Clinical Counselling

Entry requirements

A 2:2 honours degree, professional qualification or equivalent

A minimum intermediate counselling skills qualification at Level 2. Your counselling skills course should require in-person attendance, practical skills and will normally have been completed within a five-year framework. Applicants who completed their level 2 counselling skills qualification over five years ago and those with a degree that contains a module involving counselling skills should contact us for advice.

Applicants must apply for an Occupational Health check.

Months of entry

October

Course content

The MA in Clinical Counselling provides a robust professional programme of counselling training, designed and delivered in accordance with the person-centred ethos. By combining knowledge of counselling and psychological theory with practical skills and ongoing personal development, our course facilitates students to develop as reflexive, professional and ethical practitioners.

Our course is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and is one of the few accredited MA courses in a university setting in the UK. This accredited status means the course has gone through a rigorous process to ensure it meets a high standard in relation to the rationale, content, delivery and outcomes. Once students successfully graduate from all components of the course, they can automatically gain entry onto the BACP Register, which is a public record of ‘minimum standard of quality’ in counselling.

The course offers an in-depth exploration and experience of the person-centred approach to counselling. The person-centred approach, developed by Carl Rogers, is part of the group of therapies based on humanistic-existential psychology, and at its core are the themes of personhood and person-centred ways of being, the values of which are reflected in the course design and delivery.

While receiving a comprehensive grounding in the person-centred approach, students will also learn to recognise the theoretical similarities and differences of this to other established approaches. Additionally, students will receive robust training in the ethics, skills and practicalities of working as a counsellor, in person and remotely.

Information for international students

English Language Requirements

For those who do not have IELTS or an acceptable in-country English language qualification, the University of Chester has developed its own online English language test which applicants can take for just £50.

Fees and funding