalments:
On the DPsych we aim to promote an experiential, creative, dialogical and collaborative learning and teaching environment. We offer small class sizes and a bespoke system of support for doctoral research development, with individual research tutoring in Year 1 (10 hours) and doctoral research supervision (75 hours) in the doctoral stage of the programme.
Trainees are also supported in their development via our personal tutor system. Personal tutors fulfil a pastoral role and a coordinating supervisor role. They support and sign off practice placements and progress in attaining HCPC standards of proficiency at the end of each year. Trainees are in contact with their tutor through regular individual meetings and group tutorials.
The DPsych has been commended by the BPS for its wide-ranging and innovative methods of teaching and assessment. Formative and summative assessments include experiential exercises, reflective work, research abstracts, conference posters, workshops, and presentations, as well as written assignments.
The DPsych programme team consists of practitioner psychologists and psychotherapists committed to providing an ethical, high-quality training in counselling psychology, and to supporting trainees in their training activities.
The team is actively engaged outside of Regent’s in private practice, consultancy, research, writing, clinical supervision, external examining, and public- and policy-facing work.
We also work with visiting lecturers, guest speakers and staff from the wider Regent's School of Psychotherapy & Psychology, who contribute to teaching, supervision and viva examinations on the programme.
Explore our staff profiles for further information:
Dr Helen Damon Lecturer and Placement Coordinator
Dr Kate Du Toit Lecturer
Dr Anastasios Gaitanidis Senior Lecturer
Dr Isabel Henton Head of Programme
Dr Rosemary Lodge Senior Lecturer and Research Lead
Professor Martin Milton Professor of Counselling Psychology
Dr Andreas Vassiliou Lecturer and Professional Practice Lead
The DPsych culminates in the submission of a doctoral portfolio (180 credits), consisting of an introduction, a final-year clinical practice paper, and a doctoral research thesis of 40,000 words.
The doctoral portfolio is assessed by an internal and external examiner at a viva voce examination. Passing the doctoral portfolio and viva voce examination is the final stage to complete in order to demonstrate that all the required BPS learning outcomes and HCPC standards of proficiency relevant to the DPsych Counselling Psychology award have been met.
The DPsych Counselling Psychology programme is validated by The Open University. For more information, please read the Regulations for validated awards of the Open University and the Student's Guide for OU Validated Programmes.
Regent’s University London is committed to developing an environment in which students are given the opportunity to demonstrate and realise their full potential. You are encouraged to disclose any disability on application, so that the Disability Officer can send you relevant information in advance. Otherwise, please contact the Disability Officer on arrival at the University to complete a Student Support Agreement (SSA). Find out more about our disability support.
In accordance with the British Psychological Society’s (BPS) and Health and Care Professions Council’s (HCPC) standards and criteria for entry, applicants to the DPsych Counselling Psychology programme at Regent’s must meet the following criteria, which will be assessed during and after the application and interview process:
We require proof of English Proficiency. For example, we ask for: A completed Undergraduate degree studied in English from a majority English speaking country. IELTS: 7.0 overall, with a minimum of 7.0 in each individual component.
This list is not exhaustive, we will review the English qualifications you have as part of your application and be in contact if we require anything further.
For applicants who wish to improve their English language proficiency, please see our English language courses.
For offer holders in London, we can provide a free on-campus English diagnostic test. This test must be arranged in advance. To book a test, please contact [email protected]. Please note, this is a diagnostic test for Regent’s University London only.
Employability is at the heart of the DPsych. As the programme progresses, you will learn advanced skills in consultancy, leadership, supervision, service evaluation and audit, psychometrics and outcome measures, to prepare you for life post-qualification.
Many of the programme’s assessments are also real-world products - for example, assessments include a workshop, an abstract and a conference poster. Our trainees often present their work at national and international conferences and deliver workshops in their placements and other community settings.
Career prospects for counselling psychologists are very promising and varied. Many counselling psychologists have a portfolio career.
Upon successful completion of the programme, the vast majority of our graduates are already working in the NHS, the third sector, private practice, or in educational or organisational contexts.
Of our Year 3 trainees finishing the taught programme in September 2019, 100% had already been offered or accepted paid practitioner roles.
‘The practical and professional aspects of the course are incredible. It has taught me how to work reflectively, to sit with tension and vulnerability, and how to truly be with people.’ Keri Delport