Psychological Practitioner in Homelessness (PGCert)

Award
Postgraduate Certificate
Typical Offer
2:1 degree View full entry requirements
Duration
1 year
Course Type
Part-time
Campus
Distance learning
Next course starts
September 2025

About this course

Learn how to improve the quality and effectiveness of homelessness services on our PGCert Psychological Practitioner in Homelessness course. You can study this course part-time and it's fully online, offering a flexible delivery.

This psychological practitioner course is designed for people who work in homelessness services, or would like to work in homelessness services. If you work in the homeless sector, this course is ideal for enhancing your skills and knowledge. It offers unparalleled training in psychological approaches.

This course does not train you to be a qualified counsellor, but it is aimed at building your experience in line with the National Homelessness Skills Framework. This framework is a key resource to support the learning and development of the housing and homelessness workforce.

By incorporating lived experience into service design, you’ll be able to enhance psychologically-informed practice within your organisation. You'll make a real difference to the lives of those facing homelessness.

On this course you’ll:

  • gain an understanding of the complexity surrounding homelessness and repeat homelessness
  • build knowledge of psychological theory surrounding behaviour change and low-intensity psychological interventions
  • learn about reflective practice models and working reflexively
  • develop an understanding of systems change and the impact of government policy
  • comprehend the role of lived experience and peer mentoring in homelessness, and their delivery through peer programmes

You’ll develop practical leadership and evaluation skills that are transferrable across settings, and you’ll learn to think strategically to make impactful change. With the knowledge you gain from this course, you could improve how homelessness services are configured and delivered.

Throughout this course, you’ll have unique networking opportunities through guest speakers, cohort meetings, and events facilitated by the Centre for Homelessness Research and Practice and the Homelessness Community of Practice. Through these opportunities, you’ll enrich your skill portfolio and gain insight into career progression within this field.

As a graduate psychological practitioner in homelessness, you’ll be a desirable candidate to progress within organisations that support those experiencing homelessness. This includes frontline services, as well as management and strategic roles. You’ll have the expertise required to influence policy development and implementation within the homelessness sector. 

We regularly review our courses to ensure and improve quality. This course may be revised as a result of this. Any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected. Find out why, when, and how we might make changes.

BOB体育登录网址_欧宝体育官网平台-APP|下载 courses are regulated in England by the Office for Students (OfS).

Course lead

Dr Stephanie Barker leads this course. She is a registered Counselling Psychologist and the director of a social enterprise, which works closely with the university to provide psychologically-informed peer mentoring to those experiencing homelessness. 

Her research interests include:

  • homelessness
  • peer support
  • peer mentoring
  • the homeless period
  • community-engaged healthcare

See Stephanie's staff profile for more information.

Course location

This course is based at Distance learning.

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of BOB体育登录网址_欧宝体育官网平台-APP|下载.

BOB体育登录网址_欧宝体育官网平台-APP|下载 the Course Description Document

The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.