Programme summary for PG Cert International Humanitarian Psychosocial Consultation by Distance Learning

About the programme

The aim of this postgraduate certificate is to promote awareness of psychosocial aspects within any field of humanitarian work, whether in the UK or overseas. The programme will raise awareness of the different contexts that affect psychosocial well-being and access to appropriate services. You will be introduced to different types of consultation, in recognition that most of the services provided through humanitarian agencies are time limited and rely on the engagement of local populations. Consultation skills include those of engagement, development of
trust and the identification of a process by which information can be accessed, shared and evaluated.

Programme structure

The Postgraduate Certificate in International Psychosocial Consultation comprises two 30 credit modules, namely: International Contexts and Psychosocial Consultation. These two modules will be run once each over a twelve month period, providing the opportunity for students to commence at two points for the part time programme. The order of these modules is not relevant.

Career opportunities

On successful completion of the programme it is envisaged that you may progress into careers with humanitarian aid agencies in the UK or overseas, or within public health/social services which have a psychosocial focus. You may also take further study such as a postgraduate master’s or doctorate-level programme in psychology, sociology or anthropology (for example, further study in applied therapeutic skills such as organisational consultation, systemic family therapy, psychoanalytic therapy or group analysis).

Support

The programme will include an appropriate and comprehensive induction before learning begins. Students will be assigned a personal tutor to address learning queries and discuss any issues affecting their progress. The programme team will make an effort to ensure that students take full opportunity of the offer to provide feedback on the drafts of written work.

Students will benefit from specialised distance learning materials that guide the student throughout the learning and allow for appropriate reflection, discussion and tutor feedback. All course materials will be available both in printed format as well as online within UEL Plus. For any questions the Programme Leader, Module Leaders and Tutors can be contacted through the email and discussion facilities in UEL Plus.

Further specialist support (e.g. financial advice, careers advice, counselling and learning support) is available from our University Services. The needs of students with disabilities/dyslexia will be taken into account in compliance with the Special Education Needs and Disability Act (SENDA 2001) and the QAA Code of Practice on Students with Disabilities which states: ''Assessment and examination policies, practices and procedures should provide disabled students with the same opportunity as their peers to demonstrate the achievement of learning outcomes’’. Whenever possible, the needs of students with disabilities/dyslexia will be accommodated. In doing so, teaching staff will be relying on the support and advice from the UEL Disability and Dyslexia Unit.

Professional Practitioners Deliver the Programme

The programme is delivered by professionals who are leaders in their fields. The International Contexts module is delivered by practitioners with experience of working within and with humanitarian organisations around the world. Within the subject areas they lead on, they have undertaken significant leadership roles with UK based and international humanitarian organisations. The Psychosocial Consultation module is delivered by practitioners with extensive experience in their respective areas, such as in the development and use of systemic, narrative and psychodynamic approaches. They include leaders of professional masters level courses and doctorates; senior managers and consultants to a range of humanitarian or third sector organisations in the UK and overseas. All of the tutors on the programme have conducted research, been published in academic journals and/or presented at national or international conferences about their experiences. They hold a range of perspectives, interests and specialisms which have been identified as being significant in working within diverse, international, humanitarian contexts.

Admission

The admissions criteria will comply with the UEL admissions policy at http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/manual/documents/part2-admissions.doc and will be:

The normal entrance requirement is an undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) with a minimum 2.2 classification (or equivalent). Since the programme is to be marketed to individuals who do not have a first degree in psychology but would like to change career path or simply develop greater psychological awareness in their current field, the content of the first degree is not relevant. A lower level qualification together with appropriate experience or, exceptionally, substantial related experience alone may be acceptable.
English Language requirements: IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent). International qualifications will be checked for appropriate matriculation to UK Higher Education postgraduate programmes.
Students that apply to enter stages of the programme may be admitted through normal Accreditation of Experiential Learning (AEL) or Accreditation of Certificated Learning (ACL) processes, or through an approved articulation agreement. Therefore such applicants must be able to demonstrate and evidence that they have the required learning outcomes as listed in the modules for which they are seeking exemption.

The admissions procedure will be conform to UEL’s general equal opportunities policy of not discriminating on the ground of race, religion, gender and sexual orientation.

Technical requirements

To participate in the programme you need:

Regular access to a PC or Mac capable of running standard MS Office software (or equivalent) for producing word-processed documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Your PC must also be capable of running the required plugins for the Virtual Learning Environment (Adobe Flash player, Adobe PDF viewer, Apple Quicktime).
Reliable Internet access; at least a 56K modem connection, but broadband is highly recommended. For each module that you take, you will be expected to spend approximately 3-6 hours online per week, participating in discussions and accessing resources.
The latest version of your chosen Internet browser. We recommend and support Mozilla Firefox 1.5+, Microsoft Internet Explorer 7+ and Apple Safari 3+.
A valid and reliable email address.
Access to a printer is recommended.