What is FdA Therapeutic Communication and Therapeutic Organisations?
This Foundation Degree is designed for people who want to develop therapeutic and psychodynamic skills to support children, young people, and adults in care, education, and support settings.
There is also an online-only version of this course available for those who wish to study remotely. Find out more at essex.ac.uk and search 'Therapeutic Communication and Therapeutic Organisations'.
Delivered one afternoon per week, the course combines academic learning with practical insight to help you develop as a reflective and effective practitioner.
Why this course
This course helps you explore key questions about care and support practice, including how to best support people in need, how to work collaboratively with colleagues, and what constitutes effective therapeutic support across different age groups.
Using a psychodynamic framework, you will develop an understanding of emotional and relational processes within individuals, as well as the wider organisational dynamics that shape care environments.
By combining theory with workplace experience, the course supports your development as a reflective practitioner capable of understanding both individual needs and systemic influences.
Who should apply
Those working or aiming to work in education, health, or social care settings
Practitioners seeking to develop therapeutic and psychodynamic skills
Learners interested in understanding behaviour, relationships, and organisational dynamics
Professionals looking to enhance reflective practice and communication skills
What you’ll learn
Psychodynamic theory: Understand core concepts of psychodynamic thinking and practice
Human development: Study child and adult development across care and support contexts
Trauma and violence: Explore the impact of trauma, violence, and emotional distress
Therapeutic organisations: Examine how organisational dynamics influence care and support work
Your learning experience
Part-time study: One afternoon of teaching per week designed to fit around work and practice
Reflective workshops: Develop insight as a reflective practitioner through structured observation and reflection
Workplace learning: Connect academic learning directly with your professional practice
Applied approach: Focus on real-world therapeutic communication and organisational understanding
Progression route: After completion, progress to a one-year top-up course to achieve a BA Honours degree
Careers and outcomes
This Foundation Degree supports career development in therapeutic and care-focused roles across a range of settings:
Health and social care: Roles supporting children, young people, and adults in care settings
Education and support services: Working in schools, community services, and support organisations
Therapeutic practice: Supporting emotionally informed and psychodynamic approaches to care
Organisational development: Improving communication and relational dynamics in professional settings
Employers of graduates from this course
Graduates typically work in roles across care, education, and therapeutic organisations, including:
Social care providers and community services
Schools and educational support services
Mental health and wellbeing organisations
Charities and third-sector support organisations
Healthcare and therapeutic service providers
This course is available in Clearing. If you have submitted an application, you can add this course. If you haven’t sent us an application yet, you can do this until 24th September 2026.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
University of Essex has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
Discover what it's like to study Therapeutic Communication & Therapeutic Organisations at University of Essex: insights on the course, making friends, personal statement tips, uni prep, and recommended books, podcasts, and videos.
Select a course option at the top of this page to view entry requirement information.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Fees displayed are for the 2026-27 academic year. Fees may increase for each academic intake and each academic year of study.
Get Clearing advice delivered to your inbox.
Email:admit@essex.ac.uk
Phone:01206 873666
Email:admit@essex.ac.uk
Phone:01206 873666
Fax: 01206 872808
Wivenhoe Park
Colchester
CO4 3SQ
At University of Essex
