Program Overview

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Family Therapy Grad Cert

Key information

Study mode: Full time, Part time Duration: One year full-time, September to June, two years part-time Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent): UK 75/ECTS 37 Application status: Open Start date: September 2025

Key benefits

• Introduces students to the field of systemic theory, practice and research.
• Introduces basic practice skills and their application to clinical practice.
• Enables students to begin to develop a stance of self-reflexivity and prepare for entry to qualifying level training.

Course essentials

Our Family Therapy course is designed for professionals working in a mental health setting, such as mental health nurses, GPs, paediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and occupational therapists. At the Graduate Certificate level, the course provides an introduction to the field of systemic theory, practice and research and will begin to develop your clinical skills and practice. This is an ideal course for entry into qualifying-level training.

Base campus

Denmark Hill Campus Home to the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience.

Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students

Entry requirements

UK applicants

• Standard requirements: A minimum 2:1 undergraduate Bachelor’s (honours) degree
• Programme-Specific Requirements:
  • a registerable professional qualification
  • currently working in a clinical setting involving regular patient/client contact.

Registerable professional qualifications are as follows:

• Psychology – clinical psychology, educational psychology and counselling psychology (a degree in psychology with no further clinical training is not accepted)
• Social Work – the generic professional qualification is sufficient whichever training route was undertaken (e.g. undergraduate, postgraduate, or the employment based without an academic award attached).
• Psychiatry and other medical specialities
• Teaching – where individuals have had substantial experience in which they have worked with pupils and families in a counselling capacity.
• Nursing – mental health nursing and other nursing specialities which require counselling skills.
• Arts therapists (art, drama, dance and movement and music therapists), qualified and registered with the Health Care Professions Council, HCPC.
• Counselling – three year minimum training, full BACP accredited membership (MBACP Accred) and experience in the public or voluntary sector is considered essential to establish equivalence.
• Occupational therapy – qualified and registered with Health Professions Council.
• Speech and language therapy – qualified and registered with the Health Professions Council.

International applicants

• Equivalent International qualifications: Select a country to view equivalent qualifications.

English language requirements

English language band: B To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.

Selection process

Applications must be made online using King’s online application portal apply.kcl.ac.uk and a non-refundable application fee of £85 applies. Selected applicants will be interviewed in April and May.

Personal statement and supporting information

You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

• Personal statement: Yes, A personal statement is required. This can be entered directly into the online application form (maximum 4,000 characters) or uploaded as an attachment to the online application form (maximum 2 pages). Please detail your reasons for applying for the course and your future goals.
• Previous Academic Study: Yes, A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents.
• References: Yes, Two references are required with at least one academic. Professional references will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago.
• Other: Yes, Please also include a CV with details of your clinical experience.

Teaching & structure

Teaching methods - what to expect

You will be taught through a mix of lectures, seminars and tutorials.

Module name | Lectures (hours) | Seminars/tutorials (hours) | Field/lab/studio/supervised learning (hours) | Project work (hours) | Self-Study (hours) ---|---|---|---|---|--- Theories Informing Systemic Practice with Families & Couples | 30 | 50 | - | 20 | 50 Systematic Practice with Families & Couples | - | 60 | - | 100 | 140 Clinical Practice | - | - | 120 | 20 | 10 Personal & Professional Development | - | 25 | - | 75 | 50

Contact time is based on 30 academic weeks. Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work. To meet accreditation requirements, students are required to accumulate 60 hours of clinical practice during the course and acquire 10 hours of clinical supervision arranged by the student.

Location

Our course is primarily taught at the King’s College London Denmark Hill Campus.

Assessment

• Written Examinations
• Coursework

The primary methods of assessment for this course are written examinations, coursework and practical work (oral presentation of clinical work).

Structure

Required modules

Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 75 credits. As a full-time student, you are required to take the following modules spread over a 24-months, whereas as a part-time student, you are required to take the following modules over 12 months:

• Theories informing Systematic practice with Families and Couples (15 credits)
• Systemic Practice with Families and Couples (30 credits)
• Clinical Practice (15 credits)
• Personal and Professional Development (15 credits)

Optional modules

There are no optional modules for this course.

Careers

Employability

Students can go on to study the qualifying level training (MSc in Family Therapy). Or use their knowledge and skills to incorporate systematic work in existing clinical practice. Graduates of this course are eligible to apply to the Association for Family Therapy for System Practitioner membership status.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

UK:

• Full time: £7,631 per year (2025/26)
• Part time: £3,816 per year (2025/26)

International:

• Full time: £11,850 per year (2025/26)
• Part time: £5,925 per year (2025/26)

Deposit

If you receive an offer for this programme, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Deposit payments are credited towards the total tuition fee payment.

• Home deposit: £500
• International deposit: £2000

Additional Costs

In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

• Books if you choose to buy your own copies.
• 10 hours to clinical supervision- arranged by student.
• DBS checks.
• Clothing for optional course related events and competitions.
• Library fees and fines.
• Personal photocopies.
• Printing course handouts.
• Society membership fees.
• Stationery.
• Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses.
• Graduation costs.

Funding

To find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans, and other financial help available at King's please visit the Fees and Funding section.

IOPPN Postgraduate Taught Scholarships

Scholarships of £5000 are available for this programme for 2025/26 entry, to support students with the financial commitments of postgraduate study. The scholarships are available for all full-time Home and International fee status students, with a deadline to apply of Friday 21 February 2025.