This course is open for applications
Page last updated 15 November 2024
Introduction
Our course provides professional counselling training enabling you to register with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), so when you study with us, you can rest assured you'll get all you need to become the best psychotherapeutic counsellor you can be.
Accreditations and partnerships:
Why study Counselling and Psychotherapy?
Counselling and psychotherapy is a challenging but very rewarding career area. A career where you get to make a difference, to help people, and to change lives, including your own. As a qualified psychotherapeutic counsellor, you will provide support to people experiencing emotional difficulties by helping them to identify their issues and develop strategies to address them.
Working in hospitals, health centres and in private practice, psychotherapeutic counsellors support clients with a wide range of concerns including mental health issues, challenging physical conditions and life events, as well as managing difficult emotions.
Why UWE Bristol?
Building on the solid reputation of the diploma course, UWE Bristol's Master's in Counselling and Psychotherapy degree is a professional practice course that equips you for practice by qualifying as a competent, reflective practitioner, able to think critically and integrate theory with practice. The course has been created to support your development as a counsellor while at the same time integrating your professional practice with master's level academic study. The course includes taught modules, your own personal therapy throughout the training, clinical work and supervision, as well as a small research project.
You'll learn from an enthusiastic, supportive teaching team with a real passion for their subject and a wealth of experience across all aspects of counselling and psychotherapy. The team includes active researchers and authors, so your learning will be enriched by the latest in best practice.
Where can it take me?
The master's degree will equip you with all the knowledge and experience you'll need to fast track your career progression. Having experience of a period of extended work-based learning will allow you to deepen your clinical skills, become robust and resilient so you can cope with the complexity of the mental health issues you'll be presented with.
The demand for counsellors and psychotherapists is growing in the UK so you can expect your skills to be sought after. You'll have many exciting career opportunities open to you in a wide range of roles. You could work in the NHS, for private or voluntary sector employers, in church or faith-based organisations or college or university counselling settings, for example.
Structure
Content
Year one
You'll study:
- Professional Practice. Professional Skills and Clinical Supervision - You'll learn about the practical application of relational counselling and psychotherapy skills, be introduced to counselling and psychotherapy supervision, and take part in counselling practice at a placement.
- Theory and Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy - You'll learn the principles which form the foundation for professional counselling practice, including examining key relational theoretical approaches within counselling and psychotherapy to understanding how psychological problems and distress develops.
- Professional Practice - Personal Development - You'll learn key concepts in personal development and we'll focus on how internal and external worlds affect the therapeutic relationship including an advanced awareness of how unconscious processes affect therapy.
Year two (work based)
You'll study:
- Research Project - This module introduces a methodological pluralism that acknowledges a multifaceted and contextualised approach to research inquiry in counselling and psychotherapy.
- Evidencing Work-based Learning in Counselling and Psychotherapy - You'll be introduced to systemic approaches taking account of the impact and interactions between organisational structures, group dynamics and counselling practice, enabling you to apply this on your counselling placement.
Year three
You'll study:
- Professional Practice. Professional Skills and Clinical Supervision - You'll be supported to apply theoretical understanding and reflective process to professional practice, encouraging you to see supervision as an interpersonal process where understanding is facilitated and co-created through relationships.
- Theory and Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy 2 - You'll examine more complex issues in counselling theory and practice. You'll develop a deeper understanding of client concerns, and learn how to assess the most appropriate counselling interventions.
- Professional Practice - Personal Development - This module supports critical and empathic reflection, reflective practice, and personal and professional development. The emphasis is on deepening your awareness of the process of your Personal Development group.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.
Learning and Teaching
Our course is varied, flexible and interactive in its approach and provides a stimulating, supportive learning environment that enables you to develop skills in theoretical learning, personal and professional development, research, and to become an independent, self-directed and reflective learner. You'll develop the skills and personal attributes you'll need to establish and maintain positive and collaborative relationships with team members, colleagues and agencies.
Personal development and self-awareness form a key element of the training and the course adopts an Integrative Relational Approach, which integrates humanistic and relational psychodynamic concepts. You'll learn how to apply your learning in your clinical placement in a way that empowers you and your clients and while also maintaining high standards of anti-discriminatory practice appropriate to the pluralistic nature of society today.
See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Study time
The MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy is a three-year, part-time course requiring you to attend one day a week and spend a minimum of half a day per week on placement throughout the course along with allocating 15 hours per week towards individual study time. Additionally, you will have clinical supervision for at least 1.5 hours per month and at your own expense will be required to attend therapy yourself for an hour per week.
Assessment
You will be assessed throughout the course. We'll make use of a variety of assessment methods including reflective essays, theoretical essays, presentations, recordings from client sessions and reflections, self, peer and tutor assessment, research, evidencing work-based learning, projects and a final viva.
Learn more about our assessments.