Foundation Degree in Counselling Theory and Practice

The tuition fee is the cost for each year of the course. You can apply for a part-time student loan.

Additional costs:

• To undertake your placement you will need to obtain a DBS and receive monthly supervision, these may attract a personal cost depending on the organisation you obtain a placement with.
• 20 hours of Personal Therapy over the two years
• Membership of the BACP as a student member
• Professional liability insurance.

COURSE SPECIFICATION

You seek a qualification that supports further study, in psychology or counselling, and you are genuinely interested in counselling as a future career. Alternatively you are required to use counselling skills, autonomously, in your current profession.

You must have completed a face to face Level 3 Certificate in Counselling to apply. You will also need to supply the names of two referees, one from an academic source. Every applicant is invited to an interview to assess their suitability for the course. At the interview, you will need to declare and discuss previous convictions, reprimands, cautions or final warnings. A satisfactory DBS will need to be obtained to enable you to undertake your placement, which is a requirement of the course.

Entry requirements include passes at GCSE for English and Maths at grade 4 or above however equivalent qualifications and/or work experience will be taken into consideration. Applicants without GCSEs will be required to complete initial assessments and may wish to consider the part-time GCSE courses that the college offers both during the evening and daytime

The course is designed to meet the evolving markets and increasing uptake of the listening therapies across a breadth of employment areas such as education, medicine, the care sector, management and human resources. High-quality training, grounded in the Humanistic approach provides the opportunity for students from a wide range of backgrounds to develop their counselling knowledge, skills and professional practice in readiness for practise in a variety of settings. The supervised practice hours associated with this qualification can be included towards BACP Accreditation.

The Foundation Degree comprises the following modules:

Counselling Theory

In this module, you will have the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of a number of perspectives/approaches in counselling, such as Person-Centred, Gestalt, Existential, Transactional Analysis and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, including the theory, practice and philosophy that underpins each approach.

Developing Counselling Skills

In this module, you will develop your counselling practice in relation to the core model. Practice and development groups (PAD) involve triad work with peers to enhance counselling practice and engagement in a wider group context in order to critique practice for development purposes. The environment will create opportunities for constructive feedback whilst simultaneously recognising and respecting the autonomy of each individual and their particular style, to support, encourage and enable professional development.

Personal Development In Counselling 1

Personal development is a fundamental component of Counsellor training facilitated through exercises/activities and group process, and forms a central ethos throughout the whole programme. Group process (PD groups) create a safe, experiential space with the aim of enhancing your self-awareness with particular attention to self in relation to others, whilst embodying the core conditions of Empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard and Congruence in order to create a climate for growth.

Preparation For Counselling In Placement

In this module, you will be introduced to the professional, legal and ethical frameworks that will support your counselling practice. You will develop a comprehensive understanding of the BACP's Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy and relevant legal requirements in order to practice competently.

Study Skills For Counsellors

You will be introduced to the research skills necessary for the study of counselling at HE level. These skills will include: Conducting a literature search to include accessing texts, journals, research publications and the internet Constructing a bibliography and referencing using the Harvard system Developing presentation skills Developing oral presentation skills Planning and presentation of written documentation including a range of reports, essays, reflective journals Developing appropriate critical thinking skills by examining issues from a range of professional, work based and theoretical perspectives Reflective writing.

Counselling Skills In Practice

This module builds on the previous Developing Counselling Skills module studied in Year 1 and aims to support you in the development of your counselling practice in placement. You will consider ethical practice, referral procedures and the use of supervision. You will be required to submit audio tapes of your client work to the PAD group for peer feedback, which will support the continuous development of a professional attitude towards your work.

Personal Development In Counselling 2

As with the previous module, personal development continues to be a key component of your journey. Experiential group process is the medium through which you will have the opportunity to increase your self-awareness and become more conscious of the underlying processes that are present between you and group members. It is expected that you will allow the emergence of more sensitive material that will facilitate a deeper acceptance of difference and diversity and an ability to be more congruent and immediate in your relationships. Your learning journal will aid the process of reflection and analysis.

Research Methods In Counselling

This module introduces you to contemporary methodologies in counselling research and aims to develop the skills needed for the effective appraisal of findings from research and evaluation studies.

Theories Of Human Development

This module introduces you to the major theories of development across the lifespan. You will have the opportunity to explore the main physical and psychological factors affecting human growth and development, including cultural influences and how they need to be understood in a counselling context.

Working With Loss And Grief

Experiences of grief and loss occur for a wide variety of reasons, from changes in life roles, loss of employment, to the death of a loved one and affect both clients and counsellors. Working through grief and loss is affected by a number of factors such as personality, family and cultural values and previous experiences. In this module, you will be introduced to the key theories related to grief and loss that will support your developing practice.

You will need to undertake a 100-hour placement at an approved agency as a requirement of the course. This course is awarded by Staffordshire University, and further information is available in the attached course specification.

On successful completion of the course, you will be a fully qualified practitioner equipped to gain employment as a professional counsellor or to set up your own private counselling practice.

Your course will provide you with opportunities to test your understanding of your subject informally before you complete the formal assessments that count towards your final mark. Each module will give you a variety of opportunities to receive informal feedback from your tutor. These may include classroom discussions, discussions in the virtual learning environment, presentations, milestone assessments, and practice assessments. Informal feedback is developmental, and any grades you may receive for these do not count towards your module mark. There is a formal or ‘summative’ assessment at the end of each module. This includes a range of coursework assessments, such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations, final year independent project, and written examinations. The grades from formal assessments count towards your module mark.

Successful completion can be used as evidence towards applying for membership of the BACP and NCS and could lead to further professional development in counselling e.g. BA degree or Masters degree.

Please note a compulsory interview assessing your suitability for this course will take place. 

Although it is a full time course, attendance is one day per week.

To join this course please click the Register Interest button to receive an email with a unique link and instructions to register with UCAS at www.ucas.com and then apply through UCAS.

You will then receive a confirmation email from UCAS and the college will be in contact with an interview date. Current Shrewsbury Colleges Group students should seek support from their tutor before applying.

If after reading this fact sheet, you are still undecided about the programme most suitable for you, please drop into one of our advice events, ring the Admissions Team on 01743 653333 or email courseadvice@scg.ac.uk