Studies & Degrees in Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy Study Programs
Psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, covers a variety of treatments that help a person identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts and behaviours. It is conducted with individuals, couples, families and groups. Besides talking, some forms use art, music, drama or movement.
There is not one psychotherapy but several schools. The careers service of the British National Health Service (NHS) lists, among others, cognitive behavioural, psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, systemic and family, arts and play, and humanistic and integrative therapies. Students learn the theory of one or more of these approaches, practise interview and intervention techniques, treat clients under supervision and, in many programmes, go through therapy themselves.
Qualifications and levels
Psychotherapy is almost always a postgraduate training, taken after a first degree or a health profession. According to the NHS, a psychotherapist may be a psychiatrist, a psychologist or another mental health professional with further specialist training, and a growing number of psychotherapists come from other backgrounds and have done in-depth training in this area. Who may use the title, and with which qualification, differs from country to country.
- United Kingdom. Applicants usually need an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject or a qualification as a healthcare practitioner. Training usually takes four years and combines study with supervised clinical work. The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) states that training for its register typically takes between three and six years part-time, with approximately 450 hours of supervised clinical practice, and that most full trainings start at postgraduate level. Doctors can also train as medical psychotherapists: they qualify in psychiatry first and then take three or four years of specialist training in psychotherapy.
- Spain. Psychological treatment in the health field is the work of regulated professions. The Psicólogo General Sanitario is a regulated health profession for psychology graduates who hold the official Máster en Psicología General Sanitaria. This master's degree has 90 ECTS credits, of which at least 30 are placements in authorised centres. Entry requires a degree in Psychology with at least 90 ECTS credits of health-related content. Universities and private centres also offer their own master's programmes in a single approach, such as family therapy or cognitive behavioural therapy. Ask the school what recognition such a programme has and whether it qualifies you to practise.
- Europe. The European Association for Psychotherapy awards the European Certificate of Psychotherapy (ECP) on application to psychotherapists whose education conforms to its standard. It is a professional certificate, not a university degree.
Where to study it
SpainExchange lists 13 active schools for psychotherapy. Eight are in Spain, two in Russia, and the United States, the United Kingdom and Ukraine have one each.
In Spain the list includes the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, the Universidad Europea de Madrid, the Universidad CEU San Pablo, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the Universidad de Salamanca, the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca and the Universidad Miguel Hernández in Elche. Comillas teaches its Máster Universitario en Psicología General Sanitaria in Spanish and on campus, lists it as two years and 120 ECTS credits, and offers optional tracks in systemic family therapy, humanistic psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural intervention with children and adolescents, and contemporary psychoanalytic psychotherapy. It also lists one-year programmes of 60 ECTS credits, such as the Máster en Terapia Familiar Sistémica, under its own master's programmes (másteres propios). The Universidad Europea offers the same official master's degree in Madrid in a blended format. Cinteco, a psychology and psychiatry centre in Madrid, runs courses for professionals, for example on couple therapy, and supervision for psychologists.
Outside Spain the list includes New York University, the University of London and medical universities in Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don and Chernivtsi. Training is given in the language in which the therapist will work with clients; the Comillas programmes described above are taught in Spanish.
Careers
Psychotherapists work in public mental health services, hospitals, private practices, schools and social organisations. According to the US National Institute of Mental Health, most psychotherapy takes place one-on-one with a licensed mental health professional or with other patients in a group. In Spain, the law defines the work of the Psicólogo General Sanitario as psychological research, assessment and intervention on the aspects of behaviour that influence a person's general health.
Because the profession is regulated nationally, a qualification obtained in one country does not automatically allow practice in another. Check the rules of the country where you want to work before you enrol.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a psychology degree to become a psychotherapist?
It depends on the country. In the United Kingdom, trainings usually ask for a degree in a relevant subject or a healthcare qualification. In Spain, psychological treatment in the health field requires a degree in Psychology and the official Máster en Psicología General Sanitaria.
How long does psychotherapy training take?
In the United Kingdom it usually takes four years, and between three and six years part-time for UKCP registration. In Spain the official Máster en Psicología General Sanitaria has 90 ECTS credits, taken after the degree in Psychology.
What is the difference between a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist?
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has specialised in psychiatry. A psychotherapist is trained in psychological treatment and may be a psychologist, a psychiatrist or another professional with specialist training.
Will I have to go to therapy myself during the training?
Often, yes. The NHS states that trainees are expected to undertake their own personal therapy alongside their training, and the UKCP asks for therapy and supervision throughout.