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Streatham Campus
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| Study modes Study mode details |
Part time: 4-6 years by Blended Learning
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Why study Doctor of Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Clinical Practice (DPPClinPrac) at Exeter?
- The Doctor of Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Clinical Practice (DPPClinPrac) programme provides clinical training as either a Psychodynamic or a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist.
- Training leads to post-graduate membership of the and professional registration with the .
- The DPPClinPrac has clinical, academic and research components.
- The programme content, structure and delivery is designed to meet the needs and interests of students who may also be working professionals.
- On-campus learning is delivered in five-day intensive teaching blocks, once a term on the Streatham Campus in Exeter. The rest of the programme may be completed online in participants’ home locations, allowing you to complete your study around your work commitments.
Exeter has an international reputation for research relevant to clinical practice. This doctoral programme is part of the Clinical Education, Development and Research department within - part of the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences.
Internationally respected and fast developing social, environmental and organisational psychology research group, and a major centre for cognitive, clinical and neuroscience research
11th in the UK for internationally excellent research in Psychology
Top 10 for Psychology in 3 major UK league tables
Extensive research facilities including eye tracking, EEG/ERP and TMS laboratories, audio-visual recording suite and MRI scanner
Content overview
The Doctor of Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Clinical Practice (DPPClinPrac) programme has clinical, academic and research components.
Learn from senior clinicians
The programme provides clinical training as either a Psychodynamic or a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. Academically, it supports you to obtain a sound critical understanding of psychoanalytic clinical practice and theory and the ethical and conceptual frame in which clinical practice takes place.
There are two stages to the programme. In stage one (year 1-2) members undertake clinical work, usually in an institutional setting. In Stage two (year 3 onwards) members undertake their more intensive clinical work.
Whilst the programme has clinical work at its core, it also provides a thorough grounding in theory and research relevant to psychotherapeutic clinical practice. In so doing, it aims to enable you to become research literate and to undertake a research project to doctoral standard.
As well as being taught and supervised, clinically, by experienced, analytically trained clinicians who also work or have worked in various clinical settings, you will have access to senior, research-active supervisors and teachers in a range of research methodologies, qualitative and quantitative, with a wide spectrum of research interests.
Research project
DPPClinPrac trainees have a curriculum of research methods teaching, and two research modules.
In year 1, you will attend a series of online research methods classes, 7 days across the year.
In year 2, you will write a Research Proposal which is submitted and assessed. This gives you the opportunity to learn how to undertake data gathering, analysis and interpretation. You can choose your research area, but it should be relevant to psychoanalytic/psychodynamic psychotherapy practice or its provision in the mental health services.
In years 3 and 4, you will undertake a Research Project culminating in a Dissertation (max 18,000 words), that makes an original and novel contribution to an area relevant to clinical practice.
The dissertation assignment will normally take one of three formats:
- an Empirical Research paper,
- a Conceptual Research paper,
- or a Systematic Literature Review.
Study while working
The programme content, structure and delivery is designed to meet the needs and interests of students who may also be working professionals. The on-campus learning is delivered in five-day intensive teaching blocks, once a term on the Streatham Campus in Exeter. The rest of the programme may be completed online in your home location, allowing you to complete your study around your work commitments.
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How to apply
In order to be considered for the DPPClinPrac course you will normally be expected to meet all of the following criteria (or equivalent of):
- An Honours degree and evidence of ability to work academically at Master's/Doctoral level.
- Experience of working with people in a way that is relevant to clinical psychotherapeutic work, often a professional mental health qualification and/or experience or equivalent.
- Experience of personal therapy of a kind approved by the programme staff according to the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) professional regulator's guidelines.
Personal therapy requirements
All students must be in personal therapy with a British Psychoanalytic Council’s (BPC) registered Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist, Psychoanalyst or Jungian Analyst, who has been approved as a training therapist by the programme staff. This should meet minimum frequency requirements.
At a minimum, students must remain in therapy at the appropriate frequency for the duration of the course of training that they are pursuing and until qualification. Please note that personal therapy costs are not included in the programme fees and must be covered by the student. The programme staff can give you further detailed information about this.
Online open evenings and pre-application discussions
If you are interested in the programme and/or making an application, you are encouraged to contact the programme staff on Dppclinprac@exeter.ac.uk
Online open evenings will take place monthly from October to March (dates to be confirmed). At these meetings you will be able to meet programme staff and hear about the programme structure, content and what being a member entails. You will also be able to ask any questions you may have.
If after the meeting you wish to make an application, we encourage you to ask for a meeting with a staff member to discuss your own particular situation, meeting the conditions of an offer, or the Accreditation of Prior Certified or Experiential Learning (suitably qualified and experienced applicants may be allowed exemption from Part I of the programme and modified entry onto it).
Interview and sample of work
Applicants will be required to attend an interview. At this they will be asked to make a presentation on any subject but with a psychoanalytic perspective. They will also be asked to write a brief commentator on a published psychoanalytic if shortlisted.
Proposed interview dates for the programme in 2027 (subject to confirmation) are:
- Week of 7 December 2026
- Week of 15 February 2027
- Week of 19 April 2027
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2: view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Application
You can .
- Include your academic/professional CV
- Include other supporting documents along with a Personal statement (maximum 800 words)
- You do not need to submit a research proposal.
Application dates (subject to confirmation)
Apply online by the deadline of 30 March 2027 (TBC).
Interview dates to be confirmed shortly.
The outcome of your interview will be communicated to you as soon as possible after your interview.
Please note, conditions must be met by the programme start date of 27 September 2027.
Equal opportunities
The University is committed to an equal opportunities policy with respect to gender, age, race, sexual orientation and/or disability when dealing with applications. It is also committed to widening access to higher education to students from a diverse range of backgrounds and experience.
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Course content
The programme is studied in two stages and includes doctorate-level training in clinical practice research skills.
Below is a typical outline of modules providing examples of what you can expect to learn on this course based on recent academic teaching. Please note, available modules may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, and student demand.
Stage one
During the initial stage of the programme, you will engage in seminars, undertake psychodynamic psychotherapy work with patients, participate in an institutional observation, and design a research project.
Typically, at the end of stage one of the programme, you should be able to work competently and ethically within a psychodynamic/psychoanalytic psychotherapy frame, under supervision, within an institutional setting.
Stage 1 Modules
180 credits of compulsory modules
- Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Clinical Practice I
- Psychoanalytic Theory I
- Institutional Observation
- Developing Research Skills for Applied Professional Practice
You may exit at the end of stage 1 of the programme, having completed all of the modules, with an MSc academic qualification: a Master's in Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice (MPPClinPrac), but no clinical qualification.
Stage two
The second stage of the programme is dedicated to clinical practice, engaging in clinical work, participating in observations, attending seminars, and focusing on the development of a research project that holds relevance to clinical practice.
On successful completion of stage 2 of the programme, you should be competent to practise ethically as either a psychodynamic or a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in independent practice.
Stage 2 Modules
360 credits of compulsory modules
- Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Clinical Practice II
- Psychoanalytic Theory II
- Linking Theory, Reflective Practice and Research Reflexivity
- Infant Observation, Child Developmental Theory and Research
- Mastering Research Skills for Professional Doctorates (Thesis)
You can exit at the end of stage 2 of the programme, having completed all of the modules except the thesis module, with an MSc academic qualification and a clinical qualification: a Master's in Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice (Clinical Practice) (MPPClinPrac(CT)).
If you complete the thesis, you will exit with a doctorate and a clinical qualification: Doctor of Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Clinical Practice (Clinical Practice) (DPPClinPrac).
Blended learning
We are committed to making psychoanalytic psychotherapy training to a high standard accessible throughout the UK and internationally, and by extension making psychoanalytic psychotherapy available more widely.
The programme requires 100% attendance including an intensive, in-person teaching block week each term throughout the four years (a total of 12 weeks), or two years if you participate based on modified entry (APL).
The remainder of the programme can be joined online and in your home location. Learning Set seminars, tutorials and supervision sessions can all be participated in online. Personal therapy, clinical work and observations are carried out face-to-face and locally to you.
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Fees and funding
Fees for 2027/28 entry are to be confirmed.
Tuition fees per year 2026/27
Home:
International:
Please note: If an applicant is intending to use Accreditation of Prior Learning or indeed any credit transferred into a doctoral programme then they will not be eligible for a student loan via the Student Loan Company (SLC). Therefore, in such a case applicants are expected to research their own sources of funding and read the Terms and Conditions carefully before embarking on any course of study.
If you are considering taking out a , please be aware that this has to be spread across the maximum duration of the programme which is 6 years, therefore the student loan payments will not be sufficient to cover the annual tuition fees. Find out more about funding postgraduate research.
Our Postgraduate Funding webpage provides links to further information. If you are considering a PhD in the future, in addition to 91天堂色情片 funding, we have been successful at securing postgraduate funding for PhD research through our Funded centres.
Current available funding
Clinical and Research Supervision
Teaching on the programme is provided by experienced and senior psychoanalytic clinicians, who are also familiar with working in diverse clinical settings.
In addition, students have access to senior, research-active supervisors and teachers in a range of research subjects, methodologies, qualitative and quantitative, with a wide spectrum of research interests. For more information about the course team and their clinical and research interests, see our .
You can expect:
- High-quality clinical supervision, some of which is provided in Stage I, some during block week and some in clinical seminars.
- Research supervision to develop and facilitate your clinical interests.
- A tailored supervision approach to help best suit your requirements.
- A minimum of two research supervisors whom you will meet with regularly.
- Regular meetings with your supervisory team, other members of your research group, and mentors.
Careers
This programme will qualify graduates to work as a psychodynamic or psychoanalytic psychotherapist: privately, in the public services or in the independent sector.
Completing the clinical qualification confers eligibility for registration with the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) as a Psychodynamic or Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist.
