Frequently Asked Questions | Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy by Professional Studies (DCPsych)

What are the rules around the 450 hours of practice? Are they conducted on a paid basis, voluntary or is it up to the student?

Hours are typically undertaken as a voluntary placement (not paid). However, some candidates with existing qualifications who already work with clients (e.g. qualified counsellors) use their employment as one of their placement settings. Other candidates who work in helping professions but not in a therapeutic role may step into such a role as part of their placement with their existing employer if this is available. In the main, these are unpaid placements, typically in charities or third-sector organisations, or within NHS or private health care.

Do we have to organise placement for ourselves?

We have a department of people whose job it is to identify suitable placement opportunities and who assist candidates in finding a suitable placement. We point you in the direction of organisations taking trainees, but it is up to you to apply, attend interviews, and "sell yourself" to secure the placement. Many candidates also find that their initial placement is within Metanoia's own counselling service – MCPS, in Ealing. MCPS is our in-house service that provides low-cost counselling and psychotherapy to the general public. MCPS aims to accommodate Metanoia students whose application is supported by their Primary Tutor and Primary Supervisor. It is particularly useful as a first placement as outside agencies often prefer applicants to have some clinical experience.

MCPS is also a Research Clinic where students can both build their clinical experience and learn to use standardised evaluation methods while working with clients. MCPS also undertakes other practice-based research projects, and these opportunities are advertised internally at Metanoia Institute.

What level of qualification is required in the supervisor?

The situation with supervisors varies depending on the nature of the supervision you receive in your placement. You will have a primary supervisor (typically someone you choose) and possibly also a secondary supervisor (typically someone appointed by your placement provider and working in-house). The primary supervisor remains in overall charge of your clinical training and supervision. They must be a clinical or counselling psychologist with at least two years of post-qualification experience or a UKCP-registered psychotherapist supervisor. In many cases, particularly in the NHS, the placement supervisor is sufficiently qualified to act as your primary supervisor, with their agreement.

We require candidates to experience more than one primary supervisor during their training and recommend one counselling psychologist (or clinical psychologist specialising in psychotherapy) and one UKCP-registered psychotherapist supervisor who works in a similar way to yourself (e.g. CBT, psychodynamic, humanistic, etc.).

What is the Mental-Health Familiarisation Portfolio (MHFP)?

All psychotherapy students are required by the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) to undertake an additional 120 hours of Mental Health Learning as part of their training. The general aim of this additional learning, which includes a placement in a psychiatric setting, is for psychotherapy students to gain familiarity with, and first-hand experience of, the thinking and clinical methods used in the psychiatric profession and the main mental health delivery systems in Britain, as well as the Mental Health Act. Full details will be provided at the time of application. This is something that you personally organise, although the placements team will assist you in identifying possibilities.

Can I count MHFP hours towards placement or vice versa?

Placement and mental health familiarisation are treated separately. Nevertheless, if your work setting enables or has provided you with experience suitable to demonstrate MHF, you can count these hours. However, hours cannot be counted twice – you must decide where you want to allocate these hours.

I have a research project in mind which I believe ticks a lot of boxes for Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy as well as drawing upon my own particular skillset. Are there any restrictions or favoured areas?

No, but the project has to make a new contribution to the field of counselling psychology and be capable of benefiting the profession as a whole. It's best to avoid anything extremely "inward-looking," personal, or narrowly focused. It's also worth keeping in mind that you will want to complete your project in a timely manner, so do not be overambitious. We advise you on the suitability of your proposed ideas for a practitioner research project. Our research tutors and supervisors have significant experience with a broad range of research methodologies and topics, so if you have a particular inquiry in mind, you may find a supervisor with previous experience or an interest in your topic.

Which therapies will we cover on the programme?

Training covers humanistic, relational psychodynamic, and cognitive behavioural approaches to therapy and encourages a relational integrative approach to practice. We also cover expressive and creative therapies in an experiential training, such that candidates understand the role of these therapies and know when it is appropriate to refer to a specialist. A basic introduction to systemic therapies is also included as part of the second year.

I have gained experience in a non-UK country. Does this count?

Yes. If you have worked or volunteered overseas, this experience of helping others and utilising counselling skills will certainly be recognised and strengthen your application. In fact, we greatly value the inclusion of a broad range of cultural and regional perspectives in our training and in the composition of our study groups.

I conducted my psychology qualifications in a non-UK country. Can I apply?

All candidates are required to have graduate basis for chartered membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS). If your previous education qualifies you for this, or if you have gained this basis for membership subsequently through UK studies, you may apply. As this is a doctoral programme, candidates are required to have an excellent command of written and spoken English. Completion of an undergraduate or master’s degree in a non-English-language country does not necessarily meet this requirement – so please see entry requirements above. Also, we cannot provide student visas, so you must have pre-existing permission to study, work, or remain in the UK.

How many days a week will I have time for paid work?

Although our training lasts four years over 10 'long weekends' per academic year, you need to consider the time required for private study, preparation for each teaching weekend, and assignments. This is likely to constitute at least 10 hours per week. As you progress, you are required to spend an increasing amount of time in placement-based learning, which is assessed and contributes to academic credit. For these reasons, we recommend that students do not work more than three days per week. Additionally, as you move towards conducting your research project, many students find it better to reduce their working days to two each week. While circumstances will differ, we do not recommend attempting to work full-time while undertaking this programme.

Can you say a bit more about the research capabilities I will need to demonstrate in my application and interview?

We do not expect you to be a "research expert!" However, we look for you to demonstrate the capacity for postgraduate training in research. We assess this by asking you to submit a short research proposal with your application. This does not have to be your actual project for DCPsych training, but it should demonstrate that you have reviewed literature to identify a research problem or gap relevant to counselling psychology. You should outline a qualitative or quantitative proposal to address this research opportunity.