The Wisdom of Difference: Affirmative Approaches to Neurodivergence
Learn how to better meet and support clients who live with neurodivergence in this one-day in-person workshop with Karen Rawden….
Training to become a counsellor is a rich, rewarding and challenging experience as you develop into a professional with a meaningful, purpose-driven career. With so many courses to choose from, at varying entry levels and across a range of theoretical approaches, it can be hard to know where to start when you set out on the journey towards becoming a counsellor. Please follow this link to read our guide to becoming a counsellor: https://psychosynthesistrust.org.uk/become-counsellor/
As a starting point, here’s a link to an introductory page on our website titled: ‘About Psychosynthesis’ You might also like to read Psychosynthesis: The 7 Core Concepts a blog by Kenneth Sorensen, and Diana Whitmore’s blog on Assagioli and Psychosynthesis.
Psychosynthesis is a model, philosophy, stance and practice developed by Roberto Assagioli who was a psychiatrist and first psychoanalyst to work in Italy, having trained as a contemporary of Freud and Jung.
Assagioli took psychodynamic and psychoanalytic routes to psychosynthesis to also include the transpersonal; bringing together western psychology, western and eastern mysticism.
Key differences:
Blog resources:
Diana Whitmore was a student of Roberto Assagioli, and is a first generation psychosynthesis pioneer. Diana’s blog on Assagioli and Psychosynthesis is worth a read, she discusses the roots of psychosynthesis and places the model in the context of Assagioli’s intentions.
We would also recommend the following blog post on our website: Psychosynthesis: The 7 Core Concepts a blog by Kenneth Sorensen
Books:
Yes, the Essentials is in its name “essential” to the training pathway. The 4-day course is an introduction to the maps, models and practice of psychosynthesis. You’ll get insight into your patterns and ways of being, your blocks and potential through a psychosynthesis lens. People tend to recall the 4-days as a time of personal transformation.
It’s important to do this 4-day course before embarking on our longer training. It’s your chance to meet us as an organisation and experience how we approach training. Also, it’s our chance to meet participants and make sure they’re in the right place to embark on a more in-depth year of personal exploration in a group setting. It provides the necessary building blocks to do the Foundation Year and beyond.
There are participants who choose to study the Essentials Course only as a personal development opportunity. We also host short courses, workshops and talks for both qualified therapists/counsellors and non-therapists for professional and personal development.
The course cost covers 4-days of experiential training and provided reading materials.
Once a course goes onto a waiting list, our website will be updated to reflect this. You can apply in the same way on our website by following this link.
3 years – completion of the following stages Essentials > Foundation > Postgraduate Diploma
5 years minimum– completion of the following stages Essentials > Foundation > Postgraduate Diploma > Advanced Diploma. You will need to take a break between the Postgraduate Diploma and the Advanced Diploma to build up your client hours.
It can be useful to start the Foundation Year within three years of completing the Essentials. Once you’ve engaged with and opened up the process some people find that they are keen to progress onto next steps as soon as possible. However, some people do take a break. If you intend to take a longer break before starting the Foundation Year, we recommend that you find ways to remain active in your self-enquiry and reflective practices. When you submit your application form the gap between the two stages will be considered.
A maximum time period of 3 years. When you complete your application form for the Post-graduate Diploma if it has been more than a few years since you completed the Foundation Year it may be that the application assessor would want to get additional information or ask you complete a form of marked assessment. One of the ways of keeping your learning alive is engaging with personal therapy, personal practicing and reading.
Although the first and second year of the Post-graduate Diploma are separate modules they are taken together. There may be circumstances where someone hasn’t completed all the assessments for the first year and therefore has a period of deferral before joining the second year. Or if someone’s facing personal extenuating circumstances, people can apply to intermit.
Usually 1-year is the maximum period to enable continuity of study.
When applying for the Essentials course, you may be invited to take part in a telephone interview. For our longer courses (Foundation Year, Postgraduate Diploma), you will be interviewed by 2 members of our training team at each entry point. The purpose of these interviews is to ensure your readiness to complete the next stage of your training, and answer any questions you may have about the upcoming course.
The references should be from professionals who can vouch for your suitability to attend this course. Ideally one of your referees would be a therapist, counsellor or doctor.
It can be someone that knows you from a professional context either from the past or present, or if not then someone who knows you personally (but not a family member).
The reference needs to say how the person knows you, and that they consider you to be suitable for this kind of study that involves a lot of psychotherapeutic work, personal exploration, working within a group and taking responsibility for your own learning. The references don’t need to be particularly long.
Anyone interested in training at the Psychosynthesis Trust is required to attend our 4-day Essentials course. In exceptional cases, there may be opportunities to fast track, or apply previous learning.
Please contact admissions@ptrust.org.uk for more information.
Students who have completed a 4-day introduction course and/or Foundations Certificate at The Institute of Psychosynthesis, may be able to gain entry to the Psychosynthesis Trust PGDip in Psychosynthesis Counselling by undertaking and successfully completing the Transition Semester. This course usually includes Essentials, 4 modules of the Foundation Year, and attendance of a Relational Dynamics Group. You will also be required to submit a marked essay.
Yes, students are required to undertake individual therapy sessions for our Certificate in Foundations, our Postgraduate Diploma in Psychosynthesis Counselling, and the Advanced Diploma in Psychosynthesis Psychotherapy. At least 80% of these sessions need to be conducted face to face (in-person).
If you are studying for the Certificate in Foundations online, personal therapy can be in-person or online.
Our Essentials course costs £395. The rest of the training (stages 2 and 3) cost approximately £4,000 per year. You can find exact prices on the corresponding pages of our website. Please note that costs are subject to change.
Personal therapy and fees to retake assessments are not included in our overall course fees.
Training supervision is included in fees for the Post Graduate Diploma and Advanced Diploma. Whilst training as a counsellor you have to build up counselling hours in external placement. Some placements may ask for a small contribution towards supervision costs.
Students have a set number of training supervision and will also be in placement supervision; usually this combination of supervision meets the BACP requirement for twice monthly supervision sessions. There may be occasions outside of term time where your placement supervision doesn’t meet the twice monthly requirement and therefore you may have to book private supervision sessions at an additional cost.
At present, the answer is no, however we are working towards developing a partnership with Student Finance England, and may be able to offer government student loans in the future.
As we are a charity, our ability to offer bursaries is limited. However, we are also an inclusive organisation. If you are interested in training with us and would like to discuss your options, please get in touch at admissions@ptrust.org.uk .
We have a published deadline after which fees are not refundable. Refunds are subject to a small admin fee. Please see the course price guide for deadline date.
If you can’t progress because of a decision made by the Psychosynthesis Trust, i.e. if your application has not been approved, we will refund in full.
Various employment opportunities are then open to you. You may choose to work as a self-employed counsellor in private practice. Or you may want to apply to work within the NHS, in the workplace, in education establishments or the voluntary sector. Most of our graduates go into private practice. The Trust is member of European Federation of Psychosynthesis Psychotherapy (EFPP) which is represented at European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP), so after completion of our Masters programme, you would be eligible for an ECP and would join the European practitioner directory.
Traditionally, our courses have been offered only in person, due to the experiential nature of our teaching. However, the unfortunate implications of the Coronavirus pandemic have allowed us to adapt our training successfully into an online format. We now offer online training for some of our Essentials and one Foundations intake per year, as well as some CPD events.
The Trust is an organisational member of BACP and UKCP – so we meet their criteria for membership and abide by their ethical and professional codes.
Counselling and psychotherapy training at Trust is accredited by UKCP and BACP. In fact, the PGDip was one of the first courses to be accredited by BACP in 1989. UKCP and BACP are the two main professional bodies. If you’re looking for a course make sure it’s accredited by one of these two bodies. Our Advanced Diploma is accredited by UKCP.
The Trust is also a member of CPD UK.
No. Our courses are accredited by Professional bodies UKCP and BACP, and Psychosynthesis Trust Awarded.
Having a University award attached to your Counselling course will not affect your ability to practice as a counsellor, so choosing a course with or without a University qualification attached is really a personal preference. The most important accreditation comes from the BACP and UKCP regulating bodies, and the Psychosynthesis Trust is accredited by both.
testimonials
My experience and reflections after taking the Essentials of Psychosynthesis training can be expressed by these words: authentic and compassionate, professional and humane, longer-term life changing impacts, reminding truths forgotten and introducing new perspectives, high quality delivery, comfortable and stimulating at the same time, embracing diversity, the art of aware and constructive living, feeling of connection. I warmly recommend it to anyone.
Essentials Course Attendee
testimonials
Being able to do this course in person was a real highlight for me. The courage, honesty and bravery everyone showed in sharing their experiences & stories was humbling.
Essentials Course Attendee
testimonials
The low cost clinic has changed everything for me. The service that I have received from my first phone call to my weekly sessions has been professional, supportive and understanding but above all approachable. It was a great move to look to the Trust, and it and my therapist have been amazing.
Counselling service client
testimonials
They have been very inclusive and understanding of me as a black woman studying counselling skills. It allows me to understand my defences and the difficulties presenting themselves in my life..
Counselling service client
testimonials
The assessment and allocation of a therapist were done quickly, sensitively, and I was always listened to. My therapist is a perfect fit for my needs, supports me, and I look forward to my sessions. I feel comforted and understood by my therapist.
Counselling service client
testimonials
The counselling service contacted me very quickly and were flexible. My counsellor adapts to my needs.
Counselling service client
testimonials
My counsellor in training is amazing. She makes you feel comfortable, heard, and like everything is your choice and no one else’s.
Counselling service client
testimonials
It is very good - I feel empowered knowing more about myself and reflecting on some of my behaviours. Thank you!
Counselling service client
testimonials
The Foundations Year has been an incredible adventure. The balance of experiential and academic work at the Trust makes this course truly unique and invaluable to personal development. It challenged me and provided me with insight and information I previously felt was out of reach, all in an environment where the experienced trainers support with ease and compassion. The course teaches and supports you as an individual as well as a potential future practitioner.
Foundations participant
testimonials
Thank you for this workshop which for me brought affirmation and confirmation of my work and my journey.
CPD participant
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