In order to undertake this course, you need to:

• hold a professional qualification in social work, teaching, psychology, psychiatry, psychotherapy, nursing or an affiliated discipline, or equivalent
• hold an undergraduate degree or are able to demonstrate that you are able to meet the demands of a Master’s level course
• have completed an AFT-accredited intermediate level systemic/family therapy training course. Please note that this is a mandatory requirement – we can only accept applications from those who have completed or are in the process of completing an intermediate level training such as our Systemic approaches to working with individuals, families and organisations (D4I) course
• be currently working in the field of mental health, social work/care or education, where you have regular contact with families and are able to practice systemic psychotherapy for a minimum of 100 hours annually while attending the course

In addition, as part of your application, you are required to submit a short essay of 1,500 words, discussing one of the following subjects:

• shame
• power
• responsibility
• risk
• protection
• resilience

You may venture as widely as you wish or stay close to the subject of therapy in your deliberations, but aim to include personal reflections and any systemic ideas that you connect to the theme. Your grasp of theoretical ideas and the ability to be self-reflexive will be considered.

Please note that applicants are required to use Harvard referencing.

Personal statement

In addition to the essay, applicants are required to write a personal statement including personal information about your family of origin and how this connects to your development so far. Please write about your relationships from your early life as well as present day, and any significant episodes that you feel connect to your learning about yourself. Please let us know about your aspirations for your future career.

This section does not need referencing and should be a maximum of 500 words.

If you do not have an undergraduate degree or have completed your intermediate level training more than four years ago, please see below as you will have to complete a longer essay in place of this. You will only need to complete one essay as part of your application. If you are unsure what you need to complete then please contact us for confirmation.

Applicants without an undergraduate degree and/or who have completed their intermediate training more than four years ago can demonstrate equivalency by:

• completing a 3,500-word essay discussing and critiquing a systemic theoretical idea of your choice. Your ideas must be up-to-date theoretically and you should demonstrate self-reflexivity. Please note that applicants are required to use Harvard referencing
• providing us with details of any relevant CPD courses you have undertaken, if you have completed your intermediate training more than four years ago

Applicants who do not have a professional qualification

If you do not have a previous professional qualification, you may still be eligible to apply for the Master’s programme. However, you will need to complete a portfolio detailing a body of clinical work and training that demonstrates equivalence to a first profession.

You are required to upload your portfolio at the time of application. Please provide this in CV style, and specify where you have worked, your responsibilities and the duration of each post. In addition, please tell us about any further training or CPD that you have completed.

Please provide as much information as you can; the more detailed the portfolio, the easier it is for the tutors to assess an applicant’s suitability for the course.

Clinical experience

Examples of suitable professions are:

• social worker
• nurse
• doctor
• psychologist
• counsellor (accredited to a professional body)
• teacher/pastoral worker with substantial experience working with families
• music/drama therapist

If you are unsure about your clinical experience then please contact us to arrange a conversation with a member of our course team.

Home

£8,610 per year (2025/26)

International

£17,220 per year (2025/26)

You will be charged course fees for each year of your course. If your course is longer than one year, the fees that you will be charged after the first year will be subject to an annual uplift, which is not normally expected to exceed 6% or the Consumer Price Index (as stated on 01 September of that academic year) if higher than 6%. At its discretion and in rare instances, the Trust may determine a figure greater than either, to reflect costs associated with the activity (e.g. assessment, teaching, administration etc.), which shall not exceed 10%. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions, and Student Fees & Refund Policy for further information.

Financial support may be available to help you fund your studies at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.

Assessment

There are various ways that students will be assessed throughout the two years of training.

Students’ skills will be assessed by their clinical supervisor on the competencies set by the course and the AFT. Students need to pass their first year to go on to the second year.

There will be several written assignments during the first year and a dissertation in the second year (students are able to resubmit if necessary, under the guidelines of the University of Essex). Students will also have a viva.

Attendance

Year one

• Sessions will take place on Thursdays and Fridays on the dates shown in the table below
• Timings for Thursdays are 9.00am to 5.30pm
• Timings for Fridays are 9.00am to 4.30pm, except for the final sessions of each term which will finish at 5.30pm

Dates for Year 1 Students in 2024/25

Upon successful completion of this course, our graduates will hold the professional qualification of systemic psychotherapist that can be used to practice within the NHS, private practice or a combination of both.

With our Master’s at the Tavistock and Portman being the first qualifying course in the UK, our reputation for providing high-quality training is well-known and reflected in the huge number of applications received every year and the swiftness with which our graduates are offered employment very soon after qualifying.

We have an amazing community of systemic psychotherapists, who, depending on their interests, go on to work in a range of contexts with individuals, couples, families and organisations, both nationally and internationally and in voluntary, statutory and private settings.

Apart from clinical practice, our graduates also make substantial contributions to the systemic field as researchers, supervisors, trainers, academic writers and in the virtual space offering podcasts, blogs and videos.