Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Practice

1.

• (a) The course will consist of lectures, tutorials, seminars, classes, and supervised practice on the theory and practice of Psychodynamic Practice. Candidates will be required to undertake personal therapy. The course will be taken on a part-time basis over two years. 

• (b) The course places equal emphasis on theory, practice, and the candidate's personal and professional development. In the first year candidates will study the Historical and Theoretical Perspective, the Psychiatric Perspective, the Contemporary Perspective, and the Developmental Perspective, and be introduced to core clinical models. The organisational perspective will be taught to complement candidates' clinical placements. Candidates will study long term counselling and psychotherapy. The second year will include the study of time limited counselling and psychotherapy and the application of the core theoretical model to varied contexts and clinical populations.

2. Every candidate will be required to satisfy the examiners in the following:

• (a) five written assignments as follows:

  • (i) an initial case study of no more than 3,000 words.

  • (ii) a second case study, of no more than 3,000 words.

  • (iii) an extract from a candidate’s placement log of no more than 3,000 words.

  • (iv) an extract from the candidate’s Reflective Journal, of no more than 3,000 words.

  • (v) an essay, of no more than 3,000 words, based on theoretical material covered in the course.

• (b) a dissertation of no more than 10,000 words. The subject of the dissertation must be submitted for approval by any two of the examiners following consultation with the course director by noon of Friday of fourth week of Hilary Full Term in the second year of the course.

• (c) participation in a minimum of 100 hours of client/patient contact with placement supervisions at a minimum ration of 1:6;

• (d) participation in a minimum of 80 hours of personal therapy and submission of a statement of hours completed from the candidate’s personal therapist;

• (e) submission of annual reports from the candidate's course tutor and clinical seminar leader;

• (f) confirmation from the experiential group conductor that there are no ethical reasons why the candidate should be discouraged from commencing professional work.

The assignments set out in clause 2(a) and (b) shall be submitted via the approved online submission system by the dates published in the course handbook.

3. Candidates who fail to satisfy the examiners in any of the assignments in 2(a) or the dissertation may be permitted to resubmit work in the part or parts of the examination which they have failed for examination on not more than one occasion which shall normally be within one year of the original failure. Candidates who fail to obtain a satisfactory report of their placement at the end of the first year will be given additional support. Candidates who fail to obtain a satisfactory report at the end of the second year may be permitted by the examiners to continue in the placement until the required standard is reached, for a period of no more than one year after the end of the second year.