Applications for September 2021 are now closed. We will begin taking applications for September 2022 in October 2021.

The Postgraduate Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Coaching is a unique and ground-breaking course. It is the only postgraduate course in the UK, and possibly in the world, that offers integration of counselling and coaching practices.

This course provides professional training to those who aim to integrate various counselling approaches and coaching in their one-to-one practice.

Broadly speaking, counselling concerns itself with the resolution of internal conflicts and psychological changes. Coaching deals more with goal achievement and behavioural changes. For example, counselling may address underlining issues and reasons why someone had a drink problem, while coaching would deal with the habit itself. Although there is some overlap between these two approaches, they are not interchangeable. However, they can be complementary.

By covering both counselling and coaching training, this course is answering an ever-increasing need for integrative practitioners.

Successful graduates from this course will be able to apply for registered membership of BACP and eventual accreditation (as it is the case with all other training courses, the latter requires additional practice hours).

The course combines academic rigour with practical skills to ensure that all graduates are both highly effective and credible professionals.

It will prepare you for practice in the area of integrative counselling and coaching drawing on the distinctive perspective and expertise of the staff.

The course provides a variety of teaching and learning methods, including lectures and workshops, seminars and facilitated group discussions, as well as support through our virtual learning environment (Moodle). You will also benefit from skills practice sessions, group supervision sessions and individual tutorials. The aim is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, attributes and confidence to work in this innovative way.

You will be expected to complete 100 hours of placement work (from Term 2 in year one). During each teaching week, you will attend an hour and half of facilitated supervision in groups of maximum six students. The purpose of this supervision sessions is to give you another chance (besides your individual supervision) to discuss and improve your work.

This is a two year course. In your first year you will undertake two counselling modules. In your second year you will study the practice of evidence-based coaching and the integrative framework of Personal Consultancy.

All these modules are core to the course, and worth 30 credits each.
The course combines academic rigour with practical skills to ensure that all graduates are both highly effective and credible professionals.

It will prepare you for practice in the area of integrative counselling and coaching drawing on the distinctive perspective and expertise of the staff.

For a PG Diploma you will need 120 credits. If you want to continue and gain an MSc, you will need 180 credits.

With this qualification you will be able to work as an integrative practitioner and personal consultant either independently or within organisations offering such services. The demand for integrative practitioners is steadily increasing in private, public and voluntary sectors. Being the only postgraduate course of its kind at the moment makes this qualification highly sought-after.

After completing the course you can apply for the membership of BACP as well as the Association of Integrative Coach- Therapist Practitioners (AICTP). Both are relevant for your career in this field.

During this course you will also develop an understanding of real-life application of skills and theory as well as capabilities to pursue successful, ethical and useful careers.

Previous students have developed successful independent practices across a range of sectors (e.g. health and education sectors, corporate sector, third sector organisations, private practice). A number of students consider themselves ‘portfolio workers’ in that they engage in a mix of work (drawn from all of the above) depending on their strengths, experience and particular interests and focus.