Psychodynamic Practice Graduate Certificate

This programme will teach you the basic elements of the psychoanalytic method and will equip you with the necessary skills of self-awareness and emotional sensibility that you need to go on to pursue clinical training as a counsellor or psychotherapist.

The programme is a preliminary course for those who have a first degree, or equivalent, in psychology, who wish to embark on clinical training in psychodynamic counselling or psychotherapy. The programme has been specifically designed as a progression route for students who wish to study one of Birkbeck's clinical Master's programmes in counselling and psychotherapy.

The course will also be of interest to those who wish to study the psychodynamic method and its application to group processes, especially as a way of understanding human experience and behaviour in more depth. You will gain a deep understanding of the (unconscious) dynamics that occur in groups and organisations through participation in an experiential group, which is an unstructured group that studies its own processes. Being a member of the experiential group will develop your capacity for self-awareness and emotional sensibility, key attributes necessary for psychodynamic practice.

TEACHING

Teaching may include formal lectures, seminars, and practical classes and tutorials. Formal lectures are used in most degree programmes to give an overview of a particular field of study. They aim to provide the stimulus and the starting point for deeper exploration of the subject during your own personal reading. Seminars give you the chance to explore a specific aspect of your subject in depth and to discuss and exchange ideas with fellow students. They typically require preparatory study.

CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY

Graduates can pursue a career as a counsellor or psychotherapist, in the public sector and in private practice, or work in human resources, education or marketing.