Counselling Psychology

Entry requirements

Applicants should have the following:

• Graduate Basis for Chartership with the British Psychological Society
• Upper second class or first class degree in psychology
• Certificate in Counselling Skills (comprising a minimum of 100 class hours)
• One year's experience of working in a one to one helping role

Months of entry

September

Course content

This applied professional training course gives you a doctorate-level education leading to a professional qualification. It comprises a comprehensive programme of taught modules, 450 hours of counselling psychology practice in a range of placements, and a doctorate-level research project. Experts guide you through integrated theory, personal and professional development, and clinical practice, with focus on the value of research and how it directly informs current practice.

In-depth preparation for practice

You receive rigorous training on personal, professional and academic levels, which requires you to combine personal development with explicit psychological theory as a basis for mindful clinical practice.

The training will equip you to work in a broad range of settings, including the NHS, industry, third sector, private practice, academic and research roles, and many others. Our links with practices and partner providers, such as LIFT, the NHS and the Avon Wiltshire Partnership, make this course highly vocational and popular with employers.

Based on the relational psychodynamic perspective, coupled with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, this course is designed to help you develop an integrative perspective based on these perspectives and any previous experience. For example, you may already have studied client-centred or existential perspectives as part of counselling certificate courses. The programme team is committed to the view that the therapeutic relationship is a key factor in promoting client change. The relational perspective is therefore a key element taught throughout the whole course. In Year 1 the model taught is relational psychodynamic; in Year 2 it is CBT and in Year 3 we integrate the two.

You must engage in personal counselling or therapy for the first two years of the course a minimum of 60 hours over the course. This reflects our central focus on a relational approach to practice. Please note, the cost for this is not included in the fees.

Qualification and course duration

Doctorate