UK Therapy Guild

Integrative Counselling and Clinical Hypnotherapy Training in Liverpool

UK Therapy Guild is a therapeutic training academy based in Liverpool that delivers the Professional Practitioner Programme, a two-year part-time pathway. The programme leads to a Level 5 equivalent diploma in integrative counselling, accredited by the NCIP, and includes clinical hypnotherapy as an optional module taken later, with no need to decide at the point of enrolment.

The academy presents itself as a project with a long track record in training counsellors and hypnotherapists, with a team focused on teaching quality and student development.

Origins and evolution: from UKAIT to UK Therapy Guild

The organisation's history dates back to UKAIT, the United Kingdom Association of Integrative Therapy, founded and led by Paul Henderson, which established an integrative counselling training programme in Liverpool and a learning culture focused on students' real development.

Nichola Doyle trained at UKAIT and it was there that she encountered the integrative approach. In 2022, Paul Henderson invited her to take over the leadership of the organisation. After two years of transition, the project was relaunched in 2025 as UK Therapy Guild. The new phase kept the founding values and expanded the offer with clinical hypnotherapy alongside integrative counselling, as well as launching a community counselling service that gives students supervised experience with real clients and offers affordable therapy to people in Liverpool.

The milestones the academy itself highlights are the founding of UKAIT by Paul Henderson in Liverpool, the invitation to Nichola Doyle in 2022, the transition and development period between 2023 and 2024, and the establishment of UK Therapy Guild in 2025 with the launch of the dual-accredited Professional Practitioner Programme.

The Professional Practitioner Programme

The programme runs over two years. Counselling training takes place throughout both years, while clinical hypnotherapy is introduced midway through the second year and runs alongside the counselling work. The 2027/28 intake begins on 8 September 2027.

The academy states that, from September 2027, Student BACP membership in Year 2 is included in the tuition fee. The programme is accredited by the NCIP and holds dual accreditation.

Subjects on the training pathway

The curriculum combines different therapeutic approaches so that future practitioners can choose the approach best suited to each person:

• CBT: structured, evidence-based techniques for identifying and changing unhelpful thought and behaviour patterns.
• Person-Centred approach: Carl Rogers' humanistic approach, based on empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence.
• Gestalt: present-moment awareness, unfinished business and the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
• Psychodynamics: the role of the unconscious, early experiences, inner conflict and defence mechanisms in current behaviour.
• Object Relations: the study of early bonds and their influence on mental life.

Teaching method and academy values

Training is delivered by a faculty of practising psychotherapy and hypnotherapy professionals, so students learn from those who practise the profession. Sessions are participatory and practical, with group work, live demonstrations, guest speakers and supervised practice.

The academy stresses the importance of a safe environment built on trust, warmth and consistency, enabling students to engage fully and progress at their own pace. The curriculum is broad and integrative by design, with the aim that students understand various therapeutic approaches in depth rather than only superficially. Attention is also paid to personal development, encouraging self-reflection, critical thinking and a strong professional identity.

Integrative approach

The academy maintains that no single therapeutic model works for everyone. That is why it trains its students to work with different frameworks — psychodynamic, humanistic and systemic — and to move between them confidently, adapting to each client. This approach requires self-awareness, critical thinking and a defined professional identity, aspects the organisation considers an integral part of training alongside clinical content.

Community counselling service

As part of its activity, UK Therapy Guild runs a community counselling service that serves a dual purpose: it offers affordable therapy to people in Liverpool who need it and provides students with supervised experience with real clients during their training.

Founder

Nichola Doyle, founder of UK Therapy Guild, trained at UKAIT and led the organisation's transition through to its relaunch in 2025. The academy's presentation highlights her clinical experience and her commitment to the student experience.

Location and contact

Phone: 0151 272 1092 · Email: admin@uktherapyguild.co.uk