Applied Psychosocial and Psychotherapy Studies

Why study BA Applied Psychosocial & Psychotherapy Studies at Goldsmiths
A multidisciplinary degree where you are taught counselling and psychotherapy practices but also learn about the social and cultural contexts of their production.

• This is an innovative multidisciplinary degree, concerned with the interrelationship between self, psyche and society. It promotes a psychosocial framework of understanding the interconnections between the personal and the social, inner and outer worlds, as well as the social conditions to mental health.

• You will be equipped with skills and a critical understanding to work in the mental health field but also in educational, therapeutic and other settings that engage with vulnerable and marginalised individuals and groups.

• The degree will be of great relevance to those who wish to undertake further theoretical studies or formal clinical training as counsellors and/or psychotherapists.

• You'll be taught by a highly experienced team of academics, therapists and counsellors.

• You'll develop your understanding of counselling and therapy practices, and their social and cultural contexts.

• We place great importance on your unique life experiences and personal qualities, and encourage you to continuously question your values in relation to what you are learning.

• We'll encourage you to develop your imagination, creativity and risk-taking ability, and will promote the importance of challenging orthodoxy.

• As well as the counselling and psychotherapy fields, your optional modules will allow you to explore other areas of practice including education, youth justice and social change.

• We're committed to widening participation and life-long learning.

• Our diverse mix of students helps create an inventive and stimulating environment.

Course Modules

Year 1
In the first year you take the following modules:

• Contemporary Approaches to the Theory and Practice of Psychotherapy and Counselling

• Theories of Individual Development

• Culture and Identity

• Identity, Agency & Environment 1

• Identity, Agency & Environment 2

Year 2
In the second year, you will study the following compulsory modules:

• Pathologies of the Modern Self

• Applied Social Research Methods

• PsycheScapes: Mapping Cultural Mindscapes

• The Goldsmiths Elective

• The Goldsmiths Project

Optional modules
You can also choose 2 optional modules from the following list:

• Introduction to Art, Play and Drama Therapy

• Basic Counselling Skills

• Youth Justice

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Year 3
In the third year of the degree, you will take the following compulsory modules:

• Dissertation

• The Political Significance of Freud's Legacy

• Multiculturalism, Identity and Difference

• Mental Health And Trauma: Critical and Clinical Explorations

You will also choose one from the following optional modules:

• Art and Psychodynamic Thinking 1

• Theory and practice of Dance Movement Psychotherapy

• Fieldwork Practice

• Trauma: Critical and Clinical Explorations

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.