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University Professional Diploma
Hands on experience in practice to develop your integrative approach
Draws on a range of established psychotherapeutic approaches
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy accredits Diploma
Our Psychotherapeutic Counselling Professional Diploma will develop you into a reflexive counsellor who can work effectively with clients on a diverse range of issues.
As anxiety, stress and various associated conditions become increasingly common in today’s hectic world, more and more people are recognising the benefits of counselling.
Taking an integrative approach, this course will help you to develop a range of psychotherapeutic strategies – and enable you to begin to call on your own life experiences – to help your clients better understand their feelings and overcome the challenges they face.
On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: University Professional Diploma Psychotherapeutic Counselling
You’ll be taught five different counselling approaches:
You’ll also be encouraged to reflect on your own integrative approach as it develops over the course.
As a part-time student, you’ll normally complete the course over two years.
You’ll need to undertake a counselling placement of at least 100 hours, 50 hours of work-based learning and at least 20 hours of approved personal therapy.
You’ll attend a compulsory residential weekend near the start of the course which offers space to focus on personal development, skills and group dynamics in a tranquil setting.
There are also two compulsory Saturday day schools in both Year 1 and Year 2.
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Join Senior Lecturer Nikki for a tour around our state-of-the-art psychology facilities.
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This module map provides an indicative list of the modules that make up your course. Each module is worth a specified number of credits: you may be able to take a combination of compulsory and optional modules, enabling you to cover key subject knowledge while developing your own interest. You must take modules worth a total of 180 credits. The number of optional modules you can take depends on the number of compulsory modules at a given level, you may have more choice in later parts of the course.
Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. You can always find the most up-to-date information about your modules and who is teaching them in our module catalogue. We aim to ensure that all optional modules run as scheduled. If for any reason an optional module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
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: PSYC60814
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: PSYC60815
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: PSYC60813
This module deepens your knowledge of counselling theories and research. Current information on integration accompanied by discussions and exploration in groupwork 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: PSYC60816
Do you have a specialist area you would like to focus on?This module will help you to consider various specialist areas within counselling and psychotherapy. Well 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: PSYC60818
What sort of counsellor do you want to become?This module will help you to work on your professional identity, and give you experience in presenting at conferences, as well as incorporating your Patch work to showcase for a larger audience in our annual one-day conference
Module code: PSYC60817
You must have successfully completed at least a Level 3 Certificate in Counselling or equivalent and should also have a good standard of written and spoken English (IELTS 6.0 or equivalent).
You must obtain a counselling placement involving a minimum of 100 hours of supervised counselling practice during the course.
Your emotional maturity and resilience will be assessed as part of the application and interview process.
If you don’t meet the requirements to study at Professional Diploma level, you may be interested in our University Certificate in Counselling, which is studied part-time over one year.
For students who are not equipped to begin Certificate-level study and have little or no counselling experience, a 10-week Introduction to Basic Skills in Counselling course is also available. Successful completion of the Introduction will enable you to apply to enrol on the Certificate.
We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.
Study Psychology and you’ll gain skills that will be valued by a range of employers.
The counselling suite contains four cubicles for practising counselling skills or conducting interviews with participants, and a base room for teaching and peer observation of counselling sessions.
The Observation Suite contains an Observation Laboratory setup with a one-way mirror, video cameras and microphones to allow activities to be observed and recorded from the Control Room.
Find out more about our Counselling Suite.
Find out more about our Psychology Observation Suite.
When you’ve completed the Professional Diploma plus 450 client hours, you can apply to the BACP to become an accredited counsellor.
All students have access to Career Connect, our dedicated careers team.
Teaching includes formal lectures, small and large group work, triads, discussions, guided reading, video presentations, demonstrations and counselling sessions. During the training, you’ll take on the role of both counsellor and client, and explore your own reflexivity and self-awareness. In Year 2, with permission, there will be the opportunity to review audio recordings of actual practitioner-client sessions.
You’ll be required to critique an audio recording of a client on placement as part of the skills portfolio assessment.
Among other activities, during Years 1 and 2 assessments include essays and presentations on ethics, theory, skills critiques and personal development activities. In Year 2 you’ll also be assessed on your critique of audio from an actual client session.
In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include study skills (including reading, note-taking and presentation skills); written English (including punctuation and grammatical accuracy); academic writing (including how to reference); research skills; critical thinking and understanding arguments; and revision, assessment and examination skills (including time management).
Our Student Inclusion Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment, or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
You’ll receive constructive feedback on all work submitted for assessment. Feedback is intended to help you learn and develop, and you’re encouraged to discuss it with your personal tutor. You’ll be continually assessed on your skills during the triad sessions.
Feedback is normally provided within 20 working days following submission of work.
Your overall workload will consist of independent learning and assessment activity, equating to a total study time of approximately three days per week, including placement, supervision and wider reading. You’ll have approximately 7.5 contact hours each week.
When not attending sessions on campus or accessing Blackboard, our Virtual Learning Environment, you’ll be expected to complete research and reading in support of the topics you’ve been taught. You must also keep up-to-date with contemporary research and literature surrounding counselling.
Course Director
My professional experience includes working as a counsellor for the NHS, Douglas Macmillan Hospice and IMPACT; Aquarius alcohol agencies including counselling within the probation service.
For the course starting on 25 September 2023 the tuition fees are:
When studied part time, the duration of the course and the amount of fees you’ll pay each year depends on the speed at which you wish to progress. This is called the ‘intensity of study’. The usual study pattern on this programme enables you to complete modules totalling 60 credits in your first year of study. This would be equivalent to studying at 50 per cent course intensity.
If you follow this pattern of study you will complete the course in two years. In your second year you will pay the pro rata (equivalent) fee shown for your first year of study.
If you would like to know more about the fees listed and what this means to you then please get in touch with our Enquiries Team.
The compulsory residential weekend, which takes place in Year 1, is normally held in Ambleside, Cumbria, and is included in the course tuition fee. However, travel costs are not included.
You’ll need to complete 20 hours of personal therapy, which can be done over the two years. On average, counsellors charge around £40 per hour, but this cost will vary. It’s your responsibility to arrange counselling supervision, with a requirement to have one hour every two weeks, working to a ratio of one hour of supervision to six hours of counselling. On average, supervisors charge £40 per hour. Once again, this cost can vary, with some supervisors offering a discount to students.
On the first day of the course, you’ll need to complete an Enhanced DBS application form. You’ll be expected to cover the cost of the check.
Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees.
For more information on accommodation and living costs, please see: Accommodation
If you receive funding from Student Finance you may be eligible to apply for additional benefits. Details can be obtained by visiting: www.gov.uk
As an undergraduate student at Staffordshire, you may be eligible for additional financial support through one of our scholarships and bursaries. You can visit our funding page to find out more and check your eligibility.
If you are offered a place at Staffordshire University, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.
Students of Staffordshire University enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations.
StudentCrowd University Awards 2022
Complete University Guide 2022
The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023
Research Excellence Framework 2021
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