Professional Supervision

Postgraduate Diploma or Master's Degree

Online and at Berne House



Overview of Course Content


A unique opportunity to train with a special partnership of esteemed and experienced trainers and supervisors in Psychotherapy, Organisational, Educational and Counselling Supervision

The course will start with an online half day ‘Engagement’ Session’ and is followed by six units - a mix of online and at Berne House, in which the core elements of effective supervision will be introduced and explored.

Each Unit will provide group process, theoretical teaching, group discussion, presentations, supervised supervision practice with peer assessment and feedback. Note students will also need to engage in self-study and in skills practice and attend the three-day Final Module in June.

Unit 1 will take place at Berne House, Units 2-5 will be separated into 8 one-day online workshops. Unit 6 is a three-day workshop involving integration and peer and self assessment at Berne House.

At any time there will be one, two or all three tutors facilitating the course.

  • Who is it for?

    Participants in this course must have successfully completed a training in counselling, coaching, psychotherapy, or have an equivalent level of training and experience; have a minimum of a year’s experience post-qualification; be a member of a professional body, and have professional indemnity insurance.


  • Qualifications and Accreditation

    For qualified TA professionals, the content meets the criteria set by UKCP for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and successful completion of the course will enable inclusion in the UKCP Directory of Supervisors. If you work in a different modality from TA, it is likely that the course will still afford CPD credit - please check the criteria of your own professional organisation. A certificate of attendance and transcript will be provided.

    Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Supervision awards 120 credits validated by Middlesex University. 

    Master’s Degree in Professional Supervision requires an additional 60 credits earned by an additional Dissertation validated by Middlesex University. This is a written study of 13,500-15,000 words on one of the following subjects: 

    • Outcome of Research Study on Professional Supervision

    • A Supervision Case Study

    • A Literature Review on an aspect of Supervision.

    The validated course is quality assured by Middlesex University and you will receive a University award on successful completion.


  • Course Content

    Unit One: The Supervisory Relationship

    • Introduction to the course
    • Creating a learning environment
    • Purposes and philosophies of supervision
    • Tasks and roles in supervision
    • Working with difference and diversity in supervision
    • The supervisory relationship

    Unit Two: Contracting and Increasing Developmental Direction

    • Outcome contracting in supervision
    • Process contracting in supervision
    • Appropriate contracts and contextual factors
    • Shame, support and challenge
    • Managing supervision boundaries
    • Assessing developmental stages of supervisees
    • Facilitating developmental direction – developmental models

    Unit Three: Ethics, Harm and Legal Issues in Supervision

    • Values and ethics - the monitoring role of supervision
    • Enabling supervisees to think ethically
    • Legal considerations
    • Supervision and fees
    • Organisational, social and political considerations
    • - Addressing safety issues in supervision
    • - Online Supervision 
    • - Dual relationships

    Unit Four: Supervision Process

    • Identifying key issues
    • Process models of supervision
    • The use of transference, countertransference and parallel process
    • Incorporating key issues into supervisory process
    • The supervisor’s use of self

    Unit Five: Supervision Philosophy and Integration

    • Consolidating and integrating philosophy of supervision
    • Creativity in supervision
    • The meta perspective
    • Imagery and language
    • Endings in supervision
    • Integration

    Assignments for the Postgraduate Diploma:

    • One 2,500-word essay on “The Supervisory Relationship”
    • Reflective Journal and personal development plan for continuing professional development
    • Presentation on a model of supervision
    • Two observed supervisions at training weekends
    • Two supervisions observed and passed 
    • One 2,000 word essay on “Personal Philosophy of Supervision”
    • Full participation in process

  • Eligibility and entry

    Participants in this course must have successfully completed a training in counselling, counselling psychology, psychotherapy, or a related profession, or have an equivalent level of training and experience; have a minimum of a year’s experience post-qualification; be a member of a professional body, and have professional indemnity insurance.

Apply Now

Fees and Dates


2025/26 Fees

Training and Postgraduate Diploma from Middlesex University £4800
MSc in Professional Supervision from Middlesex University additional £5350

There will be a Marking Fee of £150 for the assignments. 
Payment may be made in instalments.


 2025/26 Dates

Introduction 15 October 2025 Half Day Online 
 Unit 1 22/23 October at Berne House
 Unit 2 19 November, 10 December Online
 Unit 3 21 January 2026, 18 February Online
 Unit 4 25 March, 29 April Online
 Unit 5 27/28 May Online
 Integration and Accreditation 23/24/25 June at Berne House

Tutors

Adrienne Lee TSTA(P)

Rosemary Napper TSTA(O,E,C)

Charlotte Sills TSTA(P)


Our Core Philosophy

At The Berne Institute we recognise that people come into TA training with widely differing experiences of clinical practice, theoretical knowledge and formal academic learning, and that they differ widely also in their current personal resources and skills. Our courses therefore honour the uniqueness of each individual’s learning and experience and their different learning styles, pace and areas of competence.

The philosophy and practice of Homonomy that respects our mutuality and interconnectedness has been recently integrated into the Berne Institute philosophy. The aim is to expand the focus in our theory and practice from individual change to include a focus on the wider implications of our work on the whole community and our planet.