Course content
You’ll be taught five different counselling approaches:
- Person-centred
- Cognitive behavioural
- Psychodynamic
- Attachment
- Systemic
You’ll also be encouraged to reflect on your own integrative approach as it develops over the course.
You’ll need to undertake a counselling placement of at least 100 hours and at least 20 hours of approved personal therapy.
You will attend a residential weekend at the start of the course which offers space to focus on personal development and group dynamics. We also host other compulsory events such as conferences and workshops.
The philosophy of the suite of counselling courses takes a holistic view of the person, incorporating aspects of phenomenological experience, emotional and thought processes, developmental aspects, and family context with an emphasis on social and cultural influences. The overall objective is to facilitate development of reflexive counsellors who value the significance of the therapeutic relationship, who can engage with flexibility in response to a diverse range of client issues and facilitate client change.
A unique aspect of the course is the offering of diversity groups designed to explore aspects of difference and diversity such as gender or privilege and the impact of this on the therapeutic relationship. We also offer ‘safer spaces’ groups to support students who are members of marginalised or minority groups.
For the MSc 3rd year, you will be assigned a supervisor with experience in the particular area or method of counselling research that you’re interested in.
As this course incorporates an element of online learning and skills practice, it is important that you have suitable technology, good internet connection, the technical ability to work online, and access to a private space to attend online taught sessions. This is also a crucial requirement for any remote client work undertaken as part of your practice learning. Consideration and understanding must be given to the BACP Online and Telephone Competence Framework Online and phone therapy (OPT) competence framework and user guide (bacp.co.uk)).
Professional body accreditation
Accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
The Diploma is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Modules
The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module.
Developing Your Integrative Counselling Approach
Developing your integrative professional identityOn an integrative course you will necessarily learn about a number of approaches. We show you in this module, not only several different approaches, including systemic, psychodynamic, CBT and person-centred approaches, along with a consideration of attachment theory, but how you can integrate aspects of these into your practice to have an appealing skillset as an integrative practitioner.
Module code: PSYC70835
Becoming A Counsellor
This module brings together development of key counselling skills, personal qualities, and ethical awareness essential in building respectful and empathic relationships. You will learn about the importance of reflective practice informing your therapeutic approach. Understand the value of reflexivity in developing awareness of power differences and the range of factors influencing the counselling process in terms of diversity, (i.e., groups, families, culture, gender)
Module code: PSYC70833
Exploring Self In Relation To Other
How do gender, race, sexuality, disability, class and a variety of other factors impact on you as a person and as a professional? In this module we will examine our relationship to all of these and more, in order to become culturally competent counsellors working with a variety of areas.
Module code: PSYC70834
Further Integrative Counselling Development
This module deepens your knowledge of counselling theories and research. Current information on integration accompanied by discussions and exploration in group work refines the rationale informing your unique integrative approach.You will have opportunity to reflect on your personal beliefs, identities, and cultural awareness to develop an approach that is coherent with you as a person. The emphasis is on personal learning within the group and the application of this learning in personal, group and societal settings.
Module code: PSYC70836
Developing As A Professional Counsellor
What sort of counsellor do you want to become? This module will help you to work on your professional identity, as well as incorporating your Patch work to showcase
Module code: PSYC70837
Developing Specialisms In Counselling
Do you have a specialist area you’d like to focus on?This module will help you to consider various specialist areas within counselling and psychotherapy. We’ll consider topics from spirituality, working with young people, working with gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity. This is your chance to hone in your specialist area to graduate with a good general knowledge of counselling as well as an in-depth understanding of some speciality areas.
Module code: PSYC70838
Counselling Research Project
On this Counselling research project module, you will carry out an active research project relevant to the area of counselling. Your project will be in a topic chosen by you, to allow you to follow your own area of special interest within the counselling field (agreed with supervisor). You will have the opportunity to interview people or conduct other modes of inquiry and write up your findings with the possibility of going on to present the research and findings at conferences or publish in academic journals.
Module code: PSYC70832
Counselling Research Proposal
The proposal module allows counselling practitioners qualified to post-graduate level (or equivalent) to enhance and deepen their knowledge in the field of counselling research. This includes ethical decision making, carrying out a literature review in an area of interest relevant to counselling and reflecting on the philosophical and practical aspects of research. The research proposal introduces students to a variety of research methodologies. They begin to formulate research questions and make informed choices about relevant approaches to researching their chosen topic. They critically review and report on the literature in the chosen area. Ethical and legal considerations will be explored in depth to enable application for ethical approval of the proposed counselling research project.
Module code: PSYC70831