UKCP Bursary 2021

The UKCP Bursary is a fund created to support those studying and training to be psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors and who may need financial assistance.

Applications will open on Friday, 11 June at 10am for the 2021 bursary.

Grants of £750 are available for UKCP student and trainee members on a UKCP-accredited training between September 2021 and April 2022. The deadline for applications is noon 12 July 2021.

Our aim is not only to help individuals, but to strengthen the profession as a whole by supporting students and trainees from groups under-represented in our workforce, and by enabling those from all backgrounds to complete their studies and contribute to the future of psychotherapy.

COVID-19 has presented challenges for all of us, including our students and trainees. If you are in a position to make a donation at this time, please give what you can to help build our bursary fund.

Who can apply for a bursary

To apply for a bursary award you must be:

• an active UKCP student or trainee member
• able to demonstrate a genuine commitment to the psychotherapy or psychotherapeutic counselling profession
• able to ensure that your training organisation provides a statement of support
• able to ensure that a professional reference is provided.

You can’t apply for a UKCP bursary if you are receiving a different bursary for the same course in 2021, however, you are eligible even if you were awarded UKCP bursary in the past.

In addition to this, we especially welcome applications from students and trainees who:

• are in a need of financial support due to their personal circumstances
• belong to a group that is currently under-represented in the profession, such as Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with a disability or those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender.

Key dates

• Friday, 11 June 2021, 10am – applications open
• Monday, 12 July 2021, noon – applications close
• Friday, 30 July 2021 – panel to make final decisions
• Friday, 6 August 2021 – applicants notified of the outcome (by email)

How to apply

If you meet the eligibility criteria above and you’d like to apply for a UKCP Bursary you need to:

1. log in as a member on UKCP’s website to fill out our online application form
2. forward the email acknowledging receipt of your completed form to:
   
   1. the person in your training organisation who will provide the statement of support
   2. someone who will provide a professional reference

Your application submission should show how you meet the eligibility criteria, give us basic information about your financial circumstances and details about your training course, and help us to know more about your experience and aspirations. 

The deadline for your completed application form and your referees’ forms is noon on Monday, 12 July 2021.

Please see our UKCP Bursary 2021 Guidance for full details about how to apply. If you have any further questions about the application process, you can email us at bursary@ukcp.org.uk.

How applications will be assessed

Once the deadline for applications has passed, all the eligible applications submitted will be anonymised by UKCP and shared with a specially appointed UKCP Bursary Panel which comprises:

• a nominated UKCP Trustee (Panel Chair)
• a nominated representative from the Professional Regulatory Committee of the Colleges and Faculties (PRCCF)
• a nominated representative of the Education, Training and Practice Committee (ETPC)
• a UKCP Honorary Fellow (nominated by the UKCP Chair)
• a lay person who is not a UKCP member, not a practitioner, and not already on any UKCP committee or Board (nominated by the Board).

The panel will meet (online) to assess the anonymous applications and decide which should receive a £750 bursary.

Please see our UKCP Bursary 2021 Guidance for full details about the selection process.

If your application is successful

You’ll be notified by email of the outcome of your application and whether you will receive a bursary by Friday, 6 August 2021.

If your application is successful, the award will be paid directly to your training organisation via bank transfer and will go towards the fee for your training. No payments will be made directly to applicants.

Please see our UKCP Bursary 2021 Guidance for full details, terms and conditions.