PGDip Counselling and Psychotherapy at University of East London

Programme overview

This long-established and hugely popular course is fully accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). It is designed to provide training in an integrative approach to counselling and psychotherapy. It will enable you to develop your own synthesis within a framework which is not tied to a particular theoretical school or perspective.

Faculty: School of Childhood and Social Care | Department: Department of Social Work Counselling & Social Care | Study mode: part-time | Intake: September 2026 | Location: London, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

The first year of the Counselling and Psychotherapy PGDip focuses on building essential skills for future practitioners. The Self, Skills, and Theory module helps you balance theoretical knowledge with practical application, enabling you to develop core competencies. Modules include Self, Skills and Theory 1 (Mental Wealth), Self, Skills and Theory 2, Integration and Application 1, Integration and Application 2, Research Methods 1, Research Methods 2.

Career pathways

In recent years, around half to two-thirds of students leave after completing their counselling and psychology Diploma (which is the professional qualification), with the remainder staying on for a final year of MA study. In either case, you will be able to work towards the next level of professional standing by seeking individual accreditation within the BACP, which requires 450 hours of supervised working.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Please note that this course provides core counselling and therapeutic training, suitable for those who have relevant experience (as outlined below), but are not yet qualified practitioners already in some form of therapeutic practice or working therapeutically with a caseload of clients.; Application forms are reviewed and candidates that meet the following criteria are invited for interview. Applicants are assessed against suitability and readiness criteria in alignment with BACP admissions requirements. No candidates are admitted to the programme without passing an in-person group interview. Fulfilling the academic requirements is not enough to secure an offer.; Please cover the following in your personal statement:; Academic requirement is an undergraduate degree at 2.2 Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) may be considered.; A Foundational Counselling Skills Certificate of over 50 taught hours at Level 3, ideally CPCAB accredited and in-person. (No APL for this training); Substantive experience in a dedicated one-to-one listening role with adults seeking emotional support in th

Intake: September 2026

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