MA Counselling and Psychotherapy

Course overview

Interested in listening to and supporting people? Does the world of the psyche intrigue you? - You can make an immense impact on the lives of others by becoming a counsellor or psychotherapist.

Our MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy course adheres to the training requirements of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and is designed to challenge you personally and professionally.

You will combine your caring character with the academic knowledge and practical skills you need to competently and compassionately help people explore their difficulties, express their feelings and work towards deeper self-awareness and understanding.

On graduation, you will be eligible to apply for individual membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and may also apply for registration, subject to passing the BACP Certificate of Proficiency.

Course summary

We adopt a person-centred concept at the core of our course, but also provide opportunity to learn about and critically evaluate other approaches such as CBT, solution-focused and systemic ways of working. Though the focus is on adults, you will also be introduced to working with couples, children and families. Emphasis is placed on developing research skills and your understanding of evidence-based practice.

During the course you will need to do 100 supervised counselling practice hours. You will be expected to make arrangements for your own placement, but will be offered support from the counselling team. We maintain a database of counselling placement opportunities.

We make use of many assessment types which may include live peer/client session recordings and evaluations, portfolio, essay, oral presentation, poster presentation, chapter/article critique and dissertation. In the first semester you will attend a weekend residential which focuses on your personal and professional development, and you will also be expected to have 10 hours of your own personal therapy.

Graduate destinations

Your qualification will help gain work in a variety of settings including schools, the NHS and voluntary agencies. The skills you learn will be useful in a wide variety of work outside of therapy, with the research techniques you gain preparing you for a higher level course (e.g. PhD) should you be interested.