MPhil/PhD in Psychotherapy and Counselling

Introduction

SPCP was the first UK institution to offer a MPhil/PhD in Psychotherapy and Counselling and our emphasis has always been on welcoming students from a wide range of academic disciplines relevant to psychotherapy, psychology and counselling studies. 

This is an academic degree and does not lead to registration in psychotherapy and/or counselling, nor to chartered counselling psychology status. Candidates will usually have a Masters degree; and normally professional registration or accreditation in psychotherapy and/or counselling.   

Objectives

The objectives of the programme are:

• to advance the conceptual thinking in the field, where appropriate, through making the link between psychotherapy and/or psychology and/or counselling and other related disciplines including philosophy, social science, history and social anthropology;
• to contribute to the comparative study of psychotherapeutic and psychological theories and their applications whilst paying attention to the underlying philosophical assumptions and the philosophical coherence of the theories;
• to develop a critical and reflective understanding of debates and controversies within their chosen area of study;
• to advance the development of research methods and models relevant to psychotherapy, psychology and counselling;
• to conceptualise, design and implement a project for the generation of new knowledge, applications or understanding;
• to generate innovative connections between theoretical knowledge and its application to practice. 

Duration

MPhil period of registration

Part-time minimum: 2 years
Part-time maximum: 5 years
Full-time minimum: 1 year
Full-time maximum: 3 years

PhD period of registration

Part-time minimum: 5 years
Part-time maximum: 7 years
Full-time minimum: 3 years
Full-time maximum: 5 years

Research

Students research in-depth a topic of interest to them and with relevance to psychotherapy, psychology and counselling studies, under the guidance of an expert academic supervisor. 

Research topics can be of a clinical, conceptual, philosophical or historical nature and may draw on any of the theoretical traditions of psychotherapy, psychology and counselling. 

Students are encouraged to use the research methods most appropriate to their research question.   

Research Training

The research training module undertaken early in the PhD aims to encourage a reflexive approach to research,  to give students the opportunity to work on their chosen subject within a group setting and to consider important issues in research at this level. 

The overall aim  to enable students to produce a PhD thesis that will make an original contribution to the creation, interpretation and/or application of new knowledge in the field of psychotherapy, psychology and counselling studies - either through conceptual and/or applied research.