MA Integrative Child Psychotherapy

Course start/end dates

September 2026 – mid-July 2027.

Time commitment

• Tuesdays weekly during term time. A few additional days that may fall on another weekday or Saturday (all dates well in advance).
• Weekday – 9.30am-5.30pm.
• Weekend – 10am-5pm.
• Clinical placement begins in the Spring term of year one.
• Supervision is attended at a ratio of 1:4 in year one & two, 1:6 in year three (one hour of supervision to every four or six client hours).
• Infant observation begins in year one with tutor led seminars included in the timetable.
• Travel to the family, an hour’s observation, travel home and write-ups, adds up to a weekly commitment of about 3-4 hours. This module follows the development of a child from 0-2 years.
• Weekly personal therapy from the start of the training programme (minimum 40 hours) over each academic year.

Assessments

• Three assessments per year + two-year Infant Observation Logs.

What qualification will I obtain on completion?

• MA in Integrative Child Psychotherapy, awarded by University of East London (UEL).
• Leading to registration with UK Council of Psychotherapy (UKCP).

What affiliated organisations will I be registered with?

UKCP – UK Council for Psychotherapy.

Who is the Awarding Body?

UEL – University of East London.

Entry requirements

• • Bachelor’s degree from a British university or its equivalent, a qualification in a helping profession or in education, or a minimum of five years’ professional experience in therapy or a related field with the proven academic ability to work at master’s level standard.
  • The Diploma in The Therapeutic and Educational Application of the Arts from IATE, or an equivalent qualification from an alternative, recognised psychotherapy training college (no exceptions).
  • The completion of at least one year’s in-depth personal psychotherapy.
  • Counselling Skills qualification (can be completed whilst undertaking training). If you do not have a Level Two or Level three counselling  qualification (it cannot be simply a certificate of attendance) to fulfil this requirement you will  need to attend on our  internal counselling trainings. You have a choice:
    a) Live : Certificate in Counselling Skills (teenagers and adults) this is 4 days over two weekends.
    b) On-line Certificate in Child and Adolescent Counselling Skills ( 6 days over weekends)
    These both run twice a year, please enquire info@iate.uk

Expected prior knowledge

• A sound grasp of fundamental therapy skills and fundamental psychotherapy theory.
• The ability to work with competence, empathic attunement and depth with a full range of affect states and the capacity for introspection, emotional literacy and awareness of own personal process.
• The ability to maintain or quickly regain thinking function when working with a client, as opposed to becoming overwhelmed by or confluent with a client’s feelings.

Admission criteria for direct entry in Year 2

• A Bachelor’s degree.
• Qualification from a recognised psychotherapy or counselling college. Please send copy of the award and evidence that the training was at least 300 hours tutor time.
• Evidence of having passed all assessments.
• Accrued clinical psychotherapy or counselling hours under appropriate clinical supervision (log of clinical hours signed by supervisor). The supervisor must be UKCP reg or BACP accredited (not registered). We will need their email address and registration number.
• At least one year (minimum 40 sessions) of personal psychotherapy (not counselling).
• In addition please send in 1000 words written verbatim account of sections of a therapy session with a client (therapist said, client said etc) Candidates will be required to discuss their therapeutic interventions in the 1000 words, focusing on psychotherapeutic theory and practice that informed their interventions. Please additionally supply short pen picture of the client: age, presenting problems, history of trauma and loss. Ensure anonymity.
• Highly developed capacity for empathy.
• Warmth, capacity to play and to work fluently with images.
• A second interview is compulsory for applications for direct entry onto the Masters course (no fee will be charged for this) after the criteria above are met.

Fees

Year 1: £9,900.00
Year 2: £9,900.00
Year 3: (Qualifying Year) £5,200.00
(but you can pay termly or monthly direct debit)

Additional costs include:

• IATE registration fee (years one, two, three) £805 from September 2026
• Personal therapy.
• Clinical supervision.
• Insurance.
• DBS – £61.60 paid to DDC.
• Travel expenses.
• Counselling Skills qualification

Funding & Visas

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.

Is this course eligible for the Bursary?

This course is not currently eligible to receive bursary funding.

Employment opportunities and typical employment pathways

• Public sector posts within CAMHS or local authorities.
• Child Psychotherapist in schools and colleges.
• Charitable and voluntary sector posts such as in adoption, therapeutic communities, etc.
• Private practice (after UKCP registration).