Counselling, FdSc
Counselling, FdSc
Counselling, FdSc
Counselling, FdSc

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

This course has been designed to respond 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.

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Duration:
Full-time: 2 years (excluding placement)
Part-time: 3 years
Start date:
September 2022
Location:
Knightstone Campus
Course codes:
Institution: W47
Course: B940
Campus: -
Course fees:
Full-time: £8,900 per year
Part-time: £5,950 in year 1 and £5,650 per year in years 2 and 3
Additional information about this course:
Students on this course also need to complete supervised placement hours and there may be additional costs for this external supervision. Students will also need to pay for a minimum of 20 hours of personal counselling over the duration of the course. All students are also required to obtain an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an additional cost of £50 and pay £80 per year for student membership of the BACP.
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Click here to apply for this course part time

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Assessment

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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.

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).
Learn more

Full-Time

Part-Time

Meet our Team
Student - Matt Thackers image
Matt Thacker
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.
Student - Steve Heighams image
Steve Heigham
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.
Student - Benjamin Turales image
Benjamin Turale
Lecturer in Counselling
Benjamin is a transpersonal counsellor and supervisor in private practice, having worked in the field since 2009. He has operated in the not-for-profit space delivering suicide prevention, intervention and postvention as both a counsellor and training co-ordinator. He also has experience as a student counsellor in adult further education settings and has been a lecturer in counselling since 2018. Benjamin has a BA in Philosophy, a Graduate Diploma of Counselling and completed his Master of Counselling in 2014 at the University of Tasmania, Australia with a study on resilience, wellbeing and psychological functioning in Buddhist meditators. He also has diplomas in transpersonal counselling and art therapy. As a transpersonal therapist he has a particular interest in the role of altered states of consciousness in healing and in the intersection of psychology and spirituality.
Student - Claire Plewss image
Claire Plews
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.
    Student Spotlight
    Meet our team
    Student - Matt Thackers image
    Matt Thacker
    Lecturer - Counselling
    Read more...
    Student - Steve Heighams image
    Steve Heigham
    Lecturer - Counselling
    Read more...
    Student - Benjamin Turales image
    Benjamin Turale
    Lecturer in Counselling
    Read more...
    Student - Claire Plewss image
    Claire Plews
    Curriculum Coordinator - Counselling
    Read more...
      Input your text here! The text element is intended for longform copy that could potentially include multiple paragraphs.
      Student - Matt Thackers image
      Matt Thacker
      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.
      Student - Steve Heighams image
      Steve Heigham
      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.
      Student - Benjamin Turales image
      Benjamin Turale
      Lecturer in Counselling
      Benjamin is a transpersonal counsellor and supervisor in private practice, having worked in the field since 2009. He has operated in the not-for-profit space delivering suicide prevention, intervention and postvention as both a counsellor and training co-ordinator. He also has experience as a student counsellor in adult further education settings and has been a lecturer in counselling since 2018. Benjamin has a BA in Philosophy, a Graduate Diploma of Counselling and completed his Master of Counselling in 2014 at the University of Tasmania, Australia with a study on resilience, wellbeing and psychological functioning in Buddhist meditators. He also has diplomas in transpersonal counselling and art therapy. As a transpersonal therapist he has a particular interest in the role of altered states of consciousness in healing and in the intersection of psychology and spirituality.
      Student - Claire Plewss image
      Claire Plews
      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.
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        This Foundation Degree is a professional counselling qualification that will enable you to register as a counsellor with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

        This course has been designed to respond 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.

        Available courses