DCounsPsy (Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology)

Introduction

The Professional Doctorate in Existential Phenomenological Counselling Psychology (DPsych) aims to develop Counselling Psychologists who meet British Psychological Society (BPS) and Health Professions Council (HPC) standards of competency.

Our training is rooted in existential phenomenological philosophy and its application to clinical practice.

This focus highlights the nature of Counselling Psychology as a field that emphasises subjective/lived experience, dialogue, and a holistic/relational view of human nature and psychological difficulties.

The programme promotes a relational stance that permeates all aspects of this training (i.e., academic, clinical, research, and personal and professional development) and encourages dialogue and pluralism.  

Aims & Objectives

The aims and objectives of the programme are to 

• Apply for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society (CPsychol) and full membership of the Division of Counselling Psychology, and to register with the Health Professions Council (HPC) as a Counselling Psychologist
• Be competent, reflective, ethically sound, resourceful and informed practitioners, able to work in therapeutic and non-therapeutic contexts
• Value the imaginative, interpretative, personal and intimate aspects of the practice of counselling psychology
• Commit to ongoing personal and professional development and enquiry
• Understand, develop and apply models of psychological inquiry for the creation of new knowledge which is appropriate to the multi-dimensional nature of relationships between people
• Appreciate the significance of the wider social, cultural and political domains within which counselling psychology operates
• Adopt a questioning and evaluative approach to the philosophy, practice, research and theory which constitutes counselling psychology