Introduction
The HG Diploma is a highly practical and accessible psychotherapy course that has been revolutionising the successful treatment, understanding and prevention of mental and emotional health issues for over 20 years – it also has wide-ranging applications outside the field
Outstanding! A scintillating learning experience that I didn’t want to end
Elizabeth Mary Sabey
This much-praised, 3-part course is ideal CPD for anyone in the counselling, psychotherapy, psychiatric and medical professions who would like to be more effective.
It is also suitable if you would like to train as a counsellor or psychotherapist (to change career or bring in additional income) or gain additional knowledge and skills to develop your existing role. Everything is presented clearly without ‘psychobabble’ by highly experienced clinical practitioners – and our students often find that what they learn has a positive impact on their own lives, as well as on their ability to help others.
Working as a therapist or counsellor can be highly rewarding, meaningful work as you help others overcome difficulties and create lasting positive change in their lives – and, if you set up in private practice, it can give you a flexible lifestyle with the potential to earn a very good income.
Wide-ranging applications
People from many different professions also take the course because they find its profound psychological insights and the skills they learn are applicable to all areas of life, increase their effectiveness and help them create innovative changes that enhance wellbeing and productivity. These include: the armed forces, education, emergency services, HR, coaching, police, social work, youth workers, outreach workers, GPs, nurses, midwives, diplomacy, conflict resolution, occupational therapists, voluntary sector, mental health and welfare, sport psychologists and business consultants.
Some stop after Part 2, having gained the skills and knowledge they need, but many decide to progress to the full Practitioner Level (Part 3).
The HG Diploma is a recognised part of the SCoPEd national training framework for counselling and psychotherapy. As such, the training is formally recognised by the SCoPEd partners: BACP, UKCP, NCPS, BPC, HGI and ACC. All newly qualified therapists start in Column A, and can transition to Column B and Column C through SCoPEd approved routes, should they wish to do so.
Successful graduates of all three parts of the Diploma up to Practitioner Level can join the HGI’s Professional Register, which is accredited in the UK by the Professional Standards Authority for health and social care (PSA).
The course is part-time and designed to be as flexible as possible so you can fit it in around your existing commitments and complete it at a pace that suits you.
Why train in this approach?
- ‘Human Givens’ is a bio-psycho-social approach to mental health and wellbeing which brings clarity to the causes of and best ways to treat a wide range of conditions and behavioural problems
- It incorporates the latest neuroscience and psychological research and combines these with proven therapeutic techniques to enable you to provide flexible, highly effective therapeutic interventions tailored to each individual you see, young and old alike
- Practitioners tell us the approach makes their work easier and more rewarding, and enables them to make a positive difference for their clients straight away
- Our practical training is not overly academic – it is presented in clear language by expert tutors with a wealth of practical experience, making it equally suitable for anyone already working in the caring professions or those new to psychotherapy
- The Diploma is part-time, you can stop after Part 2, or continue to full practitioner level (Part 3)
- The knowledge and skills taught can be applied in many fields, not just psychotherapy and counselling
- Many graduates go on to set up flourishing private practices, earning good incomes
- Students often find that what they learn has a positive impact on their own lives, as well as on their ability to help others
- Fully qualifying as a human givens practitioner enables you to appear on a professional register, which is accredited in the UK by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA)
- The HG Diploma is a recognised part of the SCoPEd national training framework for psychotherapy and counselling, with approved routes for its graduates to progress through the framework’s 3 columns
- What’s different about the HG approach to therapy?
- Success stories – discover what our graduates go on to do
A wonderful way of bringing together all the thinking and development around psychology and counselling over the past century into one practical, holistic approach
Career Guidance Counselling
• In the 20+ years since the term ‘human givens’ was first coined, the ground-breaking new theories and rich psychological insights deriving from the human givens approach and the work of its co-founders, Joe Griffin and Ivan Tyrrell, have helped 10,000s of people successfully overcome a wide range of mental health conditions – this course gives you the skills you need to do that too
• A highly effective alternative to drug treatments: How we know HG therapy works
• More benefits of the human givens approach
• People come from all over the world to take the Diploma (feedback)
• The knowledge and skills you will gain are widely applicable – students often say they have benefited personally too…
What will you learn?
To be truly effective, any psychological intervention needs to be based on a solid understanding of the real causes of emotional distress (including depression, anxiety disorders, trauma and PTSD, addictions, OCD, relationship problems, self-harm, psychosis/schizophrenia, phobias, anger and behavioural problems) and to take into account the bio-psycho-social needs of each individual, young or old.
The Human Givens Diploma gives you that essential knowledge base, throwing important new light on key problem areas and teaching you powerful brief, solution-focused therapy techniques that are consistently effective. All of the information, techniques and skills you will learn are based on a sound, scientific body of knowledge about psychology and mind/body functioning.
A flexible, integrated approach
This flexible ‘tool box’ enables you to work holistically and creatively with your clients, tailoring therapeutic interventions to each individual’s needs as you help them overcome their difficulties as quickly as possible and empower them to build resilience against future setbacks.
The focus of this counselling course is highly practical, humane and far-reaching – the skills and information you will learn are easily transferable to other fields (such as parenting, teaching, coaching and back-to-work programmes – learn more) and bring about considerable benefits.
As a result of human givens therapy, countless people have already been helped to regain their mental health and take back control of their lives – often surprisingly quickly.
SCoPEd Framework
The Diploma is a recognised part of the SCoPEd national training framework for psychotherapy and counselling, with approved routes for its graduates to progress through the framework’s 3 columns.
The Human Givens Institute (which holds the register of human givens therapists) was one of the six organisations, along with BACP, UKCP, NCPS, ACC and BPC, involved in developing the SCoPEd Framework, which was officially adopted by them all in February 2023. All organisations formally recognise each other’s training.
Each organisation has developed appropriate pathways for their own members to transition between the SCoPEd framework’s 3 columns, given the appropriate experience and training; these were shared and agreed with their fellow organisations. All newly trained therapists and counsellors start at Column A, but will be able to move to the other columns once they have gained sufficient therapeutic practice, experience and ongoing appropriate learning and development. (Completing the HG Diploma course also count towards some of the training hours required for Column B.)
Employers are already beginning to reference the SCoPEd framework’s columns when advertising positions.
The HGI has worked closely with the college to develop the routes for Human Givens Diploma graduates to be able to transition from Column A, to Column B and up to Column C should they wish to do so. For more information, click here.
Where should I start?
If you’re interested in taking the Human Givens Diploma we recommend you try at least two Diploma-linked courses before applying, to make sure it’s right for you. Many people also like to read the book: Human Givens: An empowering approach to emotional health and clear thinking.
You can take any of the Part 1 courses you like – the in-person ones come in ‘fast track blocks‘ – but the following are a good place to start:
- The Therapeutic Power of Language
- How to make counselling more effective
- From stress to psychosis
- Effective brief psychotherapy
- Guided Imagery and Visualistion for Therapeutic Change
- How to break the cycle of depression
- How to lift depression – the practical skills you need
- Understanding anxiety – and managing it without drugs
Get inspired!
The Good Mental Health Podcast – is a great way to find out how graduates of the HG Diploma are using the skills they’ve learnt to improve outcomes in a wide range of settings. You’ll also find lots of other useful information and interviews there too.
And for more inspiration, take a look at our Success stories which also show what’s possible to achieve once you’ve gained this qualification.
Register your interest
Sign up below and we’ll send you supportive information about taking the Diploma, including special offers – we will never share your details with any third party and you can unsubscribe at any time.
It's been terrific – the human givens approach is creative, eclectic, needs-led and applicable to a wide range of situations
Educational Psychologist
A truly enriching learning experience that was well structured, interesting and a pleasure to be part of. The content was accessible and presented in a clear, logical and creative way that catered for a variety of learning styles and needs
Joe Dyer
The most intensive, well-balanced, rewarding and enjoyable course structure I've attended in over 30 years
Senior Police Officer