University of Essex Online has joined forces with Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust to launch a new web-based Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy programme – thought to be the first online course of its kind in the UK.

The new course is aimed at students who wish to develop their counselling and psychotherapy skills in their current work roles or are thinking about becoming fully-qualified counsellors and psychotherapists.

Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy is a preparatory course for those seeking a qualification in the area of counselling and psychotherapy and is also suitable for practitioners in mental health care seeking Continuing Professional Development (CPD), who want to deepen their understanding of clinical work. It provides a psychodynamic approach to understanding human emotions and behaviours and an introduction to the field of talking therapies. After completing the course students receive a Graduate Certificate validated by the University of Essex.

Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust will deliver the programme entirely online, which is due to start in November 2012. University of Essex Online will host the course via a unique virtual learning environment which allows students to listen to and watch online lectures and take part in live question and answer sessions over the internet.

Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is a leading NHS mental health care and education trust based in London, providing significant training within the NHS as well as to non-NHS students both in the UK and abroad.

Professor Stephen Briggs, Associate Dean for Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We have been running this course in the classroom for a number of years and it’s great that we can now offer students the option of online study. It will make the programme more accessible to students and allow them to complete the course around work and other personal commitments."

Dan Roe, Head of Remote Learning for University of Essex Online, said: “We are delighted to be working with Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and hope that this will be the first of a number of courses that we will be able to offer in partnership with them in the future."

University of Essex Online offers a range of degrees online in areas such as business and criminal justice. For more information on the courses available visit online.essex.ac.uk. To apply for the Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy programme visit: http://www.tavistockandportman.ac.uk/eD12

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For more information please contact the University of Essex Online Marketing Office on 0113 388 8893 or call the University of Essex Communications Office on 01206 874377 or e-mail: comms@essex.ac.uk.