UKCP Dissertation Year

The dissertation year is designed for Psychotherapy trainees who have completed a minimum of four years of training delivered by a UKCP registered psychotherapist and are on course to complete all requirements for UKCP registration in July 2025.  The requirements are:

• A minimum of 120 hours of personal psychotherapy with a UKCP registered psychotherapist, (or equivalent) and commitment to continuing in weekly psychotherapy until qualification
• A minimum of 300 clinical hours supervised by a UKCP registered supervisor, (or equivalent), at a ration of 1:6 (that is one hour of supervision for every six clinical hours)
• 560 hours of tutor led learning or 448 hours of tutor led learning + evidence of 112 hours of Accredited Learning.
• Personal and professional readiness including capacity for study, writing and examination preparation. This will include confirmation of support from primary supervisor and course tutor.

By the end of the year students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an integration of philosophy,theory and methodology in clinical work.
• Demonstrate a capacity to discuss, evaluate and critique TA theory and practice.
• Demonstrate a capacity to discuss, evaluate and critique models of the therapeutic relationship, and the ways of working that follow from those models
• Demonstrate that the above can been be used effectively to evidence a personal style of psychotherapy which can be verbalised to a level of personal and professional competence required for the oral viva
• Demonstrate a capacity to reflect on personal and professional ethics and how they have engaged with these and used them to support your clinical practice.
• Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the relevant codes of ethics and their implications for the work and how they link with your personal style
• Understand the many ways in which an individual’s personal, social and cultural history may be reflected and replayed in the therapeutic relationship
• Critically evaluate all elements of clinical practice
• Demonstrate a capacity to work with your own subjectivity and unconscious process in therapy including awareness of social/cultural identities and power dynamics
• Delivery of a Mental Health portfolio which evidences, in accordance with UKCP guidelines
  • Knowledge of and ability to work with a social responsibility framework
  • Knowledge of and the ability to work within a wider system of care. 
  • Knowledge and awareness of diagnosis and treatment in the context of UK mental health care services 
  • Knowledge and appreciation of different models of assessment, including medical models.

Module 1: Identity as a Psychotherapist: October 2024 – November 2024

Philosophy, Theories and Methodologies and ethics
Identifying Key Learning Points
Establishing a cohesive personal and professional narrative

Module 2: Presenting Clinical Work: December 2024 – March 2025

Identifying key clinical competencies
Mental Health Familiarisation Placement
Selecting case study client

Module 3 Demonstration of Skills and Effective Practice: April 2025 – July 2025

Writing and structuring a Dissertation
Deconstruction and analysis of Transactions and Interventions
Selecting Exam clients and sections of recording

The Written Case Study

The case study is a maximum of 11,000 words and provides opportunity for the student to present their philosophy, theory and methodology as a Psychotherapist using Transactional Analysis. Section Two of the case study is the presentation of their work with one client or one psychotherapy group and demonstrates how they apply their philosophy, theory and methodology in practice. Throughout the case study, the student will summarise their key learning and development from this work and define how supervision and/or personal therapy has contributed to their learning and development

Course fee:   £750

How to apply: Submit your application form which can be found in Downloads tab to admissions@ironmill.co.uk 

If you require assistance in completing your application, please contact admissions@ironmill.co.uk.

Final application date:

The deadline for applications is 4 weeks before the start of the course.  A decision will be made on whether the course will run, based on confirmed and accepted places, 4 weeks before the start date of the course.  Any applications received after the 4-week deadline will only be processed at the discretion of the Programmes Lead. If this is the case, please contact us for further details as soon as possible.

Intake interviews will be arranged for suitable applicants. Applicants who are offered a place will be required to confirm acceptance in writing accompanied by an Enrolment Deposit of £500.00, which is non-refundable

Selection for interview:
Selection is on the basis of information provided in your application (as above). We will send you an invitation to come for an interview once these documents are in place.

How to pay:
For initial course payments and deposits, you can pay online (credit/Debit card) by using the booking form on this web page. You can also pay all fees by credit / debit card, either in person at Iron Mill College in Exeter, or over the phone by calling 01392 219200

We also accept cash paid in person at Iron Mill College in Exeter, as well as cheques, which should be made out to 'Iron Mill College' and dropped in or sent to 'Iron Mill College, Morwenstow, 7 Barnfield Crescent, Exeter, Devon, EX1 1QT'. We can also accept payments by bank transfer and direct debit - please get in touch with us at 01392 219200 / enquiries@ironmill.co.uk for our bank details or a direct debit form. Please use your name as the reference when making such payments.

Additional expenses:
This will vary depending on your own circumstances, but all applicants must make sure they fully understand the additional expense requirements they will need to undertake during this course. Iron Mill College is unable to contribute to any of these additional costs; they are met by the student. These costs may include:

• Travel and boarding costs.
• Purchase of books.
• Supervision that meets your governing body requirements.
• Professional Indemnity Insurance: approximately £35-£90 per year. 

Course commencement:
Please note: Iron Mill College makes every effort to avoid altering course times, course commencement and conclusion dates. However, should any changes be necessary, you will be notified at the earliest opportunity. All courses run subject to demand and the formation of a viable class cohort, based on the enrolment of a minimum number of successful applicants. A full refund of course fees paid, including any deposit, will be given to all applicants in the event that a course does not proceed and at least 14 days’ notice (prior to the advertised course start date) will be given to applicants, in the event of a course cancellation or postponement. The college cannot be held liable for any remedy, damages or compensation beyond this.

Karen Minikin

Karen is the  Iron Mill College course lead for psychotherapy as well as having a clinical and supervision practice in Wellington, West Somerset. She is an integrative practitioner, drawing on psychodynamic theory and Transactional Analysis with a contemporary relational lens. She specialises in the relevance of social, economic and political context and helps practitioners pragmatically integrate these themes into their consulting rooms. She has contributed many chapters to books and articles. Her own book: ‘Radical-Relational Perspectives in TA Psychotherapy’ is a personal and clinical account of how relational and transgenerational trauma manifests in therapeutic work

Previously, Karen was a geography teacher of 11 - 18 year olds and a learning and development consultant. 

Qualifications: BA (hons) Counselling, MSc Psychotherapy, Dip, Supervision, (Psychodynamic), UKCP reg, Training and Supervising Transactional Analyst. 

Paula Dishman

Paula is a UKCP registered Transactional Analyst Psychotherapist working in the Exeter area, having moved from London in 2017. She has many years experience as both a Certified Transactional Analysts (CTA) and as a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (TSTA). Paula qualified as a TA Psychotherapist in 2008 with an MSc from Middlesex University. She has a depth of experience as a clinician and as tutor and supervisor, working at both the Iron Mill as well as other training institutes. She uses Transactional Analysis in a psychodynamic and relational way, working with intersubjectivity, transference, and unconscious processes. She has also trained in Mentalization Based Therapy with Peter Fonagy at the Anna Freud Centre in London and enjoys looking to combine TA with MBT in her approach.

Previously she worked in a senior management role for a major retailer, specialising in product development in confectionary.

Qualifications: MSc Psychotherapy, Diploma in Psychotherapy, Diploma in Counselling, Diploma in Group and Individual Supervision, UKCP reg, Certified Transactional Analyst, CTA(P),Training and Supervising Transactional Analyst, TSTA(P)