Frequently Asked Questions

We know that choosing the right course, understanding the application process and preparing for professional training can bring lots of questions. These FAQs are here to help you find clear answers to some of the things we’re asked most often.

For the most detailed and up-to-date information about a particular programme, we recommend checking the individual course page on our website.

And if you’re ever unsure, please do get in touch because we’re always happy to help. For general enquiries, email info@metanoia.ac.uk. If your question is about an application, offer or the admissions process, email admissions@metanoia.ac.uk.

Choosing a course and starting your training

I want to become a counsellor or psychotherapist. Where should I start?

The right starting point depends on your qualifications, previous experience and the type of practitioner you want to become. If you are new to therapeutic training, a foundation or introductory course may be the best place to start. If you already have relevant training and experience, you may be eligible for one of our professional programmes or a direct-entry route.

There is considerable overlap between counselling and psychotherapy. Both involve developing therapeutic skills, self-awareness and the ability to work safely with clients. Psychotherapy training is generally longer and involves substantial clinical practice, personal therapy and advanced theoretical study.

Yes. Many students come to counselling and psychotherapy after careers in other fields. Previous professional and life experience can be valuable, although you will still need to meet the entry requirements for your chosen programme.

No. Applicants are considered on their suitability for the programme and whether they meet the relevant entry requirements.

Not for most counselling or psychotherapy programmes. We welcome applicants from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. For our Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy (DCPsych) programme, applicants are required to have a 2:1 degree in Psychology.

This depends on the programme. Some post-graduate programmes require a particular academic level, while others may consider equivalent academic or professional experience. Undergraduate programmes do not require a degree.

A foundation or introductory counselling skills course is usually the best starting point. This allows you to develop core skills, experience therapeutic learning and explore which professional route is right for you.

Many students continue working alongside their course. However, professional training involves more than teaching days. You should also allow time for private study and, where applicable, personal therapy, placement, supervision and assessment.

Career outcomes and professional registration

What can I do after completing my training?

Graduates work across counselling and psychotherapy services, charities, education, health settings, private practice and other therapeutic or psychologically informed roles.

Qualified practitioners may move into private practice once they have the appropriate professional status, insurance, registration and competence.

Potentially. Graduates work across a wide range of services, although individual roles have their own recruitment and professional requirements.

This may require additional specialist training and experience.

Potentially, but recognition and licensing requirements vary between countries. You should check the requirements of the country in which you intend to practise.

Professional accreditation means a programme has been reviewed against the standards of the relevant professional body. This is separate from the academic award.

They are professional bodies associated with psychotherapy, counselling and psychology respectively. Different Metanoia programmes are aligned with different professional routes.

No. Academic completion and professional registration are related but distinct. You must complete all relevant professional requirements and the appropriate registration process.

You will still need to complete any outstanding professional requirements before the full professional training route is complete.

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Open days and information events

Does Metanoia run open days?

Yes. We run a mixture of in-person open days and online programme-specific events throughout the admissions cycle.

Our main in-person events are held at Metanoia Institute in Ealing.

Yes. Registering allows us to send you joining details and information about the event. You can find out more on the events pages of the website.

Absolutely. Open events are a good opportunity to explore your options before submitting an application.

Of course. We’re always delighted to see offer holders at open events, and it’s a great opportunity to meet some of the team and ask any questions you might still have before starting your course. 

Open events usually provide opportunities to hear from academic staff and ask questions.

Yes. We run events for individual programmes and training routes, including opportunities to explore different psychotherapy modalities.

There will usually be other opportunities to find out about the programme. Where appropriate, additional information or presentation materials may also be available and we will share this in post events communications if you’ve registered for an open event. 

Applications and admissions

How do I apply?

Applications are made through Metanoia’s online application portal. You will need to complete the application and provide any supporting information required for your programme.

Dates vary by programme and admissions cycle. Programmes can also close early when they reach capacity, so we recommend applying as early as possible.

Yes. You can log back into the application portal using your account details and continue a partially completed application.

Log back into the portal and complete the outstanding sections as soon as possible, particularly if admissions are nearing closure.

Your application will be reviewed against the programme’s entry requirements. Depending on the course, you may then be invited to interview or asked to provide additional information.

Most professional programmes include an interview or selection process to explore your experience, motivation and suitability for training.

In some circumstances, yes. Any offer may be conditional on successfully completing your current qualification.

Log back into the portal and complete the outstanding sections as soon as possible, particularly if admissions are nearing closure.

Alternative routes may be available, including foundation or preparatory study or Recognition of Prior Learning. Non-standard applications are considered individually.

Please contact admissions@metanoia.ac.uk.

References

Do I need a reference?

Most programmes require one or more references. Your application or offer communication will tell you if this applies to you.

Your referee should be someone who can comment meaningfully on your academic, professional or training background. An employer or previous tutor may be appropriate depending on the programme.

A therapist would not normally be the most appropriate referee because of the nature and confidentiality of the therapeutic relationship.

Where required, we will use the referee details you provide to request the reference.

Admissions can confirm whether it has been received and whether it has been sent to the programme team for approval.

Your application or offer may remain conditional until the required reference is received. You can contact Admissions if you need to provide an alternative referee.

Offers, waiting lists and capacity

What does a conditional offer mean?

It means you have been offered a place subject to one or more outstanding requirements, such as a satisfactory reference or confirmation of qualifications.

Your offer communication will give you a deadline. Applicants should accept within that period because places cannot necessarily be held indefinitely.

You will move through the remaining admissions and pre-registration stages before formal enrolment.

Possibly. Deferral depends on the programme, capacity and individual circumstances, so please contact Admissions.

Professional programmes have limited cohort sizes. A programme may therefore close once sufficient places have been offered.

Depending on the programme, you may be able to join a waiting list, consider another route or modality, or apply for the following intake.

No. A place can only be offered if capacity becomes available.

Waiting lists do not necessarily operate as simple numbered queues. Programme requirements, suitability and available capacity may all need to be considered.

Potentially. Please discuss this with Admissions so you understand how accepting another offer may affect your options.

Enrolment and starting your course

What does pre-registration mean?

It means you have reached an advanced stage of the admissions process before formal enrolment. It does not mean you are fully enrolled.

Complete any outstanding requirements communicated to you and wait for your formal enrolment instructions.

Access is provided as part of the enrolment and induction process.

Induction introduces you to your programme, student systems, academic and support services, key expectations and the wider Institute.

If your programme requires personal therapy, it is sensible to begin looking early so you can make sure your therapist meets the programme requirements.

You can begin familiarising yourself with placement requirements, but you should follow programme guidance and must not begin training client work until you have been approved as ready to practise.

Teaching, attendance and workload

Are Metanoia programmes taught in person?

Most professional programmes involve in-person teaching, although some combine in-person and online learning.

No. Clinical psychotherapy training involves substantial in-person teaching and professional practice.

You should not assume this is possible. Teaching must be attended in the mode in which it has been scheduled. Most programmes have an 80% in-person attendance threshold to complete each year.

Yes, where they form part of your timetable.

You should not assume that teaching will be recorded, particularly experiential or clinical teaching.

This depends on your programme. Some courses use regular weekday teaching while others use intensive weekend blocks.

Professional training requires regular attendance, so employment commitments do not normally remove the requirement to attend scheduled teaching.

Programme dates and timetables are shared through the relevant student communications once confirmed. Teaching dates for each programme are shared on the relevant course page on the Metanoia Institute wesbite, as soon as they are published. 

Fees and funding

What costs should I budget for beyond tuition fees?

Depending on your programme, additional costs may include personal therapy, supervision, travel, accommodation, books, professional membership and placement-related costs.

Personal therapy and supervision are not included in tuition fees. 

Eligibility depends on the programme and your personal circumstances. Students should check the funding arrangements for their particular course.

Eligible students on the BSc may be able to access undergraduate student finance.

No. Eligible students should normally investigate and apply for funding as early as possible.

Opportunities may be available for particular students, programmes or cohorts. Current opportunities are advertised when available.

Accessibility, disability and wellbeing

Can I study at Metanoia if I have a disability?

Yes. We welcome disabled applicants and encourage you to discuss any support or access requirements with us.

You can do this during the admissions process so that reasonable adjustments and learning support can be discussed before you start. Email disability@metanoia.ac.uk

The purpose of disclosure is to help us understand and support your needs and consider any reasonable adjustments.

Applicants can be referred to our Disability and Wellbeing colleagues for a more detailed conversation.

Professional training includes essential attendance and competency requirements. Adjustments can be considered, but they must preserve the core learning and professional requirements of the programme.

No. Students who need overnight accommodation will normally need to make their own arrangements.

Student support

What support is available to students?

Students have access to academic skills support, library resources, wellbeing services, careers support and programme-based support.

Yes. Students can access electronic learning and library resources.

Yes. Careers and professional-development support is available to students.

Yes. The placements team supports students through the clinical placement process.

Speak to your primary tutor, programme team or the relevant student support service as early as possible.

Foundation and introductory training

What is the Foundation Certificate?

It is designed for people beginning to explore counselling and psychotherapy who want to develop core therapeutic skills before progressing to more advanced training.

No. It is suitable for people with little or no previous therapeutic training.

No. It is an introductory programme and does not qualify you to work independently as a counsellor or psychotherapist.

Yes. It can provide a foundation for progression into further counselling, psychotherapy or counselling psychology training, depending on the entry requirements of the next programme.

Yes. It can be a useful way to explore whether therapeutic training is the right next step for you.

BSc (Hons) Counselling

What is the BSc (Hons) Counselling?

It is Metanoia’s undergraduate professional counselling training route, combining academic study, therapeutic skills, personal development and clinical training.

The standard route is three years.

Students have the option of choosing either a weekend route (one weekend per month) or a weekday route (every Tuesday). The Tuesday and weekend routes follow the same Year 1 curriculum.

Students begin with a shared first year before progressing towards either Person-Centred or Humanistic Integrative counselling.

Historically, Person-Centred has been delivered at weekends and Humanistic Integrative on Tuesdays. Future timetabling depends on cohort choices and cannot be guaranteed in advance.

We aim to make the programme as accessible as possible, but your preferred pathway may not always be available on your preferred day.

Potentially. Applicants with relevant previous learning can be considered through the APL/RPL process.

No. Previous study must be assessed against the learning outcomes of the BSc.

The programme includes an exit point after successful completion of the relevant requirements.

Recognition of Prior Learning and direct entry

What is Recognition of Prior Learning?

Recognition of Prior Learning, or RPL, is the process of assessing previous study, training or relevant learning to see whether it can count towards entry to, or exemption from part of, a Metanoia programme.

Potentially. It will be assessed against the learning outcomes and professional requirements of the programme you want to join.

No. Each application is considered individually by the relevant academic team.

A
fee may apply depending on the type of assessment required. You can find out more here. 

You may be asked for certificates, transcripts, programme information, learning outcomes or evidence from your previous training provider.

Usually not. A CV can provide useful context, but the programme team normally needs evidence of the content and level of your previous learning.

This depends on the complexity of the application and the evidence provided. Applications submitted late in the admissions cycle may not be completed before enrolment.

Potentially. You would normally need training equivalent to Metanoia’s UKCP Preparatory Year, relevant and sufficiently recent therapeutic experience, appropriate personal therapy, the required academic ability and evidence that you are ready to begin clinical placement.

Previous training would normally need to have taken place within the four academic years before starting at Metanoia.

Yes. Direct-entry applicants would normally need confirmation from an appropriate tutor from their previous training that they are considered ready to begin clinical placement.

For most applicants, the UKCP Preparatory Year provides the most straightforward route into the psychotherapy training pathway.

UKCP Preparatory Year

What is the UKCP Preparatory Year?

The Integrative Humanistic Psychotherapy Studies programme is Metanoia’s preparatory year for students progressing towards clinical psychotherapy training.

It is designed for people who want to train as psychotherapists but do not meet the requirements for direct MSc entry.

No. It forms the first stage of the standard four-year psychotherapy training route.

Progression routes include Humanistic, Transtheoretical, Transactional Analysis, Person-Centred and Gestalt psychotherapy, subject to successful completion, progression requirements and availability.

Not necessarily. The Preparatory Year gives you an opportunity to develop your understanding of psychotherapy before progressing into a particular modality.

Yes. The weekend route combines in-person and online teaching weekends. The in-person weekends normally run from Friday to Sunday.

No. They are part of the programme timetable and attendance requirements.

Yes. The weekday route includes in-person and online teaching. The exact timetable is confirmed for each intake.

Students are expected to attend all scheduled teaching. The minimum attendance requirement is 80%.

No. The minimum threshold is there for unavoidable absence. Students should plan to attend the full programme.

As a guideline, students should allow around 10 hours a week for independent study, although this can vary.

Potentially. You must first be assessed and signed off as ready to practise and have appropriate placement and supervision arrangements in place.

Yes. We normally advise no more than a two-year gap between the Preparatory Year and the MSc so that your knowledge and therapeutic skills remain current.

MSc psychotherapy training

Which psychotherapy pathways are available?

Metanoia offers pathways in Integrative Humanistic, Integrative Transtheoretical, Transactional Analysis, Person-Centred and Gestalt psychotherapy.

Each has its own theoretical framework and approach to understanding people and therapeutic relationships. We recommend exploring the programme information and attending relevant open events before deciding.

Transtheoretical,
Transactional Analysis, Person-Centred and Gestalt psychotherapy use weekend
teaching patterns. Humanistic psychotherapy is delivered on Mondays.

This is not automatic and depends on academic requirements and available places. Speak to your programme team as early as possible if you are considering a change.

Depending on the programme and stage completed, students may be eligible for academic exit awards such as a PGCert or PGDip.

No. These are academic awards. Professional qualification requires completion of the full training and associated clinical and professional requirements.

No. You must complete all relevant professional requirements and complete the appropriate registration process.

Doctor of Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy

What is the DCPsych?

The Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy is a professional doctoral programme combining academic study, therapeutic training, clinical practice and research.

It is designed for applicants seeking professional training in counselling psychology and psychotherapy who meet the academic and experiential entry requirements.

Yes. The programme normally requires an appropriate degree at 2:1 level alongside its other entry requirements.

Yes. Applicants without appropriate previous training may need to complete Metanoia’s Certificate in Therapeutic Skills and Studies or demonstrate a suitable equivalent.

Potentially, provided you have started the certificate programme at the time of interview, you can show that the course can be successfully completed before the relevant entry point, and all other conditions are met.

Yes. It attracts a high number of applications and has a limited intake, so early application is recommended.

No. The overall intake is divided into smaller teaching cohorts.

Yes. The placements team supports students as part of the programme’s clinical training.

Yes. Research supervision is a core part of the doctorate.

Doctor of Psychotherapy by Professional Studies

What is the Doctor of Psychotherapy by Professional Studies?

The DPsych is an advanced doctoral programme for experienced, qualified practitioners who want to undertake research connected to their professional practice.

No. It is a post-qualification research doctorate rather than an initial psychotherapy training route.

Yes. The course is online and can be completed fully remotely. 

Absolutely. The online format can make it suitable for appropriately qualified international practitioners.

The DCPsych is a professional training route in counselling psychology and psychotherapy. The DPsych is a post-qualification research doctorate for established practitioners.

International Students and Visa information

Can international students apply?

Yes, provided they meet the requirements of the programme.

No. Metanoia is not currently a Student visa sponsor.

Potentially, yes, provided your immigration status allows you to undertake the programme and its associated requirements.

You should not assume that visitor status is appropriate for a long-term professional training programme, particularly where UK-based clinical placements and supervision are required.

Students following UKCP routes should expect their clinical placement and supervision to be UK-based.

The online DPsych may be suitable for appropriately qualified practitioners who live outside the UK. The MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes also attracts international students, as most of its teaching weekends are online, however students will be required to attend in-person teaching in London up to four times per year, over weekends. 

We can explain our programme requirements and sponsorship status, but you should obtain independent immigration advice about your own circumstances.

Personal therapy

Do I need personal therapy?

Yes. Personal therapy is an important part of professional psychotherapy training.

Yes. Preparatory Year students are required to complete 25 hours of personal therapy during the year.

Yes. Personal therapy is intended to support your development throughout training rather than simply accumulate the required number of hours.

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Partly. At least 51% of the required therapy must be undertaken in person.

Potentially, provided they meet the professional requirements of your programme.

Your therapist must meet the programme’s professional requirements. This may include UKCP, BPC, BPA or HCPC registration, or an appropriately qualified and accredited BACP practitioner. If you are unsure, check with the programme before relying on the therapy towards your training requirement.

In most cases, this should be the case. However, for some programmes this is not necessary if the therapist meets the programme’s professional requirements.

This depends on the programme and stage of training. Direct-entry applicants may need to evidence therapy completed during the relevant period of previous training.

No. Students should budget separately for it.

Placements, clinical practice and supervision

Do I need a clinical placement?

Yes. For psychotherapy, counselling and counselling psychology programmes, clinical practice is a core part of professional psychotherapy training.

It is not necessary for DPsych, Reflexive Therapeutic Practice, or Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes Programmes. 

This varies between programmes. It’s best to email the programme team to check with them, using the contact details on the appropriate course page. 

Not necessarily. Clinical work may be undertaken across more than one approved placement.

Our placements team supports students in finding suitable opportunities, but students are expected to engage actively in securing a placement.

Metanoia’s counselling and psychotherapy service provides placement opportunities, but places cannot be guaranteed for every student.

The placements team can support you in identifying suitable external opportunities.

Yes, provided it is approved, appropriately supervised and meets the programme and professional requirements.

Students on BACP or UKCP training routes should expect their clinical placement and supervision to be UK-based.

Once you have been assessed and signed off as ready to practise and your placement and supervision arrangements have been approved.

It means the programme is satisfied that you have developed the therapeutic skills, ethical awareness and personal readiness required to begin supervised client work.

You may need further development before beginning clinical work. Your programme team will discuss what is required with you.

Yes. Clinical work undertaken as part of your training must be appropriately supervised.

Potentially, but the supervisor must meet the relevant requirements and will need to be included on Metanoia’s approved supervisors list.

No. Client hours and supervision are separate requirements.

Online clinical work may be possible within an approved placement and supervision arrangement.

Speak to the placements team and programme team as soon as possible. They can support you in finding an appropriate way forward.

Travel and studying in London

Where is Metanoia?

Metanoia Institute is based in Ealing, West London.

No. Many students commute, particularly for weekend programmes.

Yes, but you should consider the cost and time involved as well as the frequency of attendance.

Some do. Where Friday teaching forms part of the scheduled weekend, it is part of the programme and is not optional.

No. Students who need to stay locally during teaching periods should arrange their own accommodation.

Yes. Ealing is well connected by rail, Underground and bus services.