Stage 4
Advanced Clinical Practice and Accreditation
Stage 4 marks the final and most individually tailored phase of the training, with duration varying to accommodate your needs.
This stage centres on advanced clinical practice, where you will work alongside your supervisor to consolidate your therapeutic identity through client work, while engaging in modules to deepen your theoretical understanding and personal reflection.
A key focus is the capacity to work ethically and effectively with clients presenting with more complex psychopathology, requiring you to draw on a broad, pluralistic skillset with clinical sensitivity and psychological resilience.
Alongside this, you will be supported in developing a nuanced understanding of power, oppression, and privilege within the therapeutic context.
Topics such as anti-oppressive practice, intersectionality and human development and sexuality are explored with an emphasis on self-awareness and cultural humility.
Stage 4 also includes the completion of your dissertation project, which allows you to critically engage with an area of interest and demonstrate academic and clinical integration at an advanced level.
As part of your final assessment, you will be evaluated on competence and psychological maturity demonstrated through your capacity for reflective practice, ethical discernment, and sustained relational depth in clinical work.
Stage 4 Components Breakdown
Research Methods
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Reading research and applications to practice
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Qualitative methods
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Quantitative methods
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Secondary research
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Statistics
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Audit approaches
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Developing your research question
EDI - Belonging, Inclusion, Intersectionality, Diversity and Equity
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Belonging
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Equity
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Legislation
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Trans-cultural approaches
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Intersectionality
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Anti-oppressive practice
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Working within the wider system
Human Development and Sexuality
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Theories of human development
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Psychosocial development
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Sex and sexuality
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Gender identity and expression
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An introduction to psychosexual issues
Psychopathology
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Theories of psychopathology
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Diagnostic systems
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The Power Threat Meaning Framework
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Diagnostic categories
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Working within the broader system of care
Additional Classroom Hours - Optional Modules
These modules are designed to enable you to craft your own pathway, selecting from either our specialist courses or external academic level 7 training opportunities that align with your special interests.
For the psychotherapeutic counsellor pathway, you need to complete 14 additional hours in-person and for the psychotherapy pathway, you need to complete 50 hours, with 36 of these being in-person.
Self-Development
This requirement will look different for everyone, and we will discuss this component in your personal development meetings.
For the psychotherapeutic counsellor pathway, you are required to complete the following:
- 105 personal therapy hours with a UKCP psychotherapeutic counsellor or psychotherapist;
- The fitness to practice log, addressing all column A and column B competencies.
For the psychotherapy pathway, you are required to complete the following:
- At least 48 personal therapy hours with a UKCP psychotherapist (or equivalent);
- Fitness to practice log addressing all of the column A, B and C competencies;
- Up to 75 hours of professional development activities;
- At least 79 hours of other personal development activities.
Encounter Groups
During your stage 4 training, there will be encounter groups aimed at support and connection, where you can meet with fellow trainees to explore a specific theme in creative or exploratory ways.
For the psychotherapy pathway, you are required to attend three encounter groups throughout Stage 4.
Stage 4 Assessment
Assessment in Stage 4 is designed for reflexive practice and to deepen clinical work while building areas of special interest and working towards accreditation with UKCP.
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450 hours of clinical practice (including the 100 at Stage 3) supervised at a ratio of 1:6;
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A literature review for research methods (psychotherapy pathway only);
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A 10-12,000-word dissertation (psychotherapy pathway only);
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A critically reflexive BIIDE project;
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A critically reflexive assignment for human development and sexuality;
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A group presentation and a 3500-word theoretical essay for Psychopathology;
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Your final portfolio submission;
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A psychological maturity viva.
Classroom Hours
- Overall classroom hours = 192
- Live in-person = At least 36
- Live via Zoom = up to 156
- Estimated self-directed hours = 300+