Professional training

We have over 50 years' experience training professional psychodynamic counsellors and psychotherapists. In addition to our long-established adult and child/adolescent psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy master's clinical trainings, we have recently teamed up with Tavistock Relationships - leaders in the field for couple psychotherapy trainings - to offer two more established couple psychotherapy master's.

Our students train to work as psychodynamic (once-weekly) counsellors and psychotherapists in the British Object Relations tradition, which evolved from key principles of psychoanalysis, such as the ongoing effect of childhood experiences on our feelings and behaviour.

Student placements in external counselling and psychotherapy organisations offer real-world experience during training which is further supported by our teaching about the psychodynamics of groups and organisations and the integration of psychosocial perspectives to encourage students to reflect on the interaction of inner and outer worlds.

Different training modes offer students the opportunity to fit study around work and caring responsibilities.

Key points of our trainings:

Three-year trainings with a foundation year
Courses taught by experienced counsellors and psychotherapists
Accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC)
Unique organisational thinking
Incorporates psychosocial perspectives
Two-year placements in professional counselling organisations

Postgraduate couple psychotherapy trainings run jointly with Tavistock Relationships (TR)

TR are one of the leading providers of couple psychodynamic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy courses in the UK. The courses last for four years, are fully accredited and offer internal placements at TR working with couples.

Our active graduate body, the Birkbeck Counselling Association (BCA), provides a professional home for our graduates for networking and CPD.