Postgraduate Diploma in Relationship Psychotherapy

As part of the programme’s commitment to providing comprehensive and supportive training, students are required to attend monthly tutorials. These 2.5-hour sessions offer an opportunity for in-depth discussion, reflection, and integration of course material, as well as personalised guidance from experienced tutors. Attendance is an essential component of the learning journey and contributes significantly to professional and personal development.

This programme is open to therapists who have successfully completed a core psychotherapy or counselling psychology training course and are accredited with an accrediting body such as IAHIP, IACP, BACP, PSI, or equivalent. A minimum of two years of post-qualification work is a prerequisite.
Please note, this programme does not constitute core training for entry into the profession for the purposes of acquiring accreditation as a psychotherapist.

Applicants should demonstrate:

• Strong interpersonal skills
• Commitment and motivation for personal and professional development
• Knowledge of general counselling and psychotherapy processes
• Interest in the practices of relationship psychotherapy

Click the button below to apply, or download or application form to apply through [email protected]

• Application Fee: €50 (non refundable)
• Information Evening: To be confirmed
• Closing Date: To be confirmed
• Interview: Eligible applicants will be invited to an online interview.
• Late Applications: Accepted after initial interviews if any places remain unfilled.

Assessment Criteria

• End of year case study
• 85% attendance
• 25 hours of Client Contact
• Supervisors Report
• Self-assessment
• Course Director and Faculty Feedback

Course Fee is €3,500.
Applicants who are offered a place are required to forward a non-refundable booking deposit of €500 in order to secure their place followed by 10 month instalments of €300.

KAREN MURPHY (She/Her)

Course Director, Lecturer

Karen founded the Institute of Couples Therapy driven by her passion and dedication to the field of relationship therapy. With over a decade of experience as a psychotherapist and an accredited supervisor, Karen is committed to helping couples find meaningful ways to overcome challenges and reconnect.
She holds a BA (Hons) in Person-Centred Humanistic Psychotherapy and has successfully run a private practice for over 10 years. Additionally, Karen has completed advanced training in EMDR, adolescent psychotherapy, and family constellations.
She works from a relational, experiential, and exploratory approach with couples strongly influenced by Gestalt principles, the Developmental Model, Relational Life Therapy, David Schnarch’s differentiation, and Salvador Minuchin’s family therapy.

BRIAN NANNETTI

Lecturer

Brian brings nearly 25 years of experience as a counsellor and psychotherapist, working across diverse healthcare settings and lecturing in Gestalt and Existential group therapies.
Returning to Ireland from Australia in 2018, Brian continues to pursue his passion for couples therapy, believing that intimate relationships offer unique opportunities for personal growth and healing.
Since 2004, he has been in private practice, supporting individuals and couples through life’s complex dynamics.

REBECCA REDDIN (She/Her)

Lecturer

Rebecca Reddin is a Chartered Psychologist, Certified Perinatal Specialist with Postpartum Support International and the Founder of the Perinatal Mental Health Institute. She is passionate about creating in-depth, powerful, and evidence based trainings that explore the complexities of the transition to parenthood; including everything from the expected clunkiness of Matrescence, to the intense impact of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders on individuals, couples and families and everything in between.
Rebecca has provided training and education throughout her career as a Corporate Trainer and Psychology Specialist, having worked with several Fortune 500 companies to provide mental health education to employees and training to their Managers and Senior Leadership, and now provides specialised training through her own educational institute around perinatal mental health. She is a board member for the Psychological Society of Ireland’s Special Interest Group for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health and holds a Masters of Science in Psychology and Masters of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Rebecca has worked in women’s mental health since 2010 and has supported couples and individuals through the transition to parenthood in her private practice since 2014.

SANDRA CARROLL

Lecturer

Sandra is an experienced, integrative psychotherapist with a BA (Hons) in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
She is also an accredited EMDR Europe practitioner and she has received advanced training in various couples therapy models with experts in the field, including the Resnick’s model, the developmental model with the Couples Institute, and specific sex therapy training with the Institute of Relational Intimacy.
Sandra’s approach integrates person-centred, psychodynamic, and family systems theories, alongside relational and mindfulness-based practices.

SILVIA PLAZA (They/She/He)

Lecturer

Silvia is certified as a General Health Psychologist in Spain, with extensive training and experience in psychotherapy, and follows the standards of recognised professional bodies in Ireland. Accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), she specializes in gender and neurodiversity, offering a welcoming, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and neurodiversity-friendly space rooted in transfeminist and inclusive perspectives.
Silvia helps clients navigate life’s difficulties with a flexible approach that draws from supportive listening, exploring past experiences, mindfulness practices, and practical problem-solving tools.
As a queer, neurodivergent therapist, she welcomes clients from diverse communities, including kink and polyamory, promoting social justice and empowerment.

ALVINA CASSIDY 

Lecturer

JOYLINE GOZHO (She/Her)

Lecturer

LINSEY BLAIR (She/Her)

Lecturer

MINH TRAN (She/Her)

IT and Training Manager

We at the ICT are committed to making our training inclusive and equitable to all. We recognise that as human beings we have a tremendous amount in common and we also have a lot of rich diversity. This includes (and isn’t limited to) neurodiversity, gender, race, sexual, relationship, physical and religious. 

At the core of the work of the ICT is how we navigate differences in relationships. In order to recognise and accommodate diversity in the training environment and promote inclusivity and belonging we have committed to the following: 

1. Students will be respected and treated equally in the training irrespective of diversity including neurodiversity, gender, race, sexual, relationship, physical and religious. 
2. Application forms have been designed to be clear and concise.
3. Applications can be submitted in alternative formats such as phone, email or downloadable forms as well as online forms.
4. Extended timeframes for applications are possible due to processing needs or medical considerations.
5. Options are given for alternative forms of accessing information outside of physical reading such as audiobooks and YouTube videos. 
6. Pronouns are encouraged to be shared. Respect will also be given to not disclosing pronouns.
7. Clear instructions about the training are given in a comprehensive course handbook.
8. Accommodation will be given for students to take breaks, stand up, move around, use fidget toys or any other supports they need to help them get the most from the learning environment. 
9. Students can contact [email protected] to disclose any specific support or accommodation they might need. This will be kept confidential and used solely to facilitate accessibility. We encourage you to reach out, you will not be penalised in any way for doing this. We want to do our best to support you to have the best possible learning experience. 
10. Assessments will be designed to be clear and easy to understand. Flexibility will be given wherever possible to submit assessments using diverse formats. 
11. If there is anything you are concerned about we would hope that you can speak honestly to us. The [email protected] is personal to her and not a public email address. However if you are not comfortable to do this you can submit your concern anonymously by using this link.

Our commitment at the Institute of Couples Therapy is to continue to review and update the ways that we can ensure that our students all feel included, supported and that they belong.