The PGCert: Counselling and Psychotherapy Education is the UK’s first dedicated qualification designed specifically for educators within the psychological therapies.
This Level 7, one-year postgraduate programme equips participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to teach effectively in higher education and professional training contexts.
Whether you are already teaching or aspiring to move into education, the course offers a flexible pathway to support your development as an educator.
Participants currently in teaching roles can complete the programme through their existing practice.
Those not yet teaching will benefit from a supported 50–90 hour teaching placement, designed to provide hands-on experience and a structured introduction to educational practice within counselling and psychotherapy.
Combining workshops, group discussions, and online resources with work-based or placement-based learning, the course enables participants to design, deliver, and evaluate learning in counselling and psychotherapy. It fosters both professional competence and creative confidence as an academic practitioner. By graduation, participants will have developed as reflective, evidence-informed educators, ready to contribute meaningfully within higher education and professional development settings.
This programme is grounded in a collaborative and developmental approach to teaching. It values reflective practice, peer learning, and evidence-based pedagogy, empowering participants to grow as adaptable, compassionate, and critically reflective educators within the field of counselling and psychotherapy.
The three modules are configured as follows:
Module 1 – Promoting Learning in Higher Education (20 Credits) (January to March) This module will explore factors that contribute to effective adult learning strategies generically including a focus on: • understanding how people learn • ways of establishing and maintaining effective learning environments • developing holistic approaches to planning learning activities • ways to integrate principles of social inclusion and widening participation • teaching and learning techniques and resources • developing integrated approaches to assessment • promoting student centred learning • developing independent learning
Module 2 – Promoting Learning in Counselling and Psychotherapy (20 Credits) (April to July) This module will support participants to develop their understanding and competence in the highly specific skills related to the training of counsellors and psychotherapists including:- • creating learning environments that promote the development of self- awareness and the personal qualities associated with beneficial therapeutic relationships • practice development environments that are both ‘safe’ and ‘challenging’ and that promote participants’ ‘aware practice’ and development in the skills of specific self and peer reflection and feedback • the theory and practice of group dynamics and relational learning • understanding and managing group interactions and developing in group facilitation skills • effective ways of giving and receiving feedback
Module 3- Counselling and Psychotherapy Programme Design and Development (20 Credits) (September to December) This module will focus on curriculum design and assessment systems to support best practice in the teaching of counselling and psychotherapy including:- • models of programme design for blended theoretical and practical learning • student participation and feedback in programme design and development • design of feedback and assessment mechanisms • quality and evaluation systems • development of professional and ethical awareness • practitioner research and practice project development
Teaching and learning
The course is delivered through blended learning, combining in-person workshops with group discussions and online resources.
As a practice-based qualification, all participants engage in teaching and observation as a core part of their learning.
Students are required to be actively engaged in teaching or supporting learning in higher education with approximately 80 hours at academic levels 4-8 in the academic year of study, including 50 hours of essential student contact. This can either be:
This integrated approach enables participants to apply theory directly to practice, whether within their existing professional context or through a structured placement experience.
As some learning will take place online, students will need access to a laptop (or equivalent device), internet, and a quiet, private space in order to participate in the live, online learning components of the programme.
Assessment
Assessment is structured around reflective engagement with the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). Students complete an initial audit after induction, followed by interim mapping templates at the end of Modules 1 and 2, culminating in a final UKPSF Mapping Document at the conclusion of Module 3.
This process supports participants to:
Identify existing evidence of teaching competence against the UKPSF
Recognise areas for development during the programme
Compile a final portfolio evidencing professional growth and alignment with the UKPSF
Programme delivery
The PGCertHE is delivered part-time over one academic year and comprises three 20-credit modules (totalling 60 credits and 600 study hours). The blended format ensures flexibility, allowing participants to balance study alongside their existing professional commitments.
Graduates are equipped to pursue or advance careers as lecturers, programme leaders, or academic tutors in counselling and psychotherapy education.
The programme is particularly valuable for:
Completion of the programme provides a strong foundation for applying for Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), as well as supporting progression into academic development and educational leadership roles.
Head of Programme, PGCert HE
Academic Coordinator
Please visit our Post Qualification Course Dates page
Please note that teaching dates may be subject to change
Students are also required to arrange and complete the following throughout the academic year:
2026/27 Course Fee: £4,500
2027/28 Course Fee: £4,625
The 2027/28 fee applies to courses starting from September 2027.
At Metanoia, we are committed to empowering the next generation of professionals in counselling and psychotherapy. This programme offers a unique opportunity to develop your skills and achieve your career aspirations in a supportive learning environment.
Click the button below to begin your application:
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