Humanistic Therapeutic Counselling
PGDip
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Course summary and entry requirements
Course duration
Part-time: 2 years
Professional accreditation
There are two main national organisations that accredit counselling training: the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). The university is an organisational member of the BACP and the Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association (UPCA). UKCP or BACP accreditation for a course is the benchmark of quality and is a sign that the course meets the demands required to prepare students for work as an independent professional counsellor. The postgraduate diploma in Humanistic Therapeutic Counselling is currently BACP accredited.
About the course
This course concentrates on counselling as a discrete activity, it is not an introductory course nor applied to a specific work context. It is a postgraduate course providing an academic and professional training in counselling and it is affiliated to the Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association (UPCA) and accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
The philosophy of the course is based upon a recognition that there is no single presiding theory or model of counselling which commands widespread agreement and support. Nevertheless the practice of counselling cannot be separated from underlying values, theoretical assumptions and hypotheses concerning the nature of human experience and change. Drawing upon existentialism and phenomenology and developed in reaction to the dominance of behaviourism and psychoanalysis, the humanistic approach gives primacy to the individual's capacity for self determination. Therapeutic activity is directed towards creating a context which promotes client autonomy. This is exemplified in the person-centred approach. Other epistemologically consistent theories and models, notably Gestalt, Transactional Analysis and Family Systems Theory open additional possibilities for intervention. The change from 'person centred' to 'humanistic' reflects course developments which on the one hand bring greater depth to the students' learning experience through the examination in depth of the philosophical underpinnings of theory while introducing increased breadth through the inclusion of complementary approaches.
Typical entry requirements
Individual offers may vary.
For non-native speakers of English:
IELTS 6.5 overall and 6.0 in writing.Other:
Degree and/or experience:
Degree or equivalent (eg professional qualification). Applications from non-graduates considered but they will be required to produce evidence of being able to study at master's level. Applicants (normally at least 25 years old) must have completed a minimum of an introductory Level 2 counselling course of 30 hours (or the equivalent). The course must be face to face (not distance learning), include theory and practice, and needs to be accredited by a nationally recognised body such as NFCE or CPCAB. -
Course content
Course structure
The course contains four major elements: academic and professional studies, practical training, training supervision, and personal growth and development. Some classes are shared with colleagues on the postgraduate diploma in Psychodynamic Therapeutic Counselling including: professional, social and ethical issues, human growth and development, and psychopathology.
The course emphasises the importance of developing the attitudes inherent with the humanistic approach through practice in workshops and other experiential learning situations. The course helps to ground your understanding of the theoretical and philosophical ideas and concepts that underpin the humanistic approach with counselling practice, thus developing two of the central tenets of the course. In addition there is an emphasis placed on developing your self awareness.
The course contains eight modules over two years. Study involves one day per week at the university, seven non-residential weekends, two two-day blocks in September of the second year and two study days (one in September and one in the inter-semester break in January) both in the second year.
Students are required to complete 100 hours of supervised counselling practice in an approved clinical placement. Placements begin in the first year of the course, normally before the end of the first semester and help and advice is given about finding a placement. The course team have built up close relationships with a number of placement agencies including South Downs NHS Trust Primary Care Trust (for placements in GP practices), Youth Advice Centre (for placements in the YAC centre), and Brighton and Sussex University counselling services. Most agencies will provide the supervision free of charge in return for the counselling undertaken by the trainee although this is not true of all agencies.
Students are also required to undertake their own personal counselling or therapy during the whole of the course, in effect being in personal therapy from the start of the course in October to the end of the course in June. Potential applicants are advised to factor in the cost of this counselling or therapy when considering the course.
Areas of study
The relationship between the postgraduate diplomas in Humanistic Therapeutic Counselling and Psychodynamic Therapeutic Counselling:
The counselling and psychotherapy courses team have taken a particular and, arguably, unique approach to curriculum design and course delivery. This reflects contemporary developments in the field by adopting a social constructionist position on the status of theory. This opens the way to the provision of a professional training founded on rigorous intellectual enquiry. A cross-modality approach contrasts with the potential for rigidity and orthodoxy of single modality trainings and the academic weakness of integration which fails to take account of philosophical and theoretical difference.
There are key points of dialogue between these courses so that students are helped to understand their chosen orientation from a different perspective. The team believes that this helps develop a more critical understanding of both orientations and a mutual respect for the other modality.
Syllabus
Year 1
Humanistic Counselling Theory
Human Growth and Development
Humanistic Counselling Practice and Personal Development
Process Groups
Themes in Professional PracticeYear 2
Research Methods for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Critical Perspectives in Humanistic counselling
Applied Humanistic Counselling Practice
Process Groups -
Fees and costs
The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2013-14. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and may be subject to small increases, in line with inflation.
The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.
What's included in the fee?
When costs such as health or criminal record checks, field trips or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.
You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply please check with the school that provides your course using the contact details on the left of this page for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.
Our website www.brighton.ac.uk/money provides advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.
PGDip Humanistic Therapeutic Counselling
Please contact us directly for exact tuition fees for this course. -
Location
Location
Falmer Our Falmer campus is located on the edge of the South Downs National Park on the outskirts of Brighton. Approximately 7,000 students are based here.
View campus maps and directions
Living in Brighton
Brighton’s rich mix of historic architecture, lively arts scene, varied shopping and cosmopolitan community make it a vibrant, enjoyable place to live. It is no wonder that many Brighton graduates choose to stay here.
Social scene
Alongside the traditional seaside attractions, Brighton is famed for its exciting social scene with a wide choice of pubs, clubs and restaurants.
Arts
The highlight of the city’s cultural year is the Brighton Festival. The event is held each May and is England’s biggest arts festival, which showcases arts and performance from around the world. Brighton is also home to the UK’s oldest working cinema, the Duke of York’s, which shows alternative and mainstream films. The city is also well known for its exciting music scene and hosts The Great Escape music festival.
Sports
Whether you take your sport seriously or just want to keep fit, Brighton offers all kinds of sports opportunities and facilities, on and off campus. You can also make the most of the location, and play volleyball, basketball and windsurfing down by the beach. The seafront is also the finishing point for the famous London – Brighton bicycle ride and the quirky veteran car run.
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Career opportunities
The postgraduate diploma has an excellent reputation in the locality and our students have gone on to hold counselling posts in many organisations including the public and voluntary sector or established private practices whilst others have gone on to undertake further training or have used their counselling skills in their existing profession.
There is an MSc in Psychotherapy and students who successfully complete the postgraduate diploma in Humanistic Therapeutic Counselling would be eligible to apply to this MSc.
01273 644516
Email sassenquiries@brighton.ac.uk
Please note that this course is now full for 2013.
We will be open to receipt of applications for 2014 from the beginning of October 2013.
Visit the school that delivers this course
Counselling Open Afternoon – Wednesday 29th January 2014
An open afternoon for the postgraduate courses in counselling is taking place on Wednesday 29th January 2014.
Please contact Kath O’Malley on 01273 644516 or email k.h.o’malley@brighton.ac.uk to register your interest.
Further information will be provided nearer the time.