Counselling MSc

Program Overview

It equips graduates with the knowledge and skills to pursue a career in counseling, including supervised placements, personal therapy, and a critical approach to research and practice. The program aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goal for Good Health and Wellbeing and offers potential employment opportunities in various settings, including NHS, schools, and organizational contexts.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Master's degree in Counselling at the University of Northampton is an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of human thinking, reasoning and their actions and offers the chance to take the first steps into a career in counselling. Our MSc in Counselling course provides you with a level of knowledge and skills that will allow you to develop as counsellors, and once you have gained further experience and client hours you will be able to pursue a range of professional opportunities. If you have a first degree in Psychology that is Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) accredited, your postgraduate training opportunities will include doctoral training on British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited courses in Counselling Psychology.

Outline:

The Counselling MSc degree at the University of Northampton has been designed to contribute towards achieving the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goal: SDG3 Good Health and Wellbeing. This Masters in Counselling course will help you to achieve sufficient communication skills as well as personal development skills which are useful and applicable to a number of organisations and situations. Students will be integrated into the learning process partnered with a supportive and motivational environment. Our masters degree in counselling requires you to undertake a supervised placement of a minimum of 100 client hours plus supervision and a minimum 40 hours of personal therapy with an approved and registered or accredited counsellor or therapist. A student membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is advised and professional indemnity insurance and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required for placements. The counselling masters modality is theoretical integrative, which means that you will be working to a specific integrative framework throughout the course. These frameworks draw on a range of traditional theories which you will also learn about, along with a wide range of the issues that clients may present with in counselling. Throughout your counselling masters, you will be encouraged to develop a critical, evaluative approach to the knowledge which underpins present-day professional practice as well as building your ability to make evidence-based decisions. Current issues within counselling and therapy will be considered critically with particular emphasis on their relationship to client practice.

Stage 1

• Clinical Hours (Module code: PSYM076P, Status: Designate)
• Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods (Module code: PSYM085, Status: Compulsory) - The purpose of this module is to provide students with the opportunity and resources to develop a critical understanding of research methods so that they can evaluate research they read and/or propose research of an acceptable standard.
• Dissertation and Research Methods (Module code: PSYM086, Status: Compulsory) - The purpose of this module is to build on basic research methods skills from modules PSYM085 or PSYM102.
The module is designed to develop advanced research skills enabling students to autonomously formulate and conduct an empirical research project in a field relevant to individual masters programs under supervision.

Careers:

Upon completion of your master’s in counselling, you may find employment opportunities within NHS settings or schools, as well as further or higher educational counselling settings. Various opportunities are available within organisational settings and police settings, as well as in continuing professional development (CPD) work.

Other:

• Face-to-face client placement on the counselling masters.
• This Master’s counselling course can count towards a professional body accreditation with BACP.

22023/2024 Tuition Fees Fees quoted for the counselling masters relate to study in the Academic Year 23/24 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years. UK – Part Time: Year 1 £4,005 (90 Credits) / Year 2 £4,005 (90 Credits)

• Fee may be subject to an inflationary increase in 24/25.
2024/2025 Tuition Fees Fees quoted for this counselling masters relate to study in the Academic Year 24/25 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years. UK – Part Time Year 1 £4,140 (90 Credits) / Year 2 £4,140 (90 Credits)
• Fee may be subject to an inflationary increase in 25/26.
Additional costs BACP student membership is required for many placements (currently £82 per year). Supervision of the client work is compulsory and students may need to contribute to the cost of supervision at the placement agency, or if the agency does not provide this they will need to find and pay for a private supervisor (average of £40 to 60 per hour; a minimum of two hours of individual supervision or equivalent is required per month from the start of the placement). Some agencies also require trainees to attend their training which they may charge for. Travel costs to and from placements, and extra costs associate with placements, may be incurred throughout your studies depending on where you are based.