Counselling, FdSc

Counselling, FdSc

Overview

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.

Course length:

Full-time: 2 years (1 day and 1 evening per week excluding placement)
Part-time: 3 years (Either 1 day per week or ½ a day and 1 evening per week, excluding placement)

Start date:

13th September 2021

Location:

Knightstone Campus

Course codes:

Institution: W47
Course: B940
Campus: -

Awarding institution:

Bath Spa University

Find out more

Course detail

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 Claire Plews if you have any questions.

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.

Assessment

Written Exams

0%

Coursework

90%

Practical Exams

10%

What's it like

Discover more about studying Counselling at University Centre Weston with this short video.

Quick Stats

This Foundation Degree is a professional qualification that enables graduates to register as a counsellor with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Find out more

Quick Stats

This Foundation Degree is a professional qualification that enables graduates to register as a counsellor with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Find out more

Meet the Team

Matt Thacker

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Lecturer - Counselling

Matt works in private practice as a counsellor and supervisor and has a small private practice. He also works as the project lead and one of the supervisors at the Swan Project in Bristol, an agency which works with people experiencing addiction. Matt has a BA (Hons) in Cultural Studies, a Level 5 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and a Postgraduate Certificate in Psychotherapy. He works integratively, and has a particular interest in working with trauma, and bereavement work. Matt is currently undertaking an MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice at Bath Spa University where he is conducting research exploring white psychotherapists attitudes towards their own racial identity.
Meet the Team

Steve Heigham

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Lecturer - Counselling

Steve has taught counselling at UCW since 2005 part time, at level 2, level 3, Diploma and foundation degree level. He has a degree in teaching (BEd), a degree in Psychology (BSc), an Advanced Post graduate diploma in Integrative Psychotherapy, and an MSc in Evolutionary psychology. He was a special needs teacher for 22 years before lecturing in Psychology and counselling in further and higher education colleges. Steve has a small private practice in Bristol, offering Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and integrative counselling. He is also a volunteer counsellor for HELP organisation. Steve is currently developing his research interest and practice on empathy and its evolutionary origins.
Meet the Team

Wendy Griffin

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Lecturer in Counselling

Wendy has her own busy private practice as a counsellor and supervisor and has achieved accredited status with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. She also works as the Lead Counsellor in a local secondary school managing a wellbeing team of therapists and counsellors. Previously she worked in NHS mental health primary care for several years delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy interventions and running courses on anxiety, depression, stress and self-esteem. She gained her Master’s Degree in Psychology of Education at Bristol University and has an Honours Degree in Psychology from Keele University. Wendy obtained the FdSc in Counselling as a student at UCW herself, and has experience of working with adults and young people both as a therapist and as a teacher for over 25 years.
Meet the Team

Claire Plews

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Curriculum Coordinator - Counselling

Claire has been in private practice as a solution-focused psychotherapist and supervisor since 2002. She has a Master’s Degree in the Psychology of Education from the University of Bristol and a BSc(hons) in Sociology and Psychology from Plymouth University. Over the last 20 years Claire has also gained a large wealth of experience in teaching psychology and delivering training to counselling professionals, both for local organisations and universities and has taught on the FdSc and BSc(hons) programme since 2017. Claire’s particular interests lie in the area of anxiety disorders and early intervention within mental health and education. For over a decade Claire has taught extensively on a nationwide CPD programme focusing on OCD and CBT interventions and has fronted an initiative for local health professionals for early intervention in mental disorders. She has a Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice, is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is in her fourth year of studying for a Doctorate in Education at the University of Bristol exploring the adolescent perceptions of mental health provision in schools.