How to apply

The application process

On Site courses

If you wish to apply for any of our in-person training programmes you will need to book to attend a taster/interview day. You will then be sent an application form that must be submitted in advance of attending a taster day. Application forms are predominantly used as a tool for our tutor team to facilitate the experiential and interview components of the day. Any offer extended is valid for 2 years. 

Online Courses

You are not required to attend an in person taster day to apply for a place on our online courses. Simply complete the application form below, selecting the course that you would like to apply for and we will be in touch to confirm your place and enrollment admin.

Our duty of care to applicants

Therapy training programmes and interviews for such courses can be emotionally challenging, please be aware of this before applying.

Second interviews may be organised for one or more of the following reasons:

• to ensure that the training is not going to be too stressful for an applicant
  
• to ensure the training does not trigger a harmful reaction to an existing or past condition
  
• as a further opportunity to extend the application process when it is felt that we need to get a better sense of the applicant
  
• to ensure that the training is going to meet the applicant’s professional needs.

Applicants should not be alarmed if they are asked to attend to a second interview as this is standard practice within our organisation.

NB: Application forms are stored securely. Any confidential information disclosed is not shared with any third party.

Personal readiness

Should an applicant be accepted on a course and then prior to starting that course, act in a way that gives admissions staff a personal readiness concern, IATE has the right to withdraw the offer and/or to re-interview. If we feel that traumatic life experiences are still too raw and unprocessed and therefore the training could be triggering and psychologically damaging, we would ask the applicant to undertake therapy before reapplying.

About the Taster/Interview Days

A taster/interview day is an essential part of the application process and a crucial introduction to all courses forming an integral part of the interview process. These days are tailor-made in such a way to allow for tutors to begin to build a relationship with you and for you to start the process of using the Arts as a Psychotherapeutic tool, across all levels.

Taster/interview days begin with a live presentation from our founding director introducing you to the clinical techniques, theory and practice covered on our training programmes illustrated by case studies. This is followed by hands-on workshops, a Q&A session and group interviews.

About the formal group interview at the end of the day

In the interview, you may be asked to talk about painful life experiences. If you are unable or unwilling to reflect on your own life in this way, now is not the time to train as a therapist. Your capacity to process your own emotional experiences and be able to talk about your inner world is vital if you are to be effective in helping clients process theirs. Secondly this is a safeguarding issue. If an applicant is overwhelmed by unresolved painful life experience, or wants to avoid reflecting on it, there is a risk of harm, when attending an emotionally challenging therapy training

Second interviews one to one (free of charge). These are offered to some applicants when we want to talk to you more, sometimes because we have not a clearer enough sense of you, other times to ensure the training is suitable and/or safe for you.

In the confidential setting of a one to one second interview (where these are required) we assess personal readiness. Having lived through very painful life experiences can be a real strength in therapy work, but at the point of entry to a therapy training, such experiences must have been sufficiently processed in order to provide a truly empathic, containing presence with clients. The mistake some people make is to use the training for personal therapy.

Please note, IATE courses do not qualify for government education funding. As such, students cannot fund our courses via the Student or Advanced Learner Loans.

As we are not able to sponsor international students, you must have the right to live, work and/or study in the UK to join one of our on-site training programmes.

Please note that we do not give advice on visas or visa requirements to live, work and/or study in the UK.

The Diversity Bursary is open to people who identify as coming from one of the ethnic groups listed on our Bursaries page. While we are open to other People of Colour, we are primarily focussing on people who identify as coming from one of these heritages listed.

Check if you’re eligible for direct entry to our MA Programmes