To be eligible for the course, you will need:
To hold a relevant core profession with at least 12-months experience. Examples of core professions include:
- Arts Therapists– Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered
- Counselling – Accreditation with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP Accred), Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP), Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA), Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals’ National Counsellor Accreditation Certificate (FDAP NCAC) or National Counselling Society - Accredited Professional Registrant (MNCS Prof Accred)
- Medicine– Psychiatrist or General Practitioner, MBChB or MBBS, and usually PG training with membership of MRCGP, MRCP or MRCPsych
- Nurse- NMC Registered Mental Health Nurse, or NMC Registered Learning Disability Nurse
- Occupational Therapy– BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, MSc Occupational Therapy, or Diploma of the College of Occupational Therapists (DipCOT) and HCPC Registered
- Psychotherapy/ Psychotherapeutic Counselling– United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) Registered
- Social Work– Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW), Diploma in Social Work (DipSW), MA Social Work, or BA/BSc Hons Social Work. Registered with one of four UK regulators - Social Work England (SWE), Social Care Wales (SCW), Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) *or previously registered with HCPC
- Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology- Post-graduate doctorate in clinical or counselling psychology and HCPC Registered as Practitioner Psychologist
- Educational Psychology- Doctorate or Qualification in Educational Psychology Stage 2 (QEPS) - must have BPS Chartership (CPsychol) and HCPC Registration as Practitioner Psychologist
- Health Psychology– Qualification in Health Psychology Stage 2 (QHP) - must have BPS Chartership (CPsychol) and HCPC Registration as Practitioner Psychologist
- Forensic Psychology– Qualification in Forensic Psychology Stage 2 (QFP) - must have BPS Chartership (CPsychol) and HCPC Registration as Practitioner Psychologist
If you do not hold a core professional training, for example, you have at least two years post-qualification experience as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP), you may be admitted if you can provide evidence that you fulfil the Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes (KSA) requirement of the BABCP prior to the start of the course. The KSA is a portfolio that will be assessed at interview and therefore needs to be completed by this stage.
At least two years post-qualification experience if you have completed an NHS-funded psychological profession (two years from the date on your qualification certificate). Examples of NHS-funded courses include:
- Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner
- Adult Psychotherapy
- Associate Psychological Practitioner
- Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy
- Children's Wellbeing Practitioner
- Clinical Associate in Psychology (apprenticeship)
- Clinical Psychology
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Core counselling training (including the three-year IAPT Psychotherapeutic Counselling Training)
- Counselling Psychology (not currently NHS funded)
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
- Education Mental Health Practitioner
- Family and Systemic Psychotherapy (qualifying level)
- Forensic Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioner
- Youth Intensive Psychological Practitioner
Access to an appropriate work setting where you can undertake at least three days per week of face-to-face CBT practice in primary care and provide audio/video recordings of client sessions for assessment in an academic setting.
To take responsibility as the applicant to secure an appropriate placement (NHS Talking Therapies commissioned placement or equivalent), where you will work for three days per week for the 12-month duration of the course. Please ensure this is secured prior to applying.
Access to a BABCP-accredited workplace supervisor who can offer weekly supervision.
To meet the Staffordshire University required level of proficiency in English – IELTS Level 7 or equivalent.
To check if you are eligible to apply for training please see:
You will be required to undertake a written assessment and an interview before being admitted to the course. You will also need to demonstrate that you have the necessary interpersonal and academic abilities to achieve the award.
Consistent with the NHS Constitution, we adopt a values-based recruitment approach in selecting candidates with the appropriate values to support effective team-working and the delivery of excellent patient care.
The course runs from September to September. As this is a level 7 postgraduate course, the application process involves academic screening, during which you will be assessed on your skills in critically evaluating research. Please ensure you have applied to your placement by the end of June to be considered. If you are planning to self-fund, please contact us on CBTCourses@staffs.ac.uk.