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Counselling and Psychotherapy

  • FdSc
  • 2 Years
  • Full-time
  • 14 September 2026
  • Undergraduate
Royal Leamington Spa College
More about Warwickshire College and University Centre

Course options

2026-20272027-2028
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Course summary

Our Counselling and Psychotherapy Foundation Degrees (FdSc) are accredited with the NCPS register, which means that when clients choose a counsellor from an Accredited Register, they have the assurance that the counsellor has met the high standards required to be listed on the Register.

This course meets professional standards required to practise as a psychological counsellor with clients of all ages and in a range of settings.

Students taking the FdSc course will achieve qualification after two years full-time at level 5. Level 5 graduates can choose to apply for the BSc (Hons) Top-Up level 6 course if they would like to continue their studies to achieve a full degree.

Linking theory to practice on a clinically-supervised placement, and offering a choice of Person-Centred (PC) or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) pathways, the course will develop your skills to work with a wide range of clients, including children and young people (CYP) and clients with complex issues. In addition, this course will provide you with the professional and academic training to become a reflective practitioner who can meet changing needs within the counselling profession.

Our FdSc course is National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) accredited and meets the NCPS requirements for our graduates to apply to its accredited register. Our courses also meet the requirements of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) for graduates to take the Certificate of Proficiency and pursue post-qualification individual membership. The CYP element of the course is delivered in accordance with BACP competencies and can contribute to application to the NCPS CYPT register post-qualification by portfolio route.

The programme consists of 120 credits at Level 4 and 120 credits at Level 5 and is delivered over 30 weeks in each year, on one full day and one half day per week. In addition to direct teaching time, students will complete 100 supervised client hours in clinical placement and a further 10 hours of personal therapy and 10 hours of online work-based placement learning.

Course Comparison between the Foundation Degree and Level 5 Diploma: https://blob.wcg.ac.uk/pdf/l5-course-comparisons-2b85d804edeb76ea7c552d5bb013dce7.pdf

This course is delivered and awarded by Warwickshire College and is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS).

For our Higher Education Terms and Conditions please visit https://wcg.ac.uk/page/701/terms-and-conditions

Modules

Modules may include:

Level 4
Academic Study Skills, Employability and T-Shaped (WCG Generic) (20 credits)
Person-Centred Psychotherapy: Fundamental Skills (40 credits)
Personal and Professional Development 1 (20 credits)
Ethics, Law and Culture (20 credits)
Counselling Children and Young People (20 credits)

Level 5
WBPL (WCG Generic) (20 credits)
Personal and Professional Development 2 (20 credits)
Developing Psychotherapeutic Competence (40 credits)
Mental Health and Wellbeing (20 credits)
Integrity and Integration (20 credits)

All students must complete an additional 120 hours of work-based learning to achieve their qualification. This comprises 100 appropriately supervised clinical placement hours across the duration of the course and 20 hours to be completed at Level 4 which includes personal therapy and additional online learning.

For further details about this course, please refer to the programme specification here: https://blob.wcg.ac.uk/pdf/definitive-programme-specification-bsc-counselling-and-psychotherapy-v4-1-acc-30c1bfde095bafde412393e8c9f5ca24.pdf

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated, please contact us for the latest information.

Assessment method

Students will be required to undertake a range of assignments on the course, including essays, practical assessments, presentations, digital recordings, a multiple choice test, research proposal and final work-based placement portfolio.

This course is available in Clearing. If you have submitted an application, you can add this course. If you haven’t sent us an application yet, you can do this until 24th September 2026.

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • Royal Leamington Spa College

Study options

  • FdSc • Full-time • 2 Years

Start dates

  • 14 September 2026

Apply by
14 January

This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.

Application codes

Course code:
B942
Institution code:
W25
Campus name:
Royal Leamington Spa College
Campus Code:
-
Points of Entry:
Year 1

Warwickshire College and University Centre has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
B942
Institution code:
W25
Campus name:
Royal Leamington Spa College
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

UCAS Tariff
Not accepted

Applicants will have achieved a full level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills before the start of the course.

Equivalent qualifications and experience may be considered. For example, if an applicant already has a degree in a related subject such as Psychology and/or experience of listening or counselling skills in a current work role, we may offer a place without specific counselling skills training. However, where we consider an applicant without a level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills, they MUST provide evidence of alternative full level 3 qualifications or higher.

All applicants will be expected to provide evidence of their qualifications, a personal statement and a robust supportive reference from their course tutor confirming academic and psychological readiness. All applicants will be assessed on their potential to meet training standards required by the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).

Supervised clinical practice is an integral and essential part of the course and students are responsible for securing and completing an approved placement to complete a minimum 100 clinical hours, once they are enrolled on the course.

Additional entry requirements

Criminal records declaration (DBS/Disclosure Scotland)
In order to complete the mandatory clinical placement, students will be required to obtain a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which is usually paid for by the placement provider.
Interview
Applicants may be invited to attend an online application meeting where they will be asked questions to establish sufficient readiness and robustness to undertake this academic and work-based learning programme and to meet the emotional demands of the course. Applicants who have been made an offer will be invited to attend an online Q&A session with the course leader, which is usually held in June.

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).

It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.

Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

WCUC tuition fees are listed per academic year and will remain for the duration of your course.

The following course-related costs are not included in the fees:
Essential: Professional Body student membership in preparation for placement. This is likely to be in the first year of study, especially for the full time route. See websites for current fees:
NCPS information available from ncps.com
BACP information available from bacp.co.uk

Essential: Personal Therapy 10 hours (costs variable but anticipate minimum £40 per session). This is in the first year for full time and second year for part-time students.

Essential: Clinical Supervision 1.5 hours minimum per calendar month when working with clients (costs variable from £0 - £75 per month).

Professional indemnity insurance when on placement. Some placements insure the student, otherwise seek a quote from relevant insurers.

Printing, depending on individual preferences. WCUC maintain a policy of digital documentation and digital assessment submission.

Cost of books that you might wish to purchase. It is recommended to purchase essential reading for each module. WCUC has library resources including e-books.

Cost of electrical equipment such as laptops, notebooks and stationery for your personal use. A personal laptop is recommended.

Accommodation and living costs not included in the fees:
This information can be obtained from our Accommodation webpage (https://wcg.ac.uk/accommodation).

Sources of financial support
If you receive funding from Student Finance you may be eligible to apply for additional benefits. Details can be obtained from our HE fees and financial support webpage (https://wcg.ac.uk/page/2428/he-fees-and-financial-support).

Bursaries
WCG also provides bursaries for undergraduate students, for which you may be eligible to apply. You can check your eligibility for these types of financial support, along with their value and application deadlines, at our HE fees and financial support webpage (https://wcg.ac.uk/page/2428/he-fees-and-financial-support).

Clearing contact details

Clearing Hotline

he@wcuc.ac.uk

0330 135 6840

Course Clearing information

Additional information

Thinking about applying for a degree course? Haven’t secured a place yet? Don’t panic! You can apply for a place here at Warwickshire College and University Centre. Unsure how Clearing works? You can find everything you need to know here or you can give our dedicated Admissions Team a call on 0330 135 6840 for further information and assistance on your application journey.

Warwickshire College and University Centre

Warwick New Road
Leamington Spa
CV32 5JE

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