Postgraduate Taught

Applications for the Professional Counselling Training Route - Year 1 Certificate in Counselling are now closed for 2013/2014.

Keele University is one of the first Higher Education Institutions to offer counsellor training in the UK and has been delivering high quality training programmes since the early 1970s.

The BACP accredited Professional Counselling Training Route/part-time MSc in Counselling Psychology is a part-time training programme which builds up over three years. In Year One students complete the Certificate in Counselling and in Year Two the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling.  In Year Three students undertake the MSc research studies year. Successful completion of each academic year enables either progression onto the next year or an opportunity to exit with the completed qualification.

The first two years of the part-time MSc Counselling Psychology (The Professional Counselling Training Route) are accredited by the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) as a route of professional counsellor training. Candidates for accreditation must note that they will also have to meet all other criteria in line with BACP accreditation procedures.

Training Philosophy

This part-time training route in Counselling Psychology is integrative in nature and built upon a strong person-centred foundation. The Keele counselling model is founded on a person-centred view of personhood and person-centred ways of being. Integral to the model is the centrality of the therapeutic relationship, and Roger’s belief in the ‘self therapeutic capacity and wisdom of clients’. However, we also take a strong ‘anti-schoolism’ stance which reflects our sincere respect for other, non-person-centred practices and practitioners. Our starting point for the Keele Counselling Model is thus a unifying ethos which enables us to respect and welcome a diversity of professional skills and orientations.

The centrality of a secure and constantly reviewed ethical position, based on the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy, is presented to the programme members as a major personal responsibility.

The programme as a whole aims to equip students with the knowledge and expertise to support their work as professional humanistic counsellors. It aims to integrate students’ counselling skills practice with academic study at each training level and to facilitate student learning in the three areas of psychology: counselling skills, counselling related theory and self-development. The principles underpinning the programme are empowerment, holistic development, relationships and community.

Year One: The Certificate in Counselling

This programme is an introduction to integrative person-centred counselling theory and practice. It is suitable for individuals from a range of professional backgrounds who wish to improve their communication skills or begin training as a professional counsellor. The Certificate is an entry route onto the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology for those without traditional academic qualifications. On completion of the Certificate in Counselling students should have gained competencies in a wide range of professional knowledge, skills and self-development relevant to counselling practice.

Year Two: Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology

This year follows on from the Certificate in Counselling and offers professional training in counselling practice, theory and self-development. It is based on an integrative humanistic philosophy with person-centred practice. Students are expected to undertake one hundred hours of supervised counselling practice. Applicants must have successfully completed the Certificate in Counselling or the equivalent to access training in Year Two.

Year Three: MSc Counselling Psychology

Year three of the part-time MSc Counselling Psychology places a particular emphasis on developing the counselling practitioner’s own research interests, including a research based dissertation.

Traditional academic qualifications are not a necessary requirement to enter the professional counsellor training route at year one. The programme is open to applicants that show appropriate commitment and motivation to participate in a programme that combines experiential learning and academic study. All successful applicants will demonstrate emotional maturity and a capacity for sustained self-directed study, the ability to present written exposition of information and argument, the ability to work experientially as a member of a small group, an awareness of self and an awareness of the nature of prejudice and oppression.

Students may apply for exemption from Year One (The Certificate in Counselling Programme) and enter directly into Year Two (The Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology), if they can demonstrate that they have successfully completed a programme of study equivalent to the Certificate in Counselling from Keele University.

For direct entry into Year Three (the MSc Research Year) applicants require an equivalent Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling. 

For overseas applicants and for applicants who do not have English as their first language, an IELTS score of 7.0 or the equivalent is required. Students should achieve a score of at least 6.5 in each of the IELTS sub-tests.

Year One: The Certificate in Counselling

The Certificate course runs over one academic year and students are required to complete two 30 credit modules. Both modules must be passed for the Certificate in Counselling to be awarded.  Progression onto Year Two of the Professional Counselling Training Route is dependent upon the successful completion of all Year One modules and is also subject to tutor recommendation.

The modules for the Certificate are:

•    Core Counselling Competencies (30 credits)
•    Personal Development and Professional Issues (30 credits)

Throughout the Certificate course students have tutor led training in counselling skills and will be engaged in counselling skills practice with peers. A counselling placement is not required for Year One of this training and students are not permitted to go out into placement until Year Two, subject to tutor assessment of the student’s counselling skills and competencies.

Year Two: The Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling

The course runs over one academic year.  All students are required to take four 30-credit taught modules (120 credits at Level 4), and all modules must be passed for the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling to be awarded. The taught modules are:

•    Exploration in counselling (30 credits)
•    Understanding in counselling (30 credits)
•    Integration in counselling (30 credits)
•    Practicum (30 credits)

In addition, all students have tutor led training in the practical skills of counselling, as well as access to DVD recording equipment for counselling practice with peers and for the production of case material for critical skills analysis.

Students must complete a minimum of 100 hours of supervised counselling practice and have a minimum of eight hours of personal therapy. Students may have to pay for their own counselling supervision and personal therapy and are required to arrange these for themselves. However, our Placement Officer will be happy to help and advise students with this. Some students find it difficult to complete their 100 hours of counselling within the academic year but are entitled to continue with this requirement until the September after the taught element of the programme is completed. The award is withheld until this requirement is met.

Year Three: MSc Counselling Psychology

Students who successfully complete the Professional Counselling Training Route may proceed to the Masters year which comprises of two modules.

The Research Methods Module (15 credits) helps students through presentations and seminars to establish their research interests and create an appropriate design for their study. It is assessed on the basis of a 3,000 word essay in which the student must demonstrate knowledge of research principles, theories and methods. The Dissertation module (60 credits) requires the writing of a dissertation of not less than 15,000 words and no more than 20,000 words on a topic related to counselling psychology which is of interest to the student.

Teaching

We employ a wide variety of teaching and learning strategies including lectures, large group work, community meetings, tutorials and small group work. Students are encouraged to engage in experiential as well as academic learning methods.

Assessment

All modules are assessed on the basis of coursework. The pass mark for all modules for each academic level is a minimum of  50%. There are no oral or written examinations.