Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy
Develop as a safe, creative and ethically sound counsellor and psychotherapist through the integration of theory, research, therapeutic practice, and a commitment to self-awareness. This course is no longer accepting applications for 2024.
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Key Course Details
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Start Date
September
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Location
Newport
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Campus Code
C
Fees
Home students
£1,200*
- Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.
The MA Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy course facilitates students in developing a critically analytical and evaluative understanding of integrative counselling and psychotherapy theory and therapeutic practice.
Course Highlights
Module Overview
The MA Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy has been designed to serve as a professional qualification for student practitioners seeking a career as a qualified counsellor/psychotherapist with clients aged 18 years and over. The course provides student practitioners with input on approach specific as well as integrative counselling theory and a range of skills practice opportunities.
Year one builds on the core ethical principles and competencies of counselling with a focus on Person-Centred, Existential and Psychodynamic approaches. Readiness to Practise assessments take place In the December of year one, with placements commencing from the January onwards. Across the first year, there will be in-person teaching and skills practice as well as teaching and skills practice, in keeping with BACP online and phone therapy competency expectations. There will also be key focus on working within risk-based contexts both in-person and online/via phone.
Integrative Counselling Theory and Practice
Introduces the theory and foundational skills of the humanistic person-centred and existential approaches, whilst also setting the firm foundations of the ethical and legal frameworks within which counsellors and psychotherapists are duty bound to work.
Applied Integrative Counselling Theory and Practice
Introduces the theory and foundational skills of the relational psychodynamic approach. In addition, students begin to learn how to integrate approaches within applied therapeutic practice with real client issues.
Personal and Professional Development
This module places emphasis on self awareness, patterns of relating with others, working with unhelpful aspects of self in addition to working with the challenge of giving and receiving feedback.
In year two, students are supported in becoming more integrative in their approach, integrating aspects of humanistic, relational psychodynamic and CBT, including third wave approaches. Across the second year, there will continue to be in-person teaching and skills practice as well as teaching and skills practice, in keeping with BACP online and phone therapy competency expectations. There will also be greater focus on more complex client presentations as well as research skills and preparation for post-qualification practice.
Advanced Integrative Counselling Theory and Skills
Introduces the theory and foundational skills of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Third Wave approaches, such as mindfulness, CFT and ACT. The module also provides an overview of models and approaches to working with mental health, e.g. Medical Model, Bio-Psycho-Socio-Spiritual Model as well as more Trauma-Informed approaches.
Advanced Applied Theory and Practice
This module focuses more on working integratively with a range of client issues typically found in professional practice e.g. grief and loss, domestic abuse, complex trauma. There is also a focus on developing research skills in preparation for completing a research project.
Advanced Personal and Professional Practice
This module places emphasis on engaging with and facilitating safe, ethical and effective group work.
Research Methods and Dissertation
You will learn a range of appropriate research methodologies and methods, to support you in developing, implementing and completing your final dissertation submission. You will be allocated a personal academic supervisor to provide expert guidance, advice and support throughout the process.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
A relevant degree or a qualification at level 6 or above, plus a minimum of a level 3 counselling skills qualification or equivalent. This qualification needs to include the formal observation and assessment of counselling skills practice by an appropriately qualified tutor.
In addition, evidence of previous experience of working within a helping environment.
Additional requirements include:
Two references need to be uploaded with your application with one being from your previous counselling skills tutor.
A detailed personal statement is required that offers a well-considered reflection of your personal and professional values, skills and experiences and why these inform your potential for success within a counselling and psychotherapy training environment. The selection process will include a written exercise, a group-based skills activity and an interview.
An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Adult Workforce and Adult Barring List and subscription to the DBS Update Service is required. (Overseas equivalent required for non-uk applicants).
Closed for International applicants
Unfortunately, this course is not currently open to international applicants, please visit our course pages where you can find an alternative course choice.
Contextual offers
We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.
USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.
We're here to help
Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.
Fees and Funding
£1,200
per 20 credits*Additional Costs
As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.
Students will be expected to pay for a DBS or certificate of good behaviour from their home country. The DBS fee includes £49.50 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee
Cost: £64.74
Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £16. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate
Cost: £16
Cost varies depending on the organisation
10 hours therapy per academic year. Cost is per session.
Cost: £25 - £55
Cost varies depending on individual circumstances. Each year if not already covered.
Cost: £75 - £150
Some agencies require you to pay for the supervision required in Year 1 & 2. Cost is per session.
Cost: £30 - £65
Course Highlights
How you’ll learn
Classes include interactive theoretical lectures, experiential workshops, personal development groups, role play, simulated skills groups, and digital recording of skills sessions for assessment and presentation purposes.
In addition, you will need to be in a placement location seeing 'real' clients throughout the first two years of the course (once you have been assessed as ready to practice) and you will need to have completed at least 100 hours of supervised counselling and psychotherapy practice by the end of the first two years.
We expect students to attend all teaching sessions, and there is a minimum requirement of 80% attendance for successful completion of the course.
In Year Three, there are seven days of tutor-facilitated teaching and learning and nine hours of direct dissertation supervision.
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Teaching Staff
The core course team are Dr Nicky Lewis (Course Leader), Dr Mason Neely and Nandi Kriwaczek.
All are BACP registered or accredited and in private practice as counsellors and psychotherapists alongside their academic roles. In addition, all are qualified clinical supervisors.
Nicky is also a Chartered Academic Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the BPS.
The core team are supported by departmental colleagues Katy Tozer (HCPC Registered Dramatherapist), Dr Andrew Dale (HCPC Registered Counselling Psychologist) and Anna Fox (BACP Accredited Counsellor/ Psychotherapist).
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Placements
You will need to undertake a counselling and psychotherapy placement seeing 'real' clients within an agency setting, throughout the course.
You will need to have completed at least 100 hours of supervised counselling and psychotherapy practice (not including cancellations) by the end of the two years. Up to a maximum of 49 of your hours can be through online and telephone means but a minimum of 51 hours need to be in-person.
There is a BACP requirement that you should have fortnightly supervision for your counselling and psychotherapy practice and a minimum of 1.5 hours supervision per calendar month. (a mixture of individual and group is recommended) based on a ratio of 1 hour of supervision to 8 hours of client work.
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Facilities
A light, modern suite of teaching rooms on the Newport City Campus in addition to IT and library facilities including access to appropriate data analysis software.
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How to apply
There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).
International admissions
Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.
University Quality Assurance
At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.
If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.