PsychD Practitioner Doctorate in Psychotherapeutic and Counselling Psychology

Assessment is by means of written assignments (for example, essays, client studies/process reports, research reports), exams (oral and written), videoed practical exercises, placement supervisors’ reports, client logbooks, and so on.

The programme exposes trainees to a range of experiences (workshops, lectures, individual and group review meetings, placements, practice and research supervision sessions, personal therapy and PPD groups) and continuously assesses their actual learning: in process reports embedded in case studies, video exercises, practice supervision, theoretical and integrative essays, literature reviews, research methods exercises and research reports, and oral exams

Within this, the programme affords different individual developments and outcomes as we strive to promote personal and professional growth that is sufficiently tailored to individual talents and needs.

The programme provides notable exposure to two main psychotherapy traditions – the psychoanalytic and the cognitive-behavioural – chosen fundamentally for marketability and historical reasons. However, the philosophical underpinning of the programme is clearly phenomenological and, to an extent, postmodern.

Trainees are also exposed, albeit more briefly, to several other models and integrative and eclectic perspectives, and are thus offered the opportunity to develop their own personal preferences, as well as their understanding of similarities and differences between varying approaches.

As a result, our trainees develop a thorough understanding of at least two models, but their individual choice of models can vary. Some trainees have leaned towards additional approaches, for example, humanistic, existential or social-constructivist, whilst being also sufficiently well-versed in psychoanalytic and cognitive-behavioural theories and practices. Many trainees in fact develop their own integrative or eclectic perspective.

The Department of Psychology is a hub of information and support. You will have access to the following facilities:

Computing

Two computing rooms, one dedicated to postgraduate students.

Test library

300+ psychometric tests are available, as well as five years of dissertations and theses from all programmes.

Video and audio editing

Image and audio manipulation, interview and telephone recording transcription equipment. Observation suite (video and audio recording).

Seminar and classrooms

Three fully equipped for multimedia presentations.

Occasionally we offer a Year 2 place, if this becomes available. When taking trainees into Year 2 of the programme, the selection procedure is extended to undertake a detailed exploration of prior learning, so that trainees can be granted advanced standing without compromising their ability to benefit from the full range of learning experiences available on the programme. Experience shows that when able to enter directly into Year 2, applicants will be required to undertake the Year 1 module on Qualitative Research Methods and occasionally some other Year 1 modules.

You will undertake three year-long placements in a variety of settings, working with a range of client groups. Our aim is to ensure that you gain sufficient experience in working within the programme’s main theoretical models (that is, psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioural) to enable you to develop a coherent, integrative, flexible approach to practice.

To date, trainees have undertaken placements in NHS psychology and psychotherapy departments, with community mental health teams, in primary care, in drug and alcohol services, eating disorders services, child and family services, older adult services and student counselling services, and in organisational settings.

Many of our trainees/graduates have published their research. You are encouraged to submit your work for publication and thereby share your insights and findings with other practitioners. Our aim is to produce graduates who can evaluate all forms of psychological research and use it in an informed way to enrich their therapeutic practice, and who can undertake high-quality practice-relevant research to extend the evidence base of the discipline.

A presentation of the programme by members of staff and Year 3 trainees is given in December or January, with the opportunity for informal conversations with staff and current trainees.

The Department of Psychology at the University of Surrey is one of the most active and highly regarded psychology departments in the country. We specialise in applied and policy-oriented teaching and research within a strong theoretical context. The international, interdisciplinary, policy and applied strengths of the Department mean that students’ theoretical and methodological research puts them at the cutting edge of the discipline.

We are one of the highest ranked departments in the country for graduates entering employment, and also one of the largest providers of postgraduate training in the UK.

The Department of Psychology has been the centre for many cross-national studies and has attracted funding from research councils and local and national government departments, such as ESF, Defra, the MoD, the Home Office, the Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency, Surrey County Council and the EU.

If you choose to study psychology at the University of Surrey, you will be provided with a combination of opportunities that would be hard to match elsewhere. We offer you a degree that provides a thorough grounding in the theories, methods and practice of contemporary psychology. Our programmes lay particular emphasis on the application of psychology to real-world problems, and also consider issues related to professional practice in preparation for your career as a professional psychologist.

The basis of good postgraduate courses is the research activity of staff, the incorporation of current research programmes in teaching material and a reciprocal relationship between theory development and applied research in everyday contemporary issues. We believe in involving all postgraduate students in the research life of the Department through active participation in one of the research groups, by attendance at research seminars and, where possible, an attachment to ongoing research projects. As a student of the Department of Psychology, you will also have access to a number of conferences, seminars and workshops hosted throughout the year.

Psychotherapeutic and counselling psychology is an expanding area of professional applied psychology. Counselling psychologists work in a variety of settings including GP practices, community mental health teams, clinical psychology departments, voluntary agencies, social services, private practice, higher education, national and international companies/organisations and so on.

Our graduates have been extremely successful in obtaining jobs as counselling psychologists and have established themselves in a range of settings including the NHS, prisons, EAP settings, private companies and independent practices.