Course summary

Please note as this is a part-time programme, we are not able to sponsor students for a Student visa. The Postgraduate Certificate in Existential Psychotherapy (PGCEP) constitutes your final year of training and leads to professional registration as an existential psychotherapist through the Society for Existential Analysis of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). Human experience is too complex to be explained by theory. Existential psychotherapy embraces this complexity, employing a philosophical approach to exploring what it means to be human. This practice nurtures enquiry, openness and a fresh gaze upon the world and human beings. This course will take you on a transformative journey, challenging your understanding of human existence and changing the way you see yourself and relate to others. Combining academic study of existential texts and experiential encounter exercises, you’ll develop a philosophical attitude and acquire a new vocabulary for contemplating human experience. You'll go beyond cognitive and rational understanding – instead focusing on an open and embodied way of making sense of experience. This prepares you to connect with others in their ambiguity and complexity and begin a relational process of deep exploration. You’ll engage in a range of activities designed to encourage you to question your own beliefs and values, be courageous, embody fearless free speech, balance openness with circumspection and be willing to explore moments of discomfort with others. Through peer feedback and critical reflection, you'll develop a deeper understanding of self in relation to others as well as their relationship to issues including power, freedom, responsibility, boundaries, limitations and strengths. This critical awareness will enable you to develop into a well-informed and ethical practitioner who able to work in different settings with a wide variety of clients. You'll graduate a qualified existential psychotherapist, holding a privileged position which requires humility and discernment. Our training will teach you how to uphold clinical standards of practice and work competently, humanely and ethically with the most vulnerable members of society. Clinical placements Throughout your training, you’ll be expected to work with at least three adult clients on a minimum basis of once a week and be required to complete a minimum of 100 clinical hours. For UKCP or BACP accreditation, you're required to complete 450 clinical hours in total. The total you accrue will include the hours acquired during previous training. You will also be expected to participate in weekly personal psychotherapy sessions with a UKCP-registered therapist. Accreditation and next steps This course meets the accreditation criteria of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Upon successful completion of this certificate, you’ll be eligible for professional registration with the UKCP through the Society for Existential Analysis. At the end of the course, you may have enough training hours to apply for individual accreditation with the BACP. To apply, you must show evidence of 450 hours of supervised clinical practice. This can only be done by the individual and Regent’s is unable to play a role in this process.