Students on this course awarded it an overall satisfaction score of 100% in the 2019 National Student Survey.
It has been designed in response to the increasing need for qualified and experienced counsellors who can help vulnerable people make positive life choices and deal with mental health challenges.
The programme of study includes key counselling theories and related topics such as neuroscience, trauma and attachment, and a significant work placement. The course also has a humanistic focus, with studies in person-centred counselling, transactional analysis, gestalt therapy and existentialist therapy.
By enrolling on this course, you will also be invited to a conference-style residential visit subsidised by UCW to develop your practice outside of the classroom and present your work to peers and professionals.
You will also need to complete supervised placement hours and there may be additional costs for this external supervision.
You will also need to be in one-to-one counselling yourself for a minimum of 20 hours over the duration of study.
Whether you choose to study this course on a part-time or full-basis, you will also be expected to attend lectures in the daytime and in the evening, and also undertake a minimum of 100 hours of work experience in a relevant and supervised setting. We can provide a list of NHS and private practices to help you in securing a placement in an area of academic interest.
When in lectures and seminars, you will be taught in our Knightstone Campus in the centre of Weston. You will also be able to take advantage of the teaching and learning spaces a few minutes away in the new University Centre in the Winter Gardens. The new facilities include bright and spacious teaching and learning spaces, technology-enabled ‘pods’ for group study and a library.
A great way to decide if this is the right course for you is to come along to our next Open Day, where you can see our facilities and also meet the team. Please also feel free to get in touch with UCW’s HEART student services team or the course leader Barbara Feldtkeller if you have any questions.
Students who pass this course are awarded a Foundation degree from Bath Spa University. The agreement between Bath Spa University and UCW is reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure academic standards are maintained.
2021 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,500 per year.
2021 entry part-time tuition fees: £5,700 in year 1, £5,650 per year in years 2 and 3.
It also includes:
- The use of UCW equipment and facilities.
- Attendance at guest lectures and conferences at UCW.
- Annual £10 printing and photocopying allowance for full-time students and £5 for part-time students.
- The use of UCW computer equipment at any of our campuses and access to Microsoft Office 365 while you are enrolled with UCW.
- The loans of books from our libraries.
- Access to all of the UCW student support and careers services.
It does not include:
- An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at a cost of £44, which is required to study on this course.
- Any additional costs for supervision on work placements.
- The cost of a minimum of 20 hours of personal counselling who will have to undertake over the duration of your studies.
- Optional daytrips and residential visits at an approximate cost of £50 (UK) and £100 (overseas) per day/night.
- Extra printing and photocopying above the £10/£5 limit.
- The cost of books that you may wish to purchase.
- Transport between our campuses, and to/from your partner university and any work placements. We encourage students to take advantage of termly bus passes to reduce transport costs.
- Accommodation and other living expenses.
UCW publishes its Tuition Fees Policy on the Wider Information Set page of this website.
You may also be eligible for additional financial support, depending on your circumstances.
All of the modules on this course are compulsory and worth 40 credits each. Successful completion of all of the modules in the first year is worth 120 credits at Level 4 and equivalent to a Certificate of Higher Education. Successful completion of the second year is also worth 120 credits and will lead to the award of the Level 5 Foundation degree.
Full-time year 1:
- Core Theory and Contemporary Practice (40 credits)
- Life Events, Development and Change (40 credits)
- Personal and Professional Development 1 (40 credits)
Full-time year 2:
- Mental Wellbeing: Theory, Practice and Research (40 credits)
- Personal and Professional Development 2 (40 credits)
- The Reflective Practitioner (40 credits)
This course is taught via a combination of lectures, seminars, workplace practice, presentations, case studies and group workshops. UCW’s Higher Education Library Plus (HE.LP) team also deliver a series of sessions on degree-level study skills to all first-year students. When not in scheduled lecturers and seminars, students are expected to continue learning through independent self-study. This involves reading relevant literature, working on individual and group projects, and undertaking research in preparation for coursework and exams.
On a full-time basis, this course has an average of 11 hours of scheduled teaching per week. Students on this course are also required to undertake a supervised work placement totalling a minimum of 100 hours.
Assessment is via a combination of practical exams and coursework. The assessment breakdown is 10% practical exams and 90% coursework. There are no written exams on this Foundation degree.
Please click on the Course Handbook button to find out more, including how it is delivered on a part-time basis.
- Many of the students who pass this course choose to progress to the Level 6 BA Honours Top-up Degree in Counselling at UCW.
- Graduates of this course are also qualified to seek counselling, wellbeing and emotional support positions in the NHS and in private practice.
Industry insight
Counsellors must be accredited by a recognised professional body such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, which has more than 50,000 members (BACP data).
A Level 2 Counselling Skills certificate and a related Level 3 qualification, preferably a Certificate in Counselling Skills and Theory, an Access to Higher Education Diploma or A Levels. Applicants are also required to attend an interview.
