Entry Requirements

A Minimum of 64 UCAS Points from one or more of the following:

• At least two A-levels
• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma/Diploma/Subsidiary Diploma/Certificate
• BTEC National Award/Certificate/Diploma
• International Baccalaureate
• Access to Higher Education Diploma (minimum 15 credits at Merit or above)
• GCSE English Language and Maths at Grade C (old specification) or Grade 4 (new specification) or above OR a Level 2 equivalent such as Functional Skills.

For any qualification not identified above the HE Admission Team will determine equivalences through UKNARIC.

GCSE English Language and Maths at Grade C (old specification) or Grade 4 (new specification) or above OR a Level 2 equivalent such as Functional Skills.

Exceptional Entry

Applicants wishing to be considered for entry to the second or third year of study, or wishing to import credits or evidence of prior learning into the course for which they are applying, will be considered in accordance with the awarding bodies policy on Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning.

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)

All successful applicants for this course must undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check in Year 1, prior to starting placement in Year 2. The cost of the initial DBS check is included in the course fees.

DBS identification documents are verified by trained staff in line with DBS guidelines as part of the admissions process. 

Important:

Disclosure and Barring checks cannot be carried out for applicants who are not, or have never been resident in the UK. Applicants who reside, or previously have resided overseas will be required to provide a criminal record check or certificate of good conduct from their country or countries of residence prior to entry on to the course.

Disclosure and Barring Service

Exceptional Entry

Applicants wishing to be considered for entry to the second or third year of study, or wishing to import credits or evidence of prior learning into the course for which they are applying, will be considered in accordance with the awarding bodies policy on Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning.

Course Structure

Year one units

• Introductory Counselling Skills, Ethics and Law
• Existential and Person-Centred Therapy
• Counselling in a Contemporary Context: Working Therapeutically with Identity, Difference and Diversity (1)
• Critical Psychopathology
• Developing Counselling Skills (incorporating FTP1)
• Counselling Children and Young People

Year two units

• Integrative Practice (incorporating FTP2)
• Comparative Approaches in Counselling
• Counselling in a Contemporary Context: Working Therapeutically with Identity, Difference and Diversity (2)
• Loss and Attachment
• Introduction to Research

Year three units

• Consolidating Creative Techniques (incorporating FTP3)
• Philosophical Issues in Counselling
• Addiction and Substances
• Dissertation
• Personal and Professional Relationship

Work placements

Minimum of 100 Hours Voluntary Placement Counselling in an approved Counselling Agency – Mandatory requirement. In year two there is a requirement for 25 to 50 hours to be completed, subject to successful completion of the ‘Fitness To Practice’ module in Year one. A further 75 hours are required in Year three, these numbers ensure that successful graduates will be well positioned to achieve full membership of an appropriate regulatory body such as BACP or NCS.

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month prior to registration, though we endeavour to let you know an outline as soon as possible. Please note that we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day during the week. Typically timetables are scheduled for 13 hours per week across two days between 9am-5pm (however there may be events during the year, for example guest speakers that may run until 6pm). We expect you to build on your learning through Independent study for which we have space available within the campus or at the Forum in Southend.

Personal therapy

You are also required to undertake 30 hours of personal therapy during the programme, with a minimum of 10 hours of personal therapy to be completed during the first year prior to starting placement in year 2. You will be required to become student members of The BACP (British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy) and to maintain personal indemnity insurance in line with industry requirements.

Guest speakers

You will benefit from several guest speakers working at organisations including, for example:

• Cruse Bereavement Care
• Chelmsford Prison
• Basildon Women's Refuge Centre
• Southend Young People's Drug and Alcohol Team
• Transpire

Contact hours

13 hours per week over two days.

Teaching & Learning

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops, which enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of the disciplines of Counselling and all professional aspects pertaining to the counselling industry.

Typically across all years of the programme you will have 13 hours of contact time per week across two days.

Contact time will consist of:

• Lectures/seminars for between two - four hours
• Tutorial and dedicated one-to-one support when necessar

Independent learning

When not attending lectures, seminars or workshops or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue to learn independently through self-guided, independent activities. This may typically include reading journal articles, books, periodicals and preparing coursework and presentations. A range of excellent facilities, including the library and online learning resources, the Learning Resource Centre and the Forum supports your independent learning. Typically Independent learning will approximately equate to 70% in Year one and 70% in Year two (with 17% of this being Practice Learning) and 75% in Year three.

Assessment & Feedback

Across the programme students are assessed using a variety of methods including; Essays, Research Projects, Presentations, Workplace Simulations, Portfolios, Reports and Journals. Please note that full assessment information can be found in the module descriptors.

Feedback

You will receive formative feedback as part of your modules and taught sessions with your Module Lead. You will also receive summative comments on all formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Written feedback is provided to students within 20 working days of submission through
Turnitin. Alternative forms of feedback can be requested by students through one-to-one meetings with Module Assessors/Module Leaders.

Feedback on the Final Major Project/Dissertation module in Year three is provided throughout and through supervision meetings as scheduled.

Course Cost

Adult, full_time: £8500 per year

Fees are per academic year for Home/UK students.

The following course-related costs are included in the fees:

• A sum towards clinical supervision. A sum towards appropriate personal indemnity insurance. A sum towards required membership of an industry regulatory body
• You will receive an allocation of pages for printing. Once you have used your allocation, you need to charge up your account with more pages
• Initial DBS check

Additional costs

You will be expected to source and pay for 30 hours of personal therapy over the three years of the programme. Personal therapy sessions cost in the region of £40 per hour.

What Next...

Students can progress onto postgraduate programmes including:

• MA Counselling
• MA Psychotherapy and Counselling
• MSc Therapeutic Counselling
• MSc Counselling Children and Young People
• MSc Psychology
• MSc Psychological Research

Graduate destinations

When you have graduated you will be able to pursue a number of different career options including:

• Counsellors in a variety of settings including schools, the Terence Higgins Trust, Women’s Refuges, local charitable organisations, mental health agencies
• teaching

The majority of students have gained full-time employment following graduation.