Counselling (Taught)

Our degree aims to progress you through initial training as a counsellor or psychotherapist to a doctoral qualification in alignment with the professional standards for therapists across the UK. Drawing on contemporary approaches to therapy, you will learn how to work with clients experiencing mental health difficulties in different contexts. We focus on professional practice and competencies, offering the opportunity to undertake pluralistic practice, the fastest-growing therapy modality in the UK. The programme offers advanced entry for qualified practitioners already registered with a professional body in counselling.

The programme is structured into three integrated stages, allowing you to advance through the professional standards to achieve the doctorate. We offer the following designated exit points:

• MSc – consists of core learning required to become a practising therapist.

• MPhil – gain advanced therapist training required to achieve accredited status as a practitioner.

• DCouns – the most advanced level of training available to practitioners.

We have a robust, contemporary curriculum, built on a pluralistic model which ensures creative collaboration and responsiveness to client needs when undertaking therapeutic practice through a social justice lens. You will discover and deploy different interventions and methods for working with diverse client groups while enhancing your personal and professional development as an ethical, self-aware therapist.

A range of inclusive assessment methods are used for example, essays, case-studies, reflective accounts, portfolios of training experiences, and client work.