Syllabus
You are required to regularly undertake supervised clinical practice under a supervisor in an approved setting. You must also take weekly psychotherapy yourself with an UKCP psychotherapist. Membership to the UPCA is required from the start of the course.
Modules
- Systems, Self and Social Context
This module will enhance your clinical practice by extending the competence you have developed in thinking and working within a psychological paradigm. A systemic approach focuses on the context within which problems displayed by an individual are located with particular reference to family arrangements and social context. In addition, the application of these ideas to self will enhance your ability to reflect and develop as a psychotherapist.
- Implications of Neuroscience for Psychotherapy: Mind, Brain and Body
There is a growing body of neuroscience literature and research which is influencing the practice of psychotherapy by clarifying, updating and challenging the historic theories that form the foundation of psychotherapy models. During this module you will critically examine these debates and arrive at an informed position regarding the potential of neuroscience to inform, influence and enhance the practice of psychotherapy.
- Complex Presentations in Psychotherapy
Adopting a position of critical realism with regard to mental illness, this module will locate psychotherapeutic work within historical and contemporary discourses of mental health. You will learn to differentiate between clients who can respond to psychotherapy and those who would be most effectively helped by other mental health professionals. You will also develop competencies for working with complex presentations suitable for psychotherapeutic work.
- Psychotherapy Practice and Supervision (no credit rating)
Psychotherapy Practice and Supervision provides the professional and practical foundation for all the other modules. You will learn how to make effective use of supervision to support your practice and develop psychotherapy competence in line with UKCP requirements. At the same time, you will be in receipt of personal psychotherapy to support your work as a psychotherapist in training and help you develop sophisticated skills of self-evaluation.
- Psychotherapy Practice and Models of Change
During this module you will engage in theory-informed clinical discussion. You will examine and evaluate humanistic and psychodynamic counselling within the context of contemporary developments in psychotherapy; deepen your critical understanding of your chosen modality and evaluate this against the demands of clinical practice; and further develop your clinical effectiveness with creativity and flexibility.
- Dissertation
In this module you will engage with contemporary debates within psychotherapy research and gain experience of conducting a small-scale research project. The module initially focuses on critically analysing examples of contemporary research and you will be encouraged to reflect upon and select a research question of interest. Using student-led seminars, you will be supported to design, conduct and analyse a research project of your choice.
- Pre-registration Psychotherapy Practice and Supervision
This module provides the framework for graduates of the MSc Psychotherapy to work towards completing the practice requirements for registration with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. Requirements include 450 hours of appropriately supervised psychotherapy practice; psychotherapy practice in an appropriate setting; one hour of supervision per six hours of psychotherapy practice; working with two clients for a minimum of one year each (equivalent of 40 sessions); log including evidence of the above; and student membership of UPCA.
The Pre-registration Psychotherapy Practice and Supervision module is only mandatory for those wishing to be accredited by the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) for inclusion on the National Register of Psychotherapists. It is not a condition for the award of MSc Psychotherapy.
Lab facilities
Mithras House has a series of lab rooms which can be used for teaching on your course or in your independent research work.
Life lab
A skills-based lab for practice-based teaching, social work, psychotherapy and counselling, and employability. The Life lab is fitted with lounge furniture to provide a comfortable space for conducting qualitative research with larger groups. The lab can be used to conduct research activities with children of all ages and can be used for meetings and events. The room also contains a dedicated space to conduct assessed role play or interviews with children.
City lab
This is a qualitative research methods and creative methods resource for all students, staff and researchers, as well as research participants, including children, community groups and the general public. It can also be used for meetings and events. The City lab contains a kitchen, a teaching/meeting room with enhanced acoustic isolation and two meeting spaces that can be separated with a screen or combined to accommodate larger groups.
Design lab
Housing our extensive collection of historic dress and textiles, which are used in some teaching on our History of Art and Design courses, this has the space and equipment for you to work on textile projects. Displays created by students on these programmes are on view in the social spaces of the building.
Community lab
A space designed for collaborative student learning, this is used by students and staff involved in the university’s Global Challenges programme – our collective mission to contribute towards solutions to tackle the pressing issues facing our world.
Stats lab
A specialist workspace with computing equipment for statistical analysis and projects involving video and audio editing software. The lab contains eight acoustically treated booths for both recording and transcribing interviews undertaken as part of dissertation research and for recording and editing podcasts.
Applied cognition lab
A dedicated research space for psychological research involving measures such as electrodermal activity (EDA) and electroencephalography (EEG). The space is designed to allow the participant and researcher to sit at separate desks whilst psychophysiological data is being collected.
VR and eye tracking lab
The VR and Eye-Tracking Lab is used for psychological research using equipment, such as eye-trackers and virtual reality headsets. The space has adjustable lighting and a blackout blind for maintaining consistent lighting conditions during eye-tracking research, as well as sensors set up in the room to allow individuals to move freely around the room during virtual reality research.