ATI Psychology Institute Ireland

leblanc

Hi All

Anyone studied here? Got any feedback?

As always, much appreciated

Thanks

Le Blanc

kimberworth

They were running a BA in Counselling accredited by Athlone Institute of Technology but the Institute weren't happy with procedures and broke the link. The Institute took over the running of the course in Athlone, brought in their own lecturers etc so that students weren't left high and dry. I think ATI are still running course in Dublin accredited by a college in Wales. My advice would be to do A LOT of research before signing up to an expensive training course.

ManfromDublin

...and hope you found a good course LeBlanc.

CBTman21

I did their BA which was held in DCU and had no complaints, my placement was organised and lecturers were all IACP members and accredited lecturers. Now working for the HSE

CBTman21- do you have any affiliation with the institute? Three posts out of a total of 3 post in boards in support of the institute within minutes of each other indicates shilling to me. So I am deleting them. JC

firefight7

My advice would be to do lots and lots of research on an organisation before deciding to study there. Word of mouth can often tell you alot too.

firefight7

In 2011 ATI were in serious trouble with HETAC in Athlone IT. Athlone IT had to step to complete the courses so that the students were not left high and dry. Students were very unhappy with their treatment.

ATI have a history of not paying their lecturing staff and when complaints are made by the staff they are sent letters from solicitors threatening liable against them in order to scare them into dropping any claims. When claims have been pursued they have been paid in full. Many have been unwilling to pursue claims and have been left unpaid.

ATI were recently in the circuit court in Dublin :
http://www.courts.ie/__80256FFF005DDD92.nsf/0/F6B6133C3D66C1AA80257AB10041E4AA?Open

Gerard Talbot V's ATI , Tuesday 27th of November.

But I am not sure of the outcome of this case.

Be very very careful!!!!!!!

sunflower27

Love my course and really happy with the calibre of lecturers

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me

lhylat

sunflower27 wrote: »

Love my course and really happy with the calibre of lecturers

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me

Sunflower27 - are u doing degree or diploma? Home study or on-site lectures?

Thinking of doing diploma in addiction but concerned about awarding bodies and moving on to degree and that awarding body?

Thanks in advance!

kimberworth

lhylat wrote: »

Sunflower27 - are u doing degree or diploma? Home study or on-site lectures?

Thinking of doing diploma in addiction but concerned about awarding bodies and moving on to degree and that awarding body?

Thanks in advance!

Home Study courses such as these are NOT accepted by Accrediting Bodies e.g. I.A.C.P. You might find it helpful to look up the websites of the accrediting bodies and read the course criteria required to be accepted for accreditation. You could invest thousands of euro on a training course and then discover that you cannot get post training accreditation if your course does not meet specific standards.

Research, research and research some more before signing up for a course.

firefight7

Glad you are happy with the course Sunflower.

Still does not change the facts which are all there if you look for them. As suggested, research your courses very very carefully.

There is a lot of really good courses out there accredited by Irish Universities and recognised by IACP and IAAAC.

They are accredited by these bodies because they have reached the appropriate standard.

Ovimus

I would not recommend ATI Psychology institute to anyone who wants to study part time or by distance learning. I registered and paid for one of there 6 month home study programmes in early December 2011, the cost of the course was €595 and was a foundation diploma level in counselling & psychotherapy. It took me 15 months to complete the course. I constantly had to contact them by email and phone to send on each unit.

It took 4 months before I received one of the units.
A few of my assignments went missing and had to be re-submitted a second time. I did not know what tutor I was dealing with as they are all lacking in communication skills. I was given the run around every time I phoned.

sunflower27

firefight7 wrote: »

Glad you are happy with the course Sunflower.

Still does not change the facts which are all there if you look for them. As suggested, research your courses very very carefully.

There is a lot of really good courses out there accredited by Irish Universities and recognised by IACP and IAAAC.

They are accredited by these bodies because they have reached the appropriate standard.

To reach the appropriate standard, a college has to have run a full degree programme. ATI has just completed it for the Counselling and Psychotherapy degree

I am not concerned about the accreditation I will get at the end at all. My course is structured to meet IACP standards and lecturers are IACP accredited.

I have friends that have done the home study option and gone on to do degree courses.

I have a few years to go, but have started my personal therapy and will soon be doing my own client-work. Can't wait!!

sunflower27

lhylat wrote: »

Sunflower27 - are u doing degree or diploma? Home study or on-site lectures?

Thinking of doing diploma in addiction but concerned about awarding bodies and moving on to degree and that awarding body?

Thanks in advance!

Hi there

I am a doing the degree (Counselling and Psychotherapy). Feel free to PM me if you have any questions

firefight7

sunflower27 wrote: »

To reach the appropriate standard, a college has to have run a full degree programme. ATI has just completed it for the Counselling and Psychotherapy degree

I am not concerned about the accreditation I will get at the end at all. My course is structured to meet IACP standards and lecturers are IACP accredited.

I have friends that have done the home study option and gone on to do degree courses.

I have a few years to go, but have started my personal therapy and will soon be doing my own client-work. Can't wait!!

I have some questions.....the 'standard' you are talking about is not clear to me.

1)Does the IACP or IAAAC recognise this course? Being designed to be recognised and being recognised are different things. Maybe contacting the IACP and asking them might help here.

2) Why pay for this course when there are better options for the same price? There are courses that are specifically recognised by IAAAC and IACP for the same price and less.

sunflower27

firefight7 wrote: »

Why pay for this course when there are better options for the same price? There are courses that are specifically recognised by IAAAC and IACP for the same price and less.

Err, because it is my money and my choice. I looked into other courses and far preferred the curriculum of the course I have chosen. It really is as simple as that.

firefight7

sunflower27 wrote: »

Err, because it is my money and my choice. I looked into other courses and far preferred the curriculum of the course I have chosen. It really is as simple as that.

Of course its your money and your choice. No dispute about that. But you have chosen to enter a discussion on ATI on a publicly accessible site and I asked you a legitimate question. Which I also am grateful to you for answering.

I have heard that most of the other courses have more stringent entry requirements also. Is it true that you can start the ATI degree course without having completed any prior study?

Is this course accredited by the IAAAC or IACP as many other courses are?

Fair questions which I can't seem to get answers for!

firefight7

Errm....sorry just checked IACP website http://www.irish-counselling.ie/Professional-Psychotherapy-Counselling-Training-Courses

This course is not accredited by IACP on their list.

Cost of ATI degree programme per annum €4650!!!!!

Wow!

sunflower27

I am aware of how much it costs When I looked at PCI college last year, they were charging the same although has been reduced this year to 4K

I am also aware that PCI college charge an additional 1.5K to do a three-month personal development course and also charge for interviews (whether you are accepted or not). More stringent or a money spinner, you decide?

Completing a course accredited by the IACP is only part of the process. In addition to meeting course educational standards (which ATI does), I have to do my own personal therapy AND 100 hours client work.

If you look at the IACP site it sets out the lengthy process it takes for a course to be accredited. As said previously, ATI are in that process now. They will certainly be through it by the time I graduate, which is several years away.

I have two friends doing the PCI course and both have openly said they prefer my curriculum - and I totally agree.

A course that is accredited is not on easy street, they are constantly reviewed so a course that is accredited now may not always be.

Perhaps you could ring the IACP to explain things to you further, firefight7. I contacted them before signing up to ATI. They will explain the process to you better than I can.

firefight7

sunflower27 wrote: »

I am aware of how much it costs When I looked at PCI college last year, they were charging the same although has been reduced this year to 4K

I am also aware that PCI college charge an additional 1.5K to do a three-month personal development course and also charge for interviews (whether you are accepted or not). More stringent or a money spinner, you decide?

Completing a course accredited by the IACP is only part of the process. In addition to meeting course educational standards (which ATI does), I have to do my own personal therapy AND 100 hours client work.

If you look at the IACP site it sets out the lengthy process it takes for a course to be accredited. As said previously, ATI are in that process now. They will certainly be through it by the time I graduate, which is several years away.

I have two friends doing the PCI course and both have openly said they prefer my curriculum - and I totally agree.

A course that is accredited is not on easy street, they are constantly reviewed so a course that is accredited now may not always be.

Perhaps you could ring the IACP to explain things to you further, firefight7. I contacted them before signing up to ATI. They will explain the process to you better than I can.

Have you looked at how many other courses are on the IACP approved list? There is more than just PCI. Alot of them have been approved by reputable Irish Institutions. PCI's course is approved by IACP. It is a bonus for you that you preferred the look and feel of your curriculum however. This is important if you have spent a lot of money.

We would hope that that a very reputable University like Glendwyr is just as rigorous as the Irish Institutions. I am sure that their reputation in Ireland is very important to them.

Is it true that you don't need to have done any prior 3rd level or other study to gain entry to ATI degree courses? Still not clear on this.

The fact still remains that HETAC pulled the plug on ATI in Athlone because they were not happy with the way things were being run.

I genuinely cannot understand how you can be so certain that the ATI courses will be vetted by IACP when the course has not yet been vetted. This implies you already know the outcome of the process?!?

I am sure that it is important for you to believe that you have made the right choice.

Even spending extra money sometimes can be a good thing!!!

sunflower27

firefight7 wrote: »

Have you looked at how many other courses are on the IACP approved list? There is more than just PCI. Alot of them have been approved by reputable Irish Institutions. PCI's course is approved by IACP. It is a bonus for you that you preferred the look and feel of your curriculum however. This is important if you have spent a lot of money.

We would hope that that a very reputable University like Glendwyr is just as rigorous as the Irish Institutions. I am sure that their reputation in Ireland is very important to them.

Is it true that you don't need to have done any prior 3rd level or other study to gain entry to ATI degree courses? Still not clear on this.

The fact still remains that HETAC pulled the plug on ATI in Athlone because they were not happy with the way things were being run.

I genuinely cannot understand how you can be so certain that the ATI courses will be vetted by IACP when the course has not yet been vetted. This implies you already know the outcome of the process?!?

I am sure that it is important for you to believe that you have made the right choice.

Even spending extra money sometimes can be a good thing!!!

As stated already, the course is being vetted, as I am sure others are, and it is a lengthy process. I have already completed a degree so this is my second college degree I am working on. I did not need to do a 3-month foundation course on personal growth to do this one. I know that PCI expect you to complete a course on personal growth. I have friends that have done it and said it is a very basic foundation course in the basics of counselling - and is later covered in the degree programme. Hope that answers your question.

You seem to think the vetting procedure is beyond offering the correct amount of hours, covering core components and being lectured by qualified lecturers? As stated, this is an educational component and only one part of the process for accreditation for students. Any student that completes a course but does not fulfil other criteria (personal placement and personal therapy) will not be accredited.

As stated already, I am more than happy with my decision and loving my curriculum. I am aware there are other colleges that run counselling and psychotherapy degrees. Obviously there are, but myself and my colleagues all made the choice to go with who we have.

Do ring the IACP. You seem to have a lot of interest in ATI not being accredited and the IACP will have the time to explain the procedure to you in full. I have assignments and presentations to work on that will not do themselves, so am off and won't be back to this thread that seems to be going around in circles now

firefight7

sunflower27 wrote: »

As stated already, the course is being vetted, as I am sure others are, and it is a lengthy process. I have already completed a degree so this is my second college degree I am working on. I did not need to do a 3-month foundation course on personal growth to do this one. I know that PCI expect you to complete a course on personal growth. I have friends that have done it and said it is a very basic foundation course in the basics of counselling - and is later covered in the degree programme. Hope that answers your question.

You seem to think the vetting procedure is beyond offering the correct amount of hours, covering core components and being lectured by qualified lecturers? As stated, this is an educational component and only one part of the process for accreditation for students. Any student that completes a course but does not fulfil other criteria (personal placement and personal therapy) will not be accredited.

As stated already, I am more than happy with my decision and loving my curriculum. I am aware there are other colleges that run counselling and psychotherapy degrees. Obviously there are, but myself and my colleagues all made the choice to go with who we have.

Do ring the IACP. You seem to have a lot of interest in ATI not being accredited and the IACP will have the time to explain the procedure to you in full. I have assignments and presentations to work on that will not do themselves, so am off and won't be back to this thread that seems to be going around in circles now

I agree we are going around in circles. This is a public forum and my objective to help others make an informed decision based on facts not supposition or opinion about the courses they choose. I am not the only one on this forum and on others who has an interest in that it appears. Lots of people have an interest in this for good reason.

PCI are not the only college providing courses. IACP recognition is very important as it denotes a quality standard and means it facilitates people becoming recognised counselors. When spending almost €5k this is an important consideration. No?

"You seem to think the vetting procedure is beyond offering the correct amount of hours, covering core components and being lectured by qualified lecturers?" ......I don't understand this comment

Anyway, I am delighted that you have found something you are happy with and I don't blame you for defending the course if your doing it.

As stated by more than one person on this forum.....research your courses very very carefully!!!!!!:)

sunflower27

Firefight,

To answer your question:

See here: http://www.irish-counselling.ie/accredited-membership-iacp

It states quite clearly that to be accredited by the IACP, students must complete an IACP accredited course, or course that meets the IACP's core educational standards (which ATI does - there is a list elsewhere on the site re the info I gave on course curriculum covered, personal therapy and client work whilst doing the course).

Hope that helps.




I'm locking this thread as it is done. JC