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. 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.

There are two full bursary places available every year. Applicants must meet at least two of the following criteria: You have received free school meals Your family has received income support You have full-time caring responsibilities You were in care yourself You have only attended non-selective state schools or colleges Historical discrimination faced by your people People counting on your financial livelihood including dependents, family and community members The bursary will be awarded based on: Your access to income (very low or no income) and financial wealth, both current and anticipated It is central to the Homa ethos to welcome and support people who want to become psychotherapists and who have the commitment and motivation needed. We are committed to making our training accessible to people who want to enter the profession and who have no way to secure the means to cover the full cost of the training. ​ The bursary is offered in the form of reduced training fees of up to a maximum of 75% of the annual course fee. In many cases we will offer a lower percentage bursary to match the applicant's financial situation. It is possible for all trainees to pay the fees in monthly instalments. We do not add additional fees to the payment plans as long as payments are made on time. Personal Tutor meetings, personal therapy and supervision are additional costs not covered by the bursary. It is also possible to find these at reduced fees, and this would be the responsibility of the trainee. ​ If you apply for a bursary, we will discuss this with you at the interview. ​ ​ If you have any questions or would like to discuss the bursary before you apply, please contact us, we are happy to arrange a telephone conversation. PLEASE NOTE: The bursary is aimed at trainees who genuinely have no possible access to funds for the training fees, from any source. Please consider carefully if you qualify for the bursary by reading through the criteria before you apply.

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.