Course Overview

The PgCert Outdoor and Adventure Therapeutic Practice signals an important development for the adventure and therapy sectors, offering an innovative approach to defining and upholding professional standards for outdoor and adventure-based therapeutic practice.

Placing therapeutic theory and practice in professional adventure settings, this program is essential for anyone wishing to expand into this field and enhance their knowledge of therapeutic interventions in the outdoors. 

You will undertake a critical examination of the theory and evidence base for outdoor and adventure therapies, as well as reflective practice in building a therapeutic relationship with participants. Group work complements individual study, allowing you to gain experience of therapeutic techniques and ideas, and develop your understanding of them in real-world, outdoor settings.

Your subsequent career path will be unique to you, depending on your prior experience and qualifications. While the interdisciplinary nature of the program will encourage and support you in building a community of practice, individual reflection will be key to defining your progression route out of the program. 

Further information on the course, including more details about the individual modules, can be found in the student handbooks, which are frequently updated.

The key objective of this program is to prepare students to make an effective contribution to the outdoor and adventure therapy sector through the integration of key knowledge and skill domains.

Graduating from this course will enable you to enter employment as a specialist in areas where you may be:

• “Introducing a psychological or outdoor dimension to enrich a planned session/program” (Zone 1) or

• “Blending outdoor activity and psychotherapeutic practices to enhance targeted interventions” (Zone 2).

If you hold additional specialist qualifications and professional registration, you may wish to deepen the application of your skills to integrate “professional competence in both outdoor learning and psychological therapy to meet clients’ needs” (Zone 3), but this is not within the intended remit of the PGCert award. 

Special features

• Unlock your future potential: focus on professional specialization and synthesize academic knowledge to shape your future

• Be part of the story: become a future shaper of the adventure sector with this innovative new and unique program

• Learn in your place at your pace (with some face-to-face!): supported online learning across all three modules, with two 1-week residential components based in Scotland

• Learn with Adventure Therapy experts with worldwide experience

• Access to outstanding adventure facilities set amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK during two residential courses

• Opportunities to receive tailored outdoor-activity skill development and professional NGB training and assessment with the School of Adventure Studies' continuous professional skills development*

General Eligibility

• 2:1 Honours degree or above

• Alternatively, an honors degree, ordinary degree, or degree equivalent qualification, PLUS relevant work experience at a suitable level within an organization, will be considered

• In addition to the above, you will be considered based on aspects of experiential and professional qualifications, particularly therapeutic knowledge, outdoor competence, and relevant professional experience. You should preferably be able to demonstrate evidence of experience, knowledge, and/or competence in two of these three areas, although these are intended mainly for guidance and applicants will be assessed on a case-by-case basis

Part Time Work Details

20 hours work permit for international students

Language Requirement

• Applicants must have an IELTS score- 6.5 or equivalent

  English (PTE) Academic-62 average with 55 in each component

  TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) iBT4-Min 88 or above with min 20 in each section