Short course
Applying Therapeutic Knowledge to Make Sense of Workplace Dynamics
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates and time:
13/04/2027 - 15/06/202714:00 - 16:00
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£315.00
By introducing core psychotherapeutic theories in a way accessible to all, this course will help make sense of the conscious and unconscious motivations that drive individuals, teams, management and organisations.
We'll learn about the hidden anxieties of the office environment and the unwritten rules influencing it's culture. Discover how defence mechanisms and group dynamics play out in everyday office life and how to recognise and improve the understanding and communication of the people who work there.
We will use a variety of methods to explore psychotherapeutic theory and lift the curtain on organisational life. Students will learn how to apply clinical frameworks, including Freud's models of the unconscious mind, Roger's core conditions and other insights into how individuals, groups and organisations function.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Contact the team
Phone: +44 (0)1865 280900
Course starts Tuesday 13 April 2027
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Tuesdays, 2.00-4.00pm.
Week 1: Welcome
Week 2: The internal office
Week 3: Psychotherapeutic theory part 1
Week 4: Psychotherapeutic theory part 2
Week 5: Workplace transference and repetition
Week 6: Core conditions and conflict
Week 7: Anxiety and avoidance
Week 8: Listening skills for the workplace
Week 9: Management and boundaries
Week 10: Endings
Course aims
To understand the working environment using key psychodynamic concepts.
Course objectives
- To recognise conscious and unconscious drives and how they influence human behaviour.
- To apply this understanding to working relationships and organisational dynamics.
Learning outcomes
- To understand core psychotherapeutic concepts and apply them to individual and organisational behaviour.
- Transferable skills of active listening and empathic understanding, which can be used in the workplace.
- Enhanced self reflection and personal awareness.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, ie first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Teaching methods
Alongside tutor led presentations, class discussion and work in small and large groups, we will also draw on students’ experiential learning to understand the theory behind individual and organisational behaviour.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Miss Laura McDonald
Laura McDonald is a counsellor and psychotherapist. She works with schools and colleges to set up and run counselling services, delivers professional development and training, writes about counselling issues and practises in Oxford.
Academic credit
Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS Points)
Please note, students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you wish to gain credit from completing this course you must register to do so before the course starts.
Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.
Learn more about the Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme.
If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee for assessment and accreditation.
Digital certificate of completion
Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee (with no assessment) | £315.00 |
| Assessment and Accreditation fee | £60.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Recommended reading
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.
Library facilities
All short course students (online and in-person) may register to borrow from the Oxford Lifelong Learning Library, for the duration of their course.
Further information about the Oxford Lifelong Learning Library can be found on the library website.
Preparatory reading
- The Person-Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy Handbook / Lago, C and Charura, D
- The Unconscious at Work: Individual and organisational stress in the human services / Obholzer, A
- Sigmund Freud (pocket GIANTS) / Ross, A
Module code: O26P533PCW
How to enrol
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page.
How to register for accreditation and assessment
To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for this course, if you wish to do so, you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.
If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.
