Accreditation & Validation
PCI College provides a number of programmes including our BSc Honours degree, two Master’s programmes and an Advanced Diploma, all validated by Middlesex University. Holding a qualification with University validation holds a certain amount of status due to the standard of lecturing and programme design and is nationally and internationally recognised. Our academic standards are set in partnership with Middlesex University and are monitored on an ongoing basis and subject to QAA standards and audits. Our BSc (Hons) Counselling & Psychotherapy programme is accredited across all locations by the Irish Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy (IACP). In addition, our Certificate Counselling & Psychotherapy and Blended Learning Certificate programme are accredited by the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) in all locations.
PCI College has been a proud collaborative partner of Middlesex University since 2001
PCI College has been a proud collaborative partner of Middlesex University since 2001. The nature of this collaboration ensures that PCI College continues to design and deliver programmes to the very highest of academic standards, quality assured by a British University with an international reputation for excellence.
Middlesex University only validates programmes that meet the highest standards in academic provision and practitioner training. The programme that you are seeking to embark on has been designed to ensure that you receive a rigorous training in both the theory and practice of Counselling & Psychotherapy.
To ensure the high standards and quality of Middlesex University provision, all programmes are subject to the University’s academic quality assurance procedures (which include those procedures related to programme approval, monitoring and review). A key feature of these processes is the input from external subject experts (External Examiners) who ensure that Middlesex University awards are comparable to those of other UK higher education institutions, and that the programme curriculum, teaching, assessment and resources are appropriate.
The partnership between PCI College and Middlesex University is collaborative in more than name only. As well as providing quality assurance for all our validated courses, support and guidance is always to hand from their excellent academic staff and quality enhancement teams on a day to day basis. Both PCI College and Middlesex University appoint Link Tutors who are senior members of the academic team who liaise on a regular basis. Both are jointly responsible for ensuring the programmes are delivered according to the arrangements agreed when they were approved. Both Link Tutors attend the Board of Study meetings where they hear the views of students on the programme, however you can contact either if you have a query or suggestion. The Link Tutor at PCI College for all Middlesex University validated programmes is Jade Lawless (jlawless@pcicollege.ie) and the Institutional Link Tutor at Middlesex University is Dr. Antonia Bifulco (a.bifulco@mdx.ac.uk).
With an established reputation for excellence and expertise in the field of counselling and psychotherapy, Middlesex University currently collaborates with fifteen other colleges across the United Kingdom and further afield, as well as providing robust psychology and psychotherapy training programmes at their London and overseas campus. PCI College is their only Irish partner and all students at PCI college on Middlesex validated degrees and masters programmes are also Middlesex University students with access to a range of services including an online library.
Although you will enrol and attend PCI College, all Counselling and Psychotherapy programmes are validated by Middlesex University, therefore, you are a student of both. Within Middlesex University the BSc (Hons) Counselling and Psychotherapy is part of the School of Science and Technology.
Our relationship with QQI ensures that PCI College creates and delivers programmes that uphold high academic standards, offer high-quality education, and align with national benchmarks for educational accomplishments. Since 2021, PCI College has secured institutional validation from QQI, which establishes our adherence to the stringent criteria set by QQI. This validation establishes our college as a provider that consistently meets QQI’s rigorous standards, ensuring the overall quality and integrity of our QQI-validated training courses.
As part of our collaboration, PCI College is committed to the ongoing development of a governance and organisational structure that is reviewed and monitored continuously to ensure the provision of a flexible, transparent, and effective management structure in pursuit of educational excellence within the field of counselling and psychotherapy. Our academic programmes are managed and resourced competently and efficiently through a robust body of policies and procedures approved and endorsed by QQI.
Our collaborative efforts guarantee that PCI College consistently develops and delivers innovative, contemporary programmes, maintaining the highest of academic standards. These programmes are quality-assured for excellence and expertise in the field, reflecting our commitment to staying at the forefront of education in counselling and psychotherapy.
In partnership with QQI, we’ve developed a Level 9 Special Purpose Award Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy tailored to the requirements of counselling and psychotherapy trainees and specialists in Ireland. PCI College looks forward to continuing our collaboration with QQI and expanding our programme provision over the next few years.
In a profession that works with vulnerable people on a daily basis it is essential that two standards of professional qualification are achieved:
- Academic standard, for example, a University validated award
- Professional standard, for example, professional accreditation
Accreditation encompasses both of these standards and ensures that the counsellor/ psychotherapist has been trained to an acceptable level and qualification and also that they are working within an agreed standard of professional competence, which includes practicing within an agreed ethical framework and code of practice.
The IACP is the largest accrediting body for counselling and psychotherapy in Ireland with over 4,500 members nationwide. Accreditation with the IACP guarantees formal recognition of qualifications and professional experience. This ensures that the public, who are availing of counselling and psychotherapy services, can be assured that they are accessing a qualified professional. This creates reassurance, safety and reliability for those seeking out counselling and psychotherapy. IACP accreditation is an automatic safeguard for the public in their search for a suitable counsellor/psychotherapist. IACP accreditation is also a safeguard for qualified professionals, as accreditation automatically connects to a network of colleagues and sets safe standards and ethical guidelines within which we should practice. In addition, IACP accreditation provides a direct pathway for client referrals via their telephone referral service and their online directory listing.
Many members of the IACP also have the opportunity to directly influence the profession by becoming members of committees, working groups that draft policy and the Executive Board of Management, all of which consist of active IACP members.
