With around one in five people experiencing a common mental health condition each year the demand for qualified, skilled counsellors looks likely to rise.
To meet this demand the University of Winchester has launched a new Foundation Degree (FdA) in Integrative Counselling, starting January together with a one-year top-up degree for people who have qualified as counsellors at level 5.
The University also plans to offer an MSc in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy from September 2027.
Students taking a new FdA Counselling course at Winchester will become qualified counsellors equipped to deal with a wide range of problems including anxiety, depression, stress, bereavement, loss and grief, relationship difficulties, loneliness and social isolation and low self-esteem.
Just as importantly students will be given the chance to gain great understanding of themselves, their thought processes and the impact they have on others.
Senior Lecturer Jillian Schofield believes the best counselling trainees are those “who have the openness to reflect on who they are, how that impacts on the lives of others, and how they are impacted themselves by others.”
Jillian (pictured) has designed Winchester’s course, to focus on self-exploration, relational connection, as well as learning new theories and skills.
The course is built on three pillars: the theories underpinning integrative counselling, practical sessions and exploration of self.
“Our inspiring course blends, theory, practical experience and self-awareness to help students grow into confident, empathic and reflective practitioners,” said Jillian.
The course covers three therapeutic modalities
By integrating all three approaches, Jillian believes the course will give students a greater ability to help a wider variety of clients in their future careers.
The course will include 100 hours of supervised practice on work placements.
And by working on the students’ own personal development they will acquire the resilience and personal wellbeing needed to succeed as a counsellor. As such students will have 20 hours of personal therapy when taking the course.
The top-up degree course is a natural progression from the foundation course and will also enable trained counsellors to extend their practice into more advanced, complex and specialist areas.
Counselling is rapidly expanding career path in the UK driven by increased public mental health investment and corporate wellbeing initiatives.
According to mental health charity Mind about one in five of adults in England experience conditions such as anxiety or depression and the latest figures from the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) show that 30 per cent of people aged 16 to 24 have seen a counsellor or psychotherapist at some point in their lives.
The NHS is also moving towards a more community neighbourhood and prevention-based model of mental health care, with people experiencing mental health and the Government has invested in 159 new NHS mental health facilities across England.
Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Elizabeth Davies-Ward said: “This new suite of counselling courses is a great addition to the University of Winchester’s portfolio of courses in health and social care. Our team of academics are expertly placed to provide a rich and valuable learning and teaching experience to students embarking on their journey within the field of counselling.”
Find about the Foundation Degree (FdA) in Integrative Counselling at the University of Winchester here.
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