The PhD Counselling Studies programme is an advanced research degree enabling students to conduct in-depth independent research on a topic of their choice, thereby contributing to the knowledge and evidence base for counselling and psychotherapy. Name PhD Counselling Studies Start Date September and January Mode of Study 3 years full-time, 6 years part-time Programme Director Fiona Murray Please check the postgraduate Degree Finder to see the specific entry requirements, start date and application deadlines. Apply Now How do I apply? Before you apply for any of our postgraduate programmes, you should check that you meet the entry requirements and you should have all your supporting documents ready.You will need:Undergraduate degree certificate and transcript (and your MSc degree certificate and transcript should this be required) Research proposal based on the criteria for the programme you are applying for – you must use the form template below for your proposal, otherwise it will not be considered Research proposal formResearch proposal guidanceTwo references – some programmes require one of your references to be from your most recent academic institution, please check the degree finder for more information on your specific programmeEvidence of English language competency, regardless of your nationality or country of residence. This is not required by the application deadline, however it must be submitted before an unconditional offer can be made. To find out more about our English language entry requirements, please visit the programme's Degree Finder page.We strongly recommend that you contact your potential supervisor(s) before applying If you are applying for the PhD by Distance you must also submit the PhD by Distance application form PhD by Distance application form The School of Health in Social Science operates a gathered field approach to our postgraduate research applications. This means that all complete applications which meet our minimum entry requirements will be held until the next deadline, at which point applications received will be considered on a competitive basis by our subject area specific academic review panels. We will be running two gathered fields for new applications so please take note of these dates:First deadline: Monday 11 November 2024 11:59pm (GMT). Outcome notifications for applications received by this date will be issued mid-January 2025. Applications submitted after this deadline will be held until the second deadline.Second deadline: Monday 21 April 2025, 11.59pm (GMT). Outcome notifications for applications received by this date will be issued mid-June 2025. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be reviewed.If you are planning to apply for the University’s funding opportunities, you must apply before the first deadline in November. Why choose this programme? The PhD programme is normally undertaken over three years full-time or six years part-time. On this programme, you will attend our core research courses and able to attend postgraduate seminar courses from across the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and other relevant courses in the School of Health in Social Sciences. Your supervisor can advise you about the relevance of particular courses to your research. Counselling, Psychotherapy and Applied Social Sciences is a small subject area, which specialises in qualitative, reflexive and critical research approaches. We can only admit research students whose proposed project lies within the scope of our research expertise. It is therefore very important that you find out about our research expertise and discuss your proposal with one of our supervisors before applying. Current Student Research Ajmer WahiwalaRevisioning the Maternal Gaze: A study to discover how sight can be compensated for within relationship.Anita RampatMental health models in prison, a prisoner’s perspective.Anjum Abbas ShahAn Islamic Understanding of Emotion; Developing Theory for Psychotherapy and Mental HealthBarbara ErberThe purpose of this project is to study the experience of embodied presence and its relationship to feeling safe in theory and in the practice of Authentic Movement, hereafter referred to as AM (Bacon 2015, Pallaro ed. 1999). Buddhini WithanaChildren’s mental health and wellbeing in Sri Lanka: the contribution of social and emotional skills that stem from culturally specific socialisation processes, and its relevance to universal frameworks of social and emotional learningCaren ChristieIntergenerational preparedness for Trauma? An Autoethnography.Chun Yeung YuThe development of a culturally-grounded psychotherapeutic model based on the theoretical framework of pluralistic counselling in Hong KongDima Al RayesThe Link Between Mindfulness and Mental Health, Incorporating Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Mindfulness Skills through the lens of Yogic PracticesDominica Hamilton-LeathartAn Autoethnographic Exploration on Living and Practicing on the Autistic SpectrumDuncan RoebuckHow newly qualified therapists experience the transition into practiceEla AltinBilingual Psychotherapists’ Experiences of Conducting Bilingual Therapy with FamiliesGillian FitzsimmonsInvestigating gender identity during female to male transitioning in the perinatal period and how counselling can help.Georgi Gill Articulating Uncertainty: exploring the role of multiple sclerosis patients’ autoethnographic poems in dialogue with medical teamsHassan BishilThe influence of the body on the relationship with a family member diagnosed with Schizophrenia.Jay MylesDarkest before dawn: a research-practitioner’s auto-ethnographic investigation into her own experience as a client in therapyJi Won KangDeprived Grief: A South Korean Fathers’ Bereavement around losing their unborn babyKaren KaufmanCommunity as its Own Entity of Support or Harm Concerning Trauma and LossKelly StewartThe Intergenerational Impact of SuicideLucy DixonWriting trauma: An inquiry into the transformation of childhood relational trauma through reflective writing.Marie MeechanA qualitative inquiry into the psychological effects of an unexplained infertility diagnosis and loss: A response to counselling intervention.Miriam MerinA Good Enough (Alma) Mater: Exploring Self and Geography among Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse on CampusMia LivingstonThe Anatomy of Recovery from Complex Trauma: An AutoethnographyMia ZielinskaMaternal Preoccupation and Trauma to the Mother’s Sense of Self: When Dyadic Development is Suspended, Delayed, or RegressedMoniq Mabasa MuyargasNavigating and Negotiating Identity while Aging: Narratives of Aging Gay Men and Lesbians for Health Social JusticeOlukemi AmalaNarratives from the wheelchairPeter HellstenAttachment trauma in men who engage in (self-)harming, high risk sexual behaviours (SHHRSB) with other men – A qualitative, phenomenological and intersubjective enquiry.Rhea GandhiReclaiming lost histories in counselling training: A participatory action research initiativeSara Mollis‘Finding Some Love in the Blood’ - an autoethnographic research proposalSylvia HillmanAn inquiry into the adult experience of living and relating with ADHDSydney Millman Radically Observed Dysfunctional Grief during the COVID-19 Pandemic Doctoral study provides the opportunity to carry out a substantial piece of research guided by expert supervisors. You will gain high-level research skills and a range of transferable skills tailored to various career pathways. The principal grounds for awarding a PhD degree are that it is an original work making a significant contribution to knowledge in the student’s field of study, and containing material worthy of publication. A vibrant and inclusive research environment The University of Edinburgh is a world-leader in research and innovation and an international centre of academic excellence. Students on this programme will become part of an active and diverse research community in the School of Health in Social Science and will have access to the wide-range of learning environments and outstanding resources that the University has to offer. Our postgraduate researchers work in close proximity to each other, enabling them to pool their expertise and knowledge to tackle complex challenges and push the boundaries of discovery. Students will be encouraged to engage with a wide range of seminars, talks, and events, and often have the opportunity to present their own research at national and international conferences. Our student-led postgraduate research blog provides a snapshot of the activities and events our PGR students organise and are involved in. Find out more about ongoing research in our School The expertise of our academics in Counselling and Psychotherapy specialise in qualitative, reflexive and critical approaches to research, and have particular expertise in practice-based research that draws directly on practitioners' own therapeutic work, on the client's experience of therapy, and in narrative, reflexive and auto-ethnographic methods.We are especially keen to encourage research concerned with the interface between counselling, psychotherapy and social, cultural and political life. Funding Opportunities The School of Health in Social Science offers several fully funded MScR and PhD studentships each year. A variety of scholarships are available, which vary from full scholarships covering tuition fees and a stipend to cover living expenses, to partial scholarships. Find out more about our scholarships and funding opportunities Beyond the programme A PhD from the University of Edinburgh enhances the career prospects of professionally qualified counsellors, psychotherapists and practitioners using counselling skills in related fields, such as health care, social work or education. Students with prior professional qualifications enhance their careers with the addition of highly developed conceptual, analytical and research skills. It is also of interest to social scientists and researchers specialising in the study of health and illness, and the practice and cultural significance of the talking therapies. Successful completion of the PhD opens up employment opportunities in a broad range of fields, including education, policy, research and development on health and illness, emotional health and well-being, and counselling, as well as academic positions in the field of counselling studies. Further Study Opportunities Students can return to the University to attend continuing professional development courses to support their ongoing professional development as counsellors and psychotherapists.
