You can apply to join the Homa Psychotherapy Training at any time throughout the year. Applications close on 15 November. The Foundation Year starts every January.

There are a maximum of 16 spaces available.

Here are the steps to follow if you would like to apply:

Step 1

Attend an Introductory Workshop

Step 2

Complete the Homa Training Application Form (the link will be sent to you after the workshop)

Step 3

The Homa Training Co-ordinator will contact you to confirm that we have received your completed application.

Step 4

We will invite you to an interview. We interview candidates throughout the year.

Step 5

You attend the interview with two Course Tutors.

Step 6

After the interview, we will contact you in writing to offer you a place on the course or to suggest the next steps.

Step 7

Contact us by email to accept or decline your place and pay a deposit to secure your place.

You do not need any academic qualifications at all to be accepted on the Homa Training. We are interested in you whatever your academic background.

In order to successfully complete the Homa Psychotherapy Training and be awarded the Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling you will submit regular assignments. These are reflections of your personal and professional learning of the work you are doing in the group and in your voluntary placement. While many of these will take the form of written work for most trainees, assignments can be submitted in a variety of media:

• Written - essay style

• Recorded - Video or audio

• Recorded video or audio interview

• Diagram - Created by hand or electronically

• Art - Any medium (song, poetry, story, drawing, painting, photography…)

• Any other media

The brief for all assignments remains the same irrespective of the media and trainees are expected to convey a high level of reflective understanding and learning through their work.

Written assignments are not expected to be presented as formal, academic essays. You will not be asked to reference or annotate your work in accordance with university-style written papers.

In the Fourth Year, trainees produce a Graduation Portfolio which includes the following sections:

PART 1 - HOW I WORK

PART 2 - SOCIAL JUSTICE

PART 3 - CASE STUDY

PART 4 - PERSONAL THERAPY

PART 5 - YOUR LIFE STORY

PART 6 - CLINICAL PLACEMENT & SUPERVISION

PART 7 - PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

PART 8 - PORTFOLIO GROUP

PART 9 - WISHES HOPES AND DREAMS

All the work in the portfolio can be produced in any media. If a you are planning to apply for BACP accreditation post qualification and (once you have accrued the requisite number of practice hours and have been in practice for at least three years) Homa recommends that you choose to do Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the portfolio as written essays. These currently form the basis of Criterion 1 and 2 of the BACP accreditation process. Your Training Advisor can guide and support you through this process.

The Homa Training Programme blends personal and professional development. The Foundation Year is equally suitable for people who know they want to work as psychotherapists as it is for those who are interested for their own personal or professional growth.

The Foundation Year content makes it suitable for any professional looking to develop their personal and interpersonal skills for use in their professional relationships, whatever their type of work.

The Foundation Year is for anyone who would like to understand themselves better, have more meaningful relationships and live more deeply satisfying lives.

On successful completion of the Foundation Year participants are eligible to join the Homa Psychotherapy Training Programme (years 2-4).

The short answer to this question is yes, The Foundation Year can be taken as a stand alone course.

The Foundation Year is for you if you are looking to develop your interpersonal relationship and communication skills for use in your professional setting, whatever your type of work. The Foundation Year can lead to increased confidence, capacity to self-regulate, to form and hold boundaries and to express yourself clearly and effectively.

You don’t have to be sure that you want to train as a psychotherapist when you start the Foundation Year. This one year course is an opportunity to find out more about yourself and what it might mean for you to be a psychotherapist. If, on completion of the Foundation Year, you decide that you would like to become a trainee, you can then apply to join the full training programme and continue into Years 2 to 4.

Places for the Foundation Year as a stand alone course are limited.

The Homa Psychotherapy Training Programme satisfies all the current criteria for individual accreditation set by the BACP - British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Below are the current BACP accreditation criteria as of January 2021.

You can apply for accreditation as a Counsellor/Psychotherapist once you have achieved Registered Member MBACP status and as soon as you believe you meet all the criteria.

Homa trainees will be ready to apply for accreditation after completing the four year training and the required client hours.

You will have to be able to demonstrate a combination of training, client hours and reflective practice.

You don't have to apply by a specific deadline – your training doesn’t ‘run out’ or ‘expire’.

When you apply and throughout the BACP assessment process, you must:

1. Be a registered member of BACP.

2. Be practising as a counsellor and/or psychotherapist. You must have been in practice for at least three years when you apply for accreditation.

3. Have undertaken training as follows:

Successfully completed and received an award for practitioner training that:

- Included at least 450 hours of tutor contact hours.

- Was carried out over at least two years (part-time) or one year (full-time).

- Had a supervised placement as an integral part of the training.

- Covered theory, skills, professional issues and personal development.

- Have at least 450 hours of supervised practice accumulated within three to six years (they do not have to be consecutive years).

- Of the 450 hours at least 150 of the hours of supervised practice must be after the successful completion of your BACP accredited course or practitioner training, which are calculated from the date on the award certificate.

- Have an ongoing current contract for counselling/psychotherapy supervision for a minimum of 1.5 hours per month

- Have been supervised for at least 1.5 hours per month throughout the period of practice submitted.

You will also have to submit reflective writing demonstrating your self-awareness, knowledge and understanding.

You can download a detailed brochure explaining the BACP Individual Accreditation Process HERE

Fees

Foundation Year - £7,500

Year 2 - £7,500

Year 3 - £6,500

Year 4 - £5,500

Total 124 training days = 744 hours

Each training year's fees are payable on acceptance of your place for that year. It is possible to pay in instalments, by agreement.

We offer a substantial bursary of up to 75% of the fees. Please see the information on bursaries in the next tab.

You can choose to join The Foundation Year for personal or professional development without being a trainee. There are limited places each year for the Foundation Year only.

If you join as a trainee, you will need to allow for the following costs on top of the course fees.

Training Advisor Meetings - You will have a minimum of three, one hour meetings per year, one per term. You or your Training Advisor may request additional meetings if needed. The cost per meeting is £75.

Graduation Interview - The Homa graduation interview takes place at the end of your training with two tutors. The fee for this interview is £225.

Personal Psychotherapy - Forty sessions per year for the duration of your training. The cost of individual therapy varies.

Professional Supervision (From Year 3) - The exact number of supervision hours will depend on your client hours and costs vary. Most organisations offer supervision free of charge to their volunteer practitioners.

Annual Bursary Opportunities

At Homa, we are committed to making training accessible to those who wish to enter the profession but lack the means to fully fund their training.

Each year, we offer two full bursary places.

Our bursaries are designed to support applicants who have never had social or financial privileges. The criteria below provide a general framework to help applicants consider whether they could work, save, or borrow to cover the fees.

We prioritise awarding bursaries to those who truly cannot cover the training fees through work, savings, or borrowing.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet at least one of the following:

• Have received free school meals

• Have a family that has received income support

• Hold full-time caring responsibilities

• Have been in care themselves

• Have attended a non-selective state school or college

Additional Factors Considered

• Historical discrimination experienced by your community

• Current and anticipated financial wealth and income (low or no income)

• Financial dependents and people relying on your income, including family and community members

Bursary Details

The bursary offers a reduction of up to 75% of the annual course fee. Please note that additional costs, such as Training Advisor meetings, personal therapy, and supervision, are not covered by the bursary. These can sometimes be accessed at reduced fees, but will be the responsibility of the trainee.

Application Process

1. Complete the Homa training application.

2. Attend an interview.

3. If you are offered a place, submit a bursary application.

4. Your bursary application will be reviewed by the Homa interview team.

5. You will be informed if you qualify for a bursary.

6. Qualified applicants will be invited to a bursary interview.

7. The bursary panel meets each October to review applications.

8. Successful applicants will be notified by mid-October.

If you have questions or would like to discuss the bursary before applying, please contact us. We’re happy to arrange a phone conversation

Please Note: This bursary is intended for trainees who genuinely have no access to funds from any source to cover training fees. We encourage you to carefully review the criteria to determine if you qualify before applying.

Instalment Plans

It is possible to arrange an instalment plan to pay the fees monthly by direct debit, by agreement with Homa. Please speak to us if you would like to arrange this. We do not charge any additional fees or percentage for this option, as long as the payments are made in accordance with the agreement.

You are welcome to contact Audrey, Homa's Training Co-ordinator by email at hello@homa.london or by phone on 07538 138503. She can arrange for you to speak to one of the Course Tutors if you have questions about the training.

You can also contact us via the contact form HERE

The Homa Foundation Year is a unique experiential training offering you a powerful year of personal and professional exploration, enquiry and growth. As it is the foundation stone of the Homa training it is not possible to miss this year. All trainees are expected to start from the Foundation Year and cannot skip straight to Year 2.