Humanistic Counselling (Top-Up)

If you have a DipHE in counselling (or an equivalent Level 5 counselling qualification), you can top it up to a Bachelor's degree on this 1-year course.

You'll build on the counselling skills (100 hours completed by the end of L5) and interpersonal abilities you gained in your previous studies by developing knowledge in advanced humanistic counselling skills. You'll learn the latest trends and developments within humanistic counselling theory and apply them to your practice, with professional development support in the form of discussion focus hubs, supervision and networking.

You'll also complete a research project on a topic that aligns with your interests and ambitions.

When you complete the course, you could work as a humanistic counsellor in areas such as education, the police service, the prison service and the voluntary sector. The advanced skills and practitioner experience you gain will allow you to work with a wider variety of clients with more complex needs.

Alternative courses
You can specialise in other types of counselling and therapy on our BSc (Hons) Gestalt Counselling and BSc (Hons) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy top-up degrees.

Location
This course takes place at South Hampshire College Group - Eastleigh Campus. While studying here, you can access the University's student support services and community including study support, the Students’ Union and our library's online resources.

What you'll experience

On this course you'll:

• Learn advanced humanistic counselling skills, building on the knowledge you developed during your DipHE

• Develop advanced research skills on a research project that aligns with your interests and career ambitions

• Apply your knowledge and skills with at least 100 hours of supervised counselling on a placement in the community

• Learn from experienced, industry-trained staff who've worked in organisations or run their own private practices

• Build a foundation to help work towards a further professional accreditation with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) following completion of the course

• Develop transferable skills you can apply in all aspects of your life and career in areas such as problem solving, communication, group working, planning, effective feedback and IT

• Study at South Hampshire College Group - Eastleigh Campus with access to University of Portsmouth support and services

• Apply for membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and get access to member resources including journal subscriptions, free courses and job boards

Careers and opportunities

Events such as the coronavirus pandemic and increased awareness in society about mental health have increased the demand for counselling and therapy services. As a humanistic counsellor, you can have a significant positive impact on people's health and wellbeing, and help take the pressure off other health services such as GPs and hospitals.

Public, private and charity sector settings you could work in after the course include:

• Education

• Alcohol and drug services

• Eating disorder services

• Mental health services

• GPs

• Police and prison services

Core modules
Core modules in this year include:

• Humanistic Advanced Counselling Skills (40 credits)
• Professional Practice Placement (40 credits)
• Research Project (40 credits)

There are no optional modules in this year.

Changes to course content:
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, course content is revised and regularly reviewed. This may result in changes being made in order to reflect developments in research, learning from practice and changes in policy at both national and local levels.

On this counselling diploma, you'll be assessed through:

• Essays
• Live skills assessments (role play scenarios)
• Individual and group presentations
• Portfolios of evidence
• Case studies
• Personal learning journals
• Professional requirements (a 'Fitness to Practice' assessment)
• Supervised work-based learning

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

Feedback is central to this course. You'll get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future, as well as on your application for the 'Fitness to Practice' assessment. You'll also practice giving feedback during live skills assessments, where you'll receive feedback from your peers, as well as the assessment tutor.