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Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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Course summary

Our MA Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy provides you with significant theoretical knowledge needed to become a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with a specialist focus on working with couples. The course is offered in collaboration with Tavistock Relationships, a leading training and research centre in therapeutic and psycho-educational approaches to supporting couples. Key areas of study include:

  • psychoanalytic models of the mind
  • complex theoretical concepts and how they are applied to the couple relationship
  • psychosexual development and sexuality through the life cycle
  • causes of violence and aggression within couple relationships
  • issues around separation, divorce, conflict and the impact on family life.
Working with experienced practitioners in the helping professions, you will attend tutorials, weekly clinical seminars and supervision, and personal therapy, and undertake in-person clinical work. This course provides you with the clinical requirements leading towards accreditation with the British Psychoanalytic Council (BCP). Teaching and clinical work is based at the Tavistock Relationships' premises in central London, close to Liverpool Street station, with occasional sessions at Birkbeck’s Bloomsbury campus. Highlights
  • Tavistock Relationships is the leading couple therapy centre in London. It has a long history in training, research and best practice.
  • You will become part of Tavistock Relationships' alumni group, enabling you to take advantage of its CPD and conferences that will keep you up to date with recent developments in the field and further develop your clinical practice.
Careers and employability Graduates can pursue the following career paths and opportunities:
  • as a professional couple psychoanalytic psychotherapist, qualified to work in the statutory, voluntary or private sector
  • registration with the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC)
  • registration with the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT)
  • Tavistock Relationships training in individual psychodynamic psychotherapy (BPC)
  • Tavistock Relationships training for advanced standing in psychosexual therapy (COSRT)
  • British Psychotherapy Foundation (BPF) training for advanced standing in individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy
We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment method

Assessment includes process recording and recorded session analysis and evaluation, a couple theory paper, a clinical practice and theory paper, a seminar review paper and a dissertation. This assessment goes alongside professional assessment of your clinical practice. To obtain the MA you must pass both the academic and clinical parts of the training and programme.

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • British Psychoanalytic Council

How to apply

International applicants

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

Entry requirements

Usually a second-class honours degree (2:2 or above), or equivalent professional experience. You should also have several years of post-qualifying experience in a helping profession such as counselling, psychology, social work or psychiatry. A requirement of the course is that all students undertake personal psychoanalytic psychotherapy at least three times a week usually commencing at least one year before starting the course. This requirement may be modified for entrants with advanced standing. Your psychotherapist must be an experienced member of the British Psychoanalytic Council and will need to be approved by the Tavistock Training Committee. The current cost of personal psychoanalytic psychotherapy is likely to range between £50 to £90 per session. Fees are negotiated directly between the student and the therapist.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £8340 Year 1
Northern Ireland £8340 Year 1
Scotland £8340 Year 1
Wales £8340 Year 1
International £12300 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases.
Couple Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS