King's College London

This is a unique course that brings together psychoanalytic thought with biological and cognitive processes as well as a strong foundation in research methods and analysis. Study at King’s renowned Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) where you will learn from world-leading experts and practising psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and psychiatrists.

You will be introduced to foundational papers and special topics in psychoanalysis from psychosomatic disorders to neuroscience, as well as research-led advances in biological and cognitive processes, individual differences, and social processes.

Clinical placements are embedded in the course. You will benefit from our extensive links with the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, including the National Specialist Self-Harm Service, and 10 Windsor Walk - an award-winning community service that provides psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapy.

We welcome recent graduates as well as experienced professionals seeking to advance their knowledge and skills in psychoanalytic theories, clinical application to common mental health issues, and to the interface between mental and physical health. Our course will provide a strong foundation in theory and research methods that is linked to real-life clinical cases. We offer teaching by world-leading experts and practicing clinicians who are also psychotherapists and psychoanalysts. We offer optional clinical placements. Our course is suitable for students who would like to broaden their knowledge and skills as well as for students who would like to progress to professional qualifications as a next step after the MSc.

This course adopts a multidisciplinary approach drawing from psychoanalytical theories and neuroscience with expertise on the most recent findings from a range of clinical and non-clinical disciplines, such as psychiatry, psychology, genetics, neuroscience, epidemiology and biostatistics. You will benefit from the teaching of world-renowned experts in the field, conduct a research dissertation project, and have the option of a clinical placement within the SLAM NHS Foundation Trust.

Students will develop an awareness of self, others and in the context of social and cultural factors in the modules on psychoanalytic theory and in their relationships in their clinical placements. Experience of applying academic knowledge is embedded in each module. Students are encouraged to engage with psychoanalytical psychotherapy as part of the course, particularly if thinking of further continuing their professional clinical career through training as psychotherapists after successful completion of the MSc.

Face-to-face teaching will be complemented and supported with innovative technology so that students also experience elements of digital learning.

The course is designed for recent graduates and professionals working in mental health and social care settings who wish to advance their knowledge and skills. Our course is accessible to a wide audience from health professionals and those working in a relevant field who wish to gain knowledge in psychoanalytic theories, clinical application to common mental health issues, research methods. The course is well suited for psychology graduates who may be interested in applying for clinical psychology training or graduates from any related discipline who consider pursuing a research PhD.

Clinical placements are offered on an optional basis. Students may have the opportunity to: observe multidisciplinary team meetings, including case discussions, treatment planning and clinical reviews; attend department seminars or clinical teaching sessions; shadow clinicians or researchers as they carry out administrative, planning or therapeutic tasks; and learn about the clinical application of safeguarding and clinical governance.

In the present academic year, we have clinical placements in a variety of clinical services, including Home Treatment Team, Mentalization Based Treatment Service, Neuropsychiatry Service, Psychiatry Liaison and Clinical Health Psychology, Primary Care Mental Health Team, and Self-Harm Outpatients Service. In line with other MSc courses, most placements are about 10 hours over several weeks, while some placements range from a few hours over a few days to many weeks. We also recommend that students consider volunteering at the SLAM NHS Foundation Trust, King's College Hospital, or other services.

Please note: clinical placement does not involve direct patient contact in a psychotherapy setting. Trainees will not observe or participate in individual or group therapy sessions due to confidentiality and ethical consideration. However, clinical case material may be discussed in anonymized form within teaching or supervision contexts.

As part of the MSc programme, students participate in weekly reflective groups (also known as Balint groups) which are embedded into the core structure of the course. These facilitated sessions provide a space for students to reflect on their personal responses, emotional experiences, and developing professional identities as they engage with clinical material and academic content. The capacity to reflect on one’s own experience, both personally and professionally, is considered an essential skill for anyone training to work in mental health. These groups help cultivate self-awareness, emotional resilience, and a deeper understanding of the practitioner-patient dynamic. Reflective groups run from the beginning of the academic year through to the end of May, in alignment with the academic calendar (including scheduled breaks).

This MSc is an academic qualification and not a clinical training. Please see the section below on Career Prospects for more information on careers and psychotherapy training. Some students taking this MSc may be interested in pursuing a career in psychotherapy. There are a number of different pathways and psychotherapy trainings that students could apply to after successful completion of this MSc. If students wish to pursue training in psychodynamic or psychoanalytic psychotherapy they would need to apply for a British Psychoanalytical Council (BPC) (https://www.bpc.org.uk) accredited course. There are different BPC-accredited courses in London and in UK and the majority of them require a minimum of 4 years training, usually part-time. Students who decide to pursue such training, are required to be in psychoanalytic psychotherapy or psychoanalysis before starting the training (at least 6 months for some training courses) and need to have had significant clinical experience prior to the application. Our MSc offers a substantial theoretical introduction to psychoanalysis and the possibility of gaining clinical experience through placements.