MSc Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy

Beyond the course content, here's what studying with us offers.

• Learn from staff who are practising BACP, BPS and HCPC professionals, active in the field.
• Study on a multidisciplinary campus alongside nursing, social care and other health professionals.
• Use specialist facilities, including psychology labs, an observation suite and our cyberpsychology laboratory.
• Join a research-active School of Psychology, home to more than 50 academic staff.
• Receive dedicated academic and pastoral support through your personal tutor and placement officer.
• Join a diverse community, with students and staff from around 120 countries.
• Save 20% on your fees through our Postgraduate Loyalty Discount if you're a Wolverhampton graduate.

Postgraduate student loans of up to £13,206 are also available from Student Finance England to help cover your fees.

By the end of this course, you will be able to apply counselling and psychotherapy theory, ethics and research to real client work, and to reflect critically on your own development as a practitioner.

Knowledge

• Critically evaluate contemporary counselling and psychotherapy theory, research and debate.
• Apply the BACP Ethical Framework confidently to real client situations.

Practice

• Assess and respond to complex client needs with sound clinical judgement.
• Communicate clearly with specialist and non-specialist audiences, including clients, supervisors and colleagues.
• Design and carry out your own psychological research, from proposal to dissertation.

Personal development

• Reflect critically on your own growth as a practitioner and set clear goals for the future.
• Apply safeguarding principles and manage complex, unpredictable situations ethically.

You will also build broader transferable skills valued well beyond therapeutic practice, such as:

• clear, confident written and spoken communication.
• critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning.
• initiative, personal responsibility and teamwork.
• research, analysis and IT literacy.

Additional Course Costs

There are additional expenses to be covered by students:

• 20 hours of personal therapy from a BACP accredited counsellor.
• External clinical supervision from a BACP accredited counsellor at least fortnightly during supervised practice on placement. The frequency of supervision increases if you see more than 8 clients sooner than within a fortnight.
• Professional liability insurance to cover the length of your placements.
• Annual BACP student membership (to cover the duration of your studies).
• Cost of travel to placement.
• Cost of additional CPD required by your placement - Some placements require prior/additional training to work on their placement.

It is worth exploring the possible costs of all the above. This may also influence your decision to study part-time or full-time. Please see the links below for some examples of costs.

Student membership (must be held for full duration of course): https://www.bacp.co.uk/membership/student-membership/

Both your chosen therapist and chosen supervisor will need to be BACP accredited. A full list can be found here: https://www.bacp.co.uk/search/Register

This website lists BACP counsellors, with current pricing: https://www.bacp.co.uk/search/Therapists

This website lists BACP supervisors, with current pricing: https://www.bacp.co.uk/search/TrainersAndSupervisors?q=
You see a supervisor every 8 clients you work with on your voluntary placement OR every 2 weeks, whichever is sooner. You should therefore budget for supervision up to twice a month (2 hours total).

Insurance quotes for students, BACP recommendations: https://www.bacp.co.uk/membership/member-benefits/insurance/

Further information on these additional costs will be provided prior to the start of your studies

These fees relate to new entrants only for the academic year indicated for entry onto the course, any subsequent years of study may be subject to an annual increase, usually in line with inflation.

Academic Pathway:

• An upper second-class (2:1) honours degree in BSc (Hons) Psychology & / with Counselling degree or a full Counselling degree will be ideally placed for entry. Other Psychology graduates and graduates of relevant programs will also be eligible for application.li>

Graduates from a non-counselling background will be required to complete a Level 3 counselling qualification before enrolment on the course as well as demonstrating experience within a counselling or other helping profession.li>

Two satisfactory references - one from an employer or clinical supervisor who could vouch for your counselling-suitability and the other an academic one.li>

This is a professional training course. Important: Please note that all applicants (UK and International) are required to evidence that they have participated in interactive counselling skills practice as part of their degree or counselling training qualification in order to meet the entry criteria for this course. It is essential for shortlisting purposes to include a section in the personal statement that provides evidence of your previous experience of interactive counselling skills practice.li>

Work Experience Pathways:

• An upper second-class (2:1) honours degree.
• 12 – 24 months experience within a Counselling role.
• A level 3 Counselling qualification.

We will also consider applicants who hold a lower second-class (2:2) honours degree, along with extensive counselling experience (2 year and above).

All work experience-based applicants will be required to provide two satisfactory references - one from an employer or clinical supervisor, who could vouch for your counselling-suitability and detailing your role(s) and responsibilities from your line manager, and the other an academic one.

Interview Selection:

• All successfully shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an interview.

Beyond the academic/critical analytic skills (demonstrate the degree and / or work experience) the interview process will assess potential candidates though a holistic approach taking into the following attributes: - Self-awareness, maturity, and stability - Ability to make use of and reflect upon life experience - Capacity to cope with the emotional demands of the course - Ability to cope with the intellectual and academic requirement - Ability to form a helping relationship - Ability to be self-critical and use both positive and negative feedback - Awareness of the nature of prejudice and oppression - Awareness of issues of difference and equality - Ability to recognise the need for personal and professional support - Competence in, or the aptitude to develop generic professional skills, including literacy, numeracy, information technology, administrative skills, self- management skills, communication and interpersonal skills.

EU and International Applicants:

• You should also have a good standard of written and spoken English (IELTS 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each element) or an acceptable equivalent.

We have specific entry requirement information for EU and International applicants. Please also check the UK requirements above as these will also showcase if there are any additional subject requirements needed for entry.

Our country specific entry criteria are related to the curriculum you have studied. Please click here to find the correct information for the country you have studied in.

All international applicants are required to showcase their reasons for applying to study in the UK please use our personal statement template to support your application.

“I have found my counselling training really rewarding, challenging, and fun. I have learned a lot about myself and how to work with people in distress. The team is really supportive and down to earth, and available just as I need them. I cannot thank everyone enough for all their support this year.”

Postgraduate Loan (Home Fee Status):

You may be able to get a postgraduate student loan from Student Finance England of up to £13,206 to help pay for a Master’s degree. Applications are made through Student Finance England and more information on the regulations and eligibility criteria can be found at Masters Loans gov.uk.

* Any RPL will invalidate your eligibility as you must study a minimum of 180 credits

Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as Overseas (International) students for fee purposes. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

Postgraduate Loyalty Discount:

You can get 20% discount on a taught on-site postgraduate course if you’re a University of Wolverhampton Graduate.

The University offers a generous 20% Loyalty Discount to students progressing from an undergraduate programme to a taught postgraduate programme, where both courses are University of Wolverhampton Awards.

There is no time limit on how long ago you completed your degree as long as this is your first Masters level qualification.

The discount applies to the first year of enrolment only. Students who receive a loyalty discount are not entitled to any further tuition discount or bursary. For full terms and conditions click here.

Self-funded:

If you are paying for the fees yourself then the fees can be paid in 3 instalments: November, January and April. More information can be found by clicking here.

Sponsored - Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

Your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.

Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.

Charitable Funding:

You might also want to explore the possibility of funding from charitable trusts. Please contact Association of Charitable Foundations, Directory of Social Change or Family Aid. Most charities and trust funds offer limited bursaries targeted to specific groups of students so you will need to research whether any of them are relevant to your situation.

You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

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