Counselling (Top-Up)

The counselling top-up offers a final year of study for students who already hold a Level 5 Diploma in Counselling, enabling them to convert their qualification into a bachelor’s degree in counselling.
Teaching is delivered by experienced professionals currently working in the field, ensuring learning is informed by contemporary practice and real-world insight. Students benefit from experiential learning in new counselling simulation rooms and updated teaching spaces, with additional training hours that can contribute towards the SCoPEd framework.

The programme also offers placement opportunities, interdisciplinary learning alongside Psychology, Business, and Mental Health and Wellbeing students, and a strong focus on career development and progression

Course Modules

The course offers 2 routes, 1 year full-time or 2 years part-times. Students following the one-year route, will need to attend the modules offered that year and this will largely depend on the number of students on each module. Students studying the 2-year option may have more optionality within the modules depending on student numbers. Both full-time and part-time study will include Research Methods and Research Project modules.

Modules:

• Research Methods (Core): An overview of the research methods involved in conduction a small research project.

• Research Project (Core): This module will support students in conducting a small research project.

• Children and Young People Counselling Theory and Practice (Option): These modules will equip students will the basic knowledge and skills to work with CYP clients.

• Marketing, Money, Finance and Tax for Counsellors (option): This module give students the skills for them to set up their own counselling practice and is run alongside our business lecturers.

• Online and Telephone Counselling Theory and Practice (option): These modules will offer students the ability to practice their skills in a virtual environment.

• Mindfulness (option): Therapists will gain higher levels of self-efficacy and deepen their compassion and acceptance toward the self and others.

• Working with Neurodivergence (optional) Therapists will learn the theory and skills needed to working with neurodivergent clients including but not limited to ADHD, Autism, AuDHD.

The course will be taught with blended learning, with some modules taught face-to-face on Campus and others running online. Classes are predominantly experiential meaning we teach from our own experience working with real clients. All teaching staff are active counsellors, with their own professional counselling background.

The modules are assessed in a variety of ways. These assessments may be self, peer or tutor assessed, and include recordings and critiques of transcribed counselling sessions, live practice with peers (Triads), presentations, theory and reflection written assignments, case studies and portfolios of evidence. There are no exams.

The course offers two routes, one year full-time or two years part-times. Students following the one-year route, will need to attend the modules offered that year and this will largely depend on the number of students on each module. Students studying the two-year option may have more optionality within the modules depending on student numbers.

Teaching and Learning

We offer workshops and support sessions in areas such as academic writing, effective note-making and preparing for assignments.

Students can book appointments with academic skills tutors dedicated to helping deal with the practicalities of university work. Our student support section has more information on the help available.

In terms of particular needs, the University’s Inclusion Services can provide appropriate guidance and support should any students require reasonable adjustments to be made because of a recognised prevailing disability, medical condition, or specific learning difference.