Integrative Counselling
B940*Subject to Validation
Course overview
*Subject to Validation
The Foundation Degree (FdA) in Integrative Counselling offers a supportive, experiential route into becoming a counsellor.
Choosing a counselling course is a very personal decision. Becoming a counsellor involves exploring who you are, how you are in the world and how you connect with other people. It involves understanding other people and how they are in the world. Understanding the problems people have and why. Helping them work through problems, grow and develop. When deciding which counselling programme to do you would need to explore the right therapeutic orientation which fits who you are.
Every person is unique, uniquely them. As such we need different ways to understand people, to understand their process, and therefore different ways to aid them. Whether you study person centred counselling, which at its core is about being with the other person, offering unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence, enabling them to grow. Or gestalt therapy, an existential, phenomenological, relational approach which involves, experimentation, exploration and embodiment, all ways to aid our clients to understand their blocks to connection and growth. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a solution focussed approach; it also offers a way to understand why people have the problems they have and use tools and interventions to enable people to overcome problems they are facing.
As people are unique, sometimes they may need CBT and other times gestalt therapy or a counsellor who will be with them, a person centred counsellor. Or more probably an integration of the three approaches. So, on the course we teach you person centred counselling, gestalt therapy and CBT. We teach you how to integrate them and find the best way of working with your clients’ process, so that you have a holistic way of working with your clients.
Through experiential learning, skills practice, personal development, supervision and professional placement, you will build the confidence, competence and professional identity needed for contemporary counselling practice.
We recognise that counselling continues to evolve. Throughout the programme, you will explore counselling across a range of settings, including face-to-face, and online, while engaging with current research. You will explore difference and diversity, analyse ethical dilemmas and examine professional issues that shape the profession.
On successful completion, you will be prepared for employment in a range of counselling settings and for progression towards professional accreditation, as well as further academic study.
In the second year you will engage with supervised practice at a clinical placement, where you will hone your counselling skills and knowledge, helping you build insight, confidence and a deeper understanding of what it means to be a counsellor.
*This programme has received University approval for curriculum development and is now in the final stages of the validation process. Some elements of the curriculum could be altered at this stage such as inclusion of optional module content, assessment types, module names and indicative curriculum content.
What you need to know
Course start date
January
Location
Blended learning, Winchester
Course length
- 2 years full-time
Apply
B940
Typical offer
32 points
Fees
From £9,790 pa
Why Winchester
- Gain knowledge and skills to work as a counsellor or therapist.
- Programme accreditation with British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (subject to approval).
- Be supported by an experienced and approachable teaching team with wide ranging professional and academic backgrounds.
- Make a positive contribution to mental health provision and the growing need for a trained, effective workforce.
- Benefit from excellent networks and practitioners with extensive experience of working in therapeutic practice.
- Flexible learning opportunities with blended learning.
Course details
Accreditation
The course is seeking accreditation or recognition by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and it leads to the successful holder being awarded MBACP status.
Teaching
You will learn and be taught both on and off the job, enabling you to apply and practice the skills and knowledge you gain in a variety of ways. Practice-based learning is an important element of the programme, and you will be required to undertake a placement for the duration of the programme. You will be supported by a personal academic tutor throughout.
Assessments
This course will provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice assignments. Each module has one or more formal assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade. Assessment methods include a range of coursework assessments such as essays, reports, portfolios, and presentations.
More information will be available shortly. Please check this page later.
Teaching
The programme is grounded in an inclusive, experiential, relational, and integrative learning philosophy, underpinned by research, reflecting the nature of counselling practice itself. The teaching strategy includes:
- Lectures / interactive Seminars
- Blended learning / Digital competencies
- Independent learning
- Practice (triads, goldfish bowl, embodied practice)
- Reflection (group process, supervision-style learning)
- Integration (case work, placement)
Teaching methods reflect the principle that counselling is learned through doing, reflecting, and integrating, as well as academic study. You will explore theory and who you are, through exercises designed to raise awareness, experiments to aid knowledge, lectures to learn theory. Group process to explore aspects of self and how you are in the world.
You will learn how to deepen your clinical knowledge through a placement. Where you will work with clients, becoming aware of how to become the counsellor you can be and understand the different settings counsellor’s work.
Modules
Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions
Modules
This module introduces you to counselling. It explores the history of counselling and mental health, as well as the stages of human development. This is where you will learn about person centred counselling, gestalt therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy and how to integrate them.
This is the module where you learn and practice the counselling skills required to become a connected and effective counsellor. You will learn about connecting, about listening and nonverbal communication, about being with another person, through both learning and doing.
This module is where we explore who you are and how you connect in the world. We utilise several ways of exploring self and analyse them through group process. Through understanding yourself we also examine the impact your process has on other people. So, we are exploring how you can use yourself as a vehicle for aiding others.
In this module we explore your professional development and further develop your knowledge and understanding of common mental health problems. We will explore how you can work with the common mental health problems from an integrative perspective. We will also explore through reflective practice, how you can build on the skills you are developing.
Modules
In this module we explore the therapeutic process and the stages of change. We explore collaborative formulations and the embodied approach. It is where we deepen the therapeutic relationship, exploring empathy and authenticity.
In this module we explore your professional development and further develop your knowledge and understanding of common mental health problems. We will explore how you can work with the common mental health problems from an integrative perspective. We will also explore through reflective practice, how you can build on the skills you are developing.
In this module we explore creative and contemporary ways of counselling. We will introduce you to creative interventions as well as other therapeutic modalities, such as art therapy, drama therapy and the use of movement. We will look at virtual and telephone counselling, nature therapy and walking therapy etc.
This module brings together all that you have learned, you will be on placement and as such working with clients. In this module we will look at supervision and how to get the most from it; as well as practitioner wellbeing. This is your qualifying module where you will present your cases and demonstrate professional accountability.
Entry requirements
- UCAS Tariff – 32 points
- 4 GCSEs (Grade C/4 or above)
- Applicants must possess a Level 3 or equivalent qualification
- Applicants must have their own placement setting organised
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance
Successfully shortlisted applicants to this course are normally expected to attend an interview at the University.
Assessments
Assessments are designed to be inclusive and to enable you to demonstrate your understanding of theory, practice and yourself. The assessment strategy may include:
- Reflective essays (linking theory to self and practice)
- Case studies
- Skills assessments
- Presentations / leaflets & Posters
- Transcript analysis for micro skills
- Placement reports and supervisor feedback
- Personal and Professional development portfolios
If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:
- IELTS Academic at 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all four components (for year 1 entry)
- We also accept other English language qualifications, such as IELTS Indicator, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TOEFL iBT
If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by contacting our International Recruitment Team via our International Apply Pages.
Additional costs
There might be costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the mandatory and optional costs for this course*:
- You will need to be able to travel to your placement and will be responsible for covering the cost associated with this. Students may need to arrange accommodation; in some situations, there may be a cost incurred.
- Where a module specifies core texts these should generally be available from the library either physically or electronically. Some students choose to buy their own and these can be purchased from any source. Indicative cost is £10-£50.
- Personal therapy approximately £40-£60 per hour.
- Placements may provide supervision or contribute towards the costs, but not all will. The Counselling Directory website can help provide you with information on the average costs of supervision and therapy.
- Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) Certificate. This typically costs £64 for applications using the Digital ID identification route, but it can cost up to £72 for applications using other identification checking routes.
- Professional Indemnity Insurance is approximately £35-£90 per year. Discounts are available from some insurers for BACP members and monthly payment options are usually available.
- Professional members of the BACP is usually £92 per year for Student Members, or £46 at reduced rate for people who are in receipt of a state benefit or unwaged, with no personal income.
- An electronic audio recording device. The cost of these ranged from £15-£20 upwards.
*This programme is in the final stages of the validation process. Some elements are subject to change.
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS
We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards page.
CAREER PROSPECTS
On completion of the Foundation degree in Integrative Counselling, you will be able to work in public or voluntary services, work in private practice or to undertake further study, for example the top up degree.
OUR CAREERS SERVICE
