Qualify as a Psychotherapist

The main professional body for psychotherapists in this country is the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). They set out Standards of Education and Training for the psychotherapy training courses that they Accredit. These psychotherapy courses are all at least 4 years long, and at Postgraduate level (these are requirements of the UKCP).

Learning to become a psychotherapist is much more than learning about a new profession. It is about learning about yourself, your humanity, the meaning of your work and making long lasting friends and colleagues who enrich your life. Challenges are that we sometimes look at parts of our self that we may not like. However, this is also healing and helps us to have a better relationship with ourselves and others

At the Iron Mill, the Integrative and Relational Psychotherapy programme is accredited by UKCP. The programme is grounded in Relational Transactional Analysis and the training is recognised by International TA organisations. The programme is designed to lead to qualification as a UK based psychotherapist.

Step 1.  Complete a TA 101

This two-day introductory course covers key aspects of TA theory. It is an essential ‘taster’, not only for TA theory but also the way we work with that theory in the College TA courses.  It is a stand-alone course, with a standardised syllabus agreed by international TA organisations, recognised by the European Association of Transactional Analysis (EATA) and the International Transactional Analysis Association (ITAA). Participants will be awarded an officially recognised TA 101 certificate upon completion. 

Step 2.  Certificate in Transactional Theory and Practice

This is the essential foundation year for future study in psychotherapy. The course runs for 9 weekends from October to June during which you’ll deepen your understanding of a wide array of TA theories and approaches as well as learning practical counselling skills.

Step 3:  Advanced Training in Psychotherapy

This course builds on your learning from your Certificate in TA Theory and Practice year. The Advanced training progresses to a post graduate level or Masters level equivalent, in line with UKCP Standards in Education and Training, (SETS).  The programme is a 3 year taught course, followed by a dissertation year. For each of these years, the programme runs between September and July for 10 weekends in total.

Step 4 UKCP Dissertation Year and registration as a qualified psychotherapist

This is a ten-day programme structured to support students in psychotherapy towards UKCP registration as a qualified psychotherapist. The dissertation year is designed for Iron Mill Psychotherapy students who have completed a minimum of four years of psychotherapy training and are on course to complete all requirements for UKCP registration.  On successful completion of a written dissertation followed by a viva-voce, candidates gain the Iron Mill Diploma in Integrative Psychotherapy and will be put forward for UKCP registration as a psychotherapist in the college of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy, (HIPC).

Step 5  Become a Certified Transactional Analysis (CTA (P))

Students successfully completing the Iron Mill psychotherapy programme can also expand their dissertation and viva recordings to become a Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA) with psychotherapy specialism

Career Paths Following Training Programmes: Levels 4-7 

Not everyone comes into this training on a clear mission to become a psychotherapist. The learning is experiential so people may discover interests and opportunity they had not anticipated. However, these are some of the tangible outcomes of the training. 

1. Integration of psychological studies with current career

If you are currently involved in any kind of work that involves interactions with people, then this training will help. For example, many teachers, nurses, social workers, managers notice radical improvements handling and navigating dynamics in organisations. The training makes an impact on your sense of self, your competence and confidence and we have witnessed many of our trainees gain promotions and receive offers. Whilst this sounds good, it can put pressure to take more responsibility and this can raise dilemmas. 

2. Counsellor in Placement 

All trainings at the Iron Mill College require students to take up a voluntary placement. This allows people to see counselling clients in a safe setting - one where there is managerial support and possibly supervision. Students build experience and required hours before taking further steps to qualifying. For some, this becomes paid work later as paid counsellors, psychotherapists, assessors, or managers. 

3. Service Manager

Working as a manager is one way of integrating professional experience with new qualifications. This requires understanding of how mental health services work, such as referrals from GPs, individuals and other organisations. It may include assessing clients, to match clients with practitioners and to manage the practitioners and facilities at the centre. 

4. NHS Talking Therapies

In 2008, the government launched the service IAPT, (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies). This was to address increasing concerns of the levels of anxiety and depression in our society. It was a push to increase the use of NICE evidenced based therapies and became dominated by structured approaches, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Some psychotherapy graduates have developed careers working with NHS talking therapies full time or part time to combine with private practice. 

5. NHS Psychotherapist

The NHS has very specific salary scales, (bands) that are dependent on the level of qualifications and experience. Many practitioners in the "NHS talking therapies" service will be on band 6, whereas qualified NHS psychotherapists typically earn £43,742 to £50,056 (Band 7). Salaries for principal psychotherapists can rise to between £50,952 and £68,525 (Bands 8a and 8b). Salaries for consultant psychotherapists can be higher. Service users tend to be at the moderate - severe end. In mental health hospitals, psychotherapists may be working alongside other professionals such as psychiatrists, mental health nurses and occupational therapists. Patients may have had psychotic or depressive breakdowns, may be recovering from addiction or have other life threatening conditions such as eating disorders. 

6. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

This service, (known as CAMHS) provides treatment for children and adolescents, (11-18) who are suffering from moderate to severe levels of distress. There would be a requirement to do some further training in child and adolescent work, if you are not already working in this area. 

7. Private Practice Psychotherapist

The idea of working in private practice can be appealing. Private practice offers flexibility and autonomy in how people manage their work, their time and so it can be combined well with child care and other responsibilities. Private practice can help bridge transitions from one career to another. Private practice is best undertaken once people have qualified in counselling or psychotherapy. For psychotherapy trainees, it is possible to start in practice after achieving required training, supervision and personal therapy hours. Supervisors and trainers collaborate with trainees to assess personal and professional readiness for practice. 

8. Supervisor

Undertaking supervision qualifications and then offering supervision is a satisfying way for experienced psychotherapists to enhance their practice. The supervisory relationship is similar to being a mentor who offers support, guidance, knowledge and experience. In the early days, this helps build confidence and competence in practitioners. Supervision continues to be important throughout a career and in advanced practice, provides a sounding board so that the work continues to be reflected on and thought about. It can help navigate complex dynamics, including ethical dilemmas. 

9. Trainer

Working in training and development is another way to build flexibility and learning into a career. In private practice, the work can become isolating, especially when people are working from home. So, developing skills and capacity as a trainer is a way of meeting colleagues and developing the next generation of counsellors and psychotherapists. 

10. Involvement with Professional Bodies

Some of the work with professional bodies such as BACP and UKCP is offered on a voluntary basis or with an honorarium payment. For example, working with an ethics and professional practice committee or with a team monitoring training standards. These offer great learning opportunities and are another way of meeting and learning with colleagues. Getting involved in this way also offers potential to paid positions for some key roles.