Our course brochure contains detailed information on all of our courses, and answers to many of the most common questions you may have. Download it here:
Frequently asked questions
I am under 25, will I be considered for a place on a PG Diploma?
Does it matter what subject my first degree is in?
I don't have a degree, will my application be considered?
I do not live in the UK, will my application be considered?
I do not have British qualifications, can I still apply?
I don't know whether to apply for the Humanistic or Psychodynamic PG Diploma – how do I decide?
I have not studied psychology before, does this matter?
I want to study the MSc, do I need to do a PG Diploma first?
I have a first degree (or Masters) in psychology – does this mean I can enter the MSc?
Are there grants or bursaries for these courses?
Does it matter that I have been out of education for a number of years?
As I have not been education for many years, I do not know who to use as a referee.
I have previously had my own counselling/psychotherapy – will this count against me?
If I am called for interview, what form does the interview take?
I know a counselling placement is part of the course, does the course guarantee to find me one?
I am under 25, will I be considered for a place on a PG Diploma?
We normally require applicants to be at least 25 years of age so that they have encountered a broad range of life experiences. We will exceptionally consider applicants who are under 25 years of age but they will be expected to demonstrate a high degree of maturity and self-awareness. Other than this we can give no general guidelines for under-25 year olds.
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Does it matter what subject my first degree is in?
The simple answer is no, it doesn't. Counselling trainees traditionally come with a wide breadth of academic disciplines.
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I don't have a degree, will my application be considered?
This answer falls into two parts: one for holders of professional qualifications which might be treated as degree equivalent, and one for applicants who neither hold a degree nor professional qualification. When considering applications from holders of professional qualifications we try to see if it equates with a first degree – if it does then we treat the application in the way we would for a first degree holder. If the qualification is not first degree level, or the applicant has no qualifications, then the course team have to make an assessment of whether they are sure that you will cope with academic studies at postgraduate level. We do this by asking you to write a short essay for us on a topic we set, although exceptionally we might consider written work already submitted for a recent, related qualification (but the qualification must be of a high enough academic standard). You must check with the relevant course leader before submitting any written work in support of your application.
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The entry requirements state that I must have some experience of working with people in a helping capacity, what does this mean?
What we are seeking is to ensure is that you can demonstrate that you have experience of being in a helping role and that you are able to reflect on your thoughts and feelings about this experience. We do not specify the exact nature of this experience as there are so many varied ways of satisfying it. We are interested in the question, 'What draws you to wanting to be a helper?' and would hope that you might also be curious and use your experience to think about this question.
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I do not live in the UK, will my application be considered?
The PG Diplomas and MSc are part-time courses so applicants must already have the right to reside in the UK in order to attend this course. If you do not have the right of residence in the UK then we are not able to consider your application. Citizens of member state of the EU have the right to study part-time in the UK and so may be considered for this course. If English is not your first language then we may ask you to take a language test (at your expense).
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I do not have British qualifications, can I still apply?
The simple answer is, 'Yes'. First, for those holding EU qualifications: anyone graduating from an EU institute of higher education with a degree or degree equivalent qualification will be regarded as meeting the minimum entrance requirement for the PG Diploma courses. For those holding qualifications for other countries, the team will check the qualifications to confirm that they are degree equivalent. If English is not your first language then we may ask you to take a language test (at your expense).
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I don't know whether to apply for the Humanistic or Psychodynamic PG Diploma – how do I decide?
We can provide a few pointers for you but ultimately you must make the decision. First, you could use the opportunity of the introductory counselling course to talk with tutors about how they see the differences between the courses, and if both theories are taught on the course to see how you feel about them. Second, you could attend our annual open day for applicants (normally held in late January). Third, you could try personal therapy with a therapist and see how you take to it. Fourth, you could undertake some reading around the two modalities. We offer some suggested reading in the Courses Brochure.
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I have not studied psychology before, does this matter?
No, it doesn't. Whilst counselling training draws on a lot of psychology theory we do not expect students to have undertaken a formal study of psychology before the course. We do, of course, require all applicants to have undertaken a minimum of 30 hours on an accredited counselling skills course which includes skills and theory. This can be any theory.
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Does it matter which introductory counselling course I undertake in order to apply for the PG Diplomas?
No, as long as it has a minimum of 30 hours of class contact and includes both skills and theory and is accredited. An introductory counselling course by distance learning does not satisfy our requirement. Many introductory courses are primarily humanistic in their approach – the University of Brighton one is unusual in that it includes both psychodynamic and humanistic ideas.
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I want to study the MSc, do I need to do a PG Diploma first?
Entry to the MSc is normally via a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling – this could be one of our PG Diplomas or a PG Diploma from another university. There is sometimes a slight complication in that our PG Diploma students undertake a module in research methods as part of the PG Diploma so anyone wishing to apply for the MSc from another university will be required attend a research methods module before embarking on the MSc (unless, that is, they already hold an MSc in another subject which included research methods). Applicants who have an undergraduate level Diploma in Counselling cannot be admitted to the MSc.
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I have a first degree (or Masters) in psychology – does this mean I can enter the MSc?
No, not unless you already hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling. If you do have a degree in psychology, and hold the Graduate Basis for Registration with the British Psychological Society, you may use the PG Diplomas as part of the training route towards becoming a counselling psychologist. See the BPS web site for more details of the 'external' route.
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Are there grants or bursaries for these courses?
No, there are no government or university grants for these courses. The BACP offer a small number of partial awards (around £500 each – closing date 31st July each year). There are hundreds of charitable organisations which can be found on the web and which you would have to trawl through in the hope of finding some that might accept an application for funds. Many students have gained some support from their employer.
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Does it matter that I have been out of education for a number of years?
No. Provided you meet all the requirements then you should be offered an interview for the course. Many of our students are returning to study after a few years away – for example, the average age for the postgraduate diplomas is around 40.
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As I have not been in education for many years, I do not know who to use as a referee.
You will require two references. If you have been out of education for a long time and it is not possible to obtain an academic reference then we will require an alternative. An employer, current or very recent, could be one reference and a second reference from a tutor on the counselling skills course you will be taking. An alternative to an employee would be a friend although this is a poor third.
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I have just completed the first year of a counselling course and am interested in transferring to the second year of your course, is this possible?
Our courses are all validated at Master's level so anyone wishing to transfer in must, to begin with, have undertaken courses at M level. We then have to compare the content of the first year already taken to see if it is a good match for the first year of our course. As courses are often very different in structure and content it is impossible to give a general answer. We would be interested in why you wish to transfer.
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I use counselling skills in my job as a nurse/social worker/teacher. Do I still have to undertake an introductory counselling course?
Yes, unless as a formal part of your training you undertook a module in counselling skills which was assessed. You would need to provide full details of the module you took in the further information section on the application form. It is the responsibility of the course leader to decide if your previous course can be counted.
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I have previously had my own counselling/psychotherapy – will this count against me?
No, rather the contrary in fact. We encourage applicants to start personal counselling or therapy as soon as possible. The course is intellectually and emotionally demanding and the more sources of support you have, the better. It is a requirement of our PG Diplomas that during the course you must be in weekly therapy with an approved therapist for the duration of the course.
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Will my previous counselling or therapy count in lieu of the requirement to be in therapy during the course?
No. You will need to start therapy again with an approved therapist.
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If I am called for interview, what form does the interview take?
You will be interviewed by two members of staff for about 20 – 30 minutes. We ask all candidates the same set of questions and we aim to try to determine for example (a) if you are emotionally robust enough for the course, (b) if you can cope with Master’s level academic work, (c) if you are mature enough for the course and (d) if a psychodynamic or humanistic training (as opposed to say CBT) is the right one for you.
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I am currently working as an unqualified counsellor – will I be able to use this as my counselling training placement?
A small number of applicants are in this position each year and each has to be considered in the light of the circumstances. We ask a number of questions including (a) is the counselling work properly 'contracted’ with the client, (b) it is counselling as opposed to just using counselling skills, (c) does the setting, way of working and the supervision support the type of counselling which is based on the modality (theoretical orientation) of the course, and (d) are the clients assessed by someone qualified as being suitable for a trainee?
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I know a counselling placement is part of the course, does the course guarantee to find me one?
No. We do help but the final responsibility lies with you. During the first semester we invite a number of placement managers/directors to come and talk about what they offer but students must make individual applications to agencies. Each PG Diploma has a placement co-ordinator.
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I have read that counselling and psychotherapy is to be regulated by the government – what does this mean and will it affect me if I do one of these courses?
The Department of Health (DoH), through the Health Professions Council (HPC) is currently engaged in a consultation process to regulate the profession (the DoH believing that this will offer greater safeguards for the public). If this is introduced it will be similar to regulation of, for example, nurses or art therapists where you need to have met certain very clear and specified criteria to use the title nurse or art therapist. So if regulation goes ahead only HPC registered counsellors will be able to use the protected title 'counsellor’. It is not possible to predict the outcome of the regulation process but as our PG Diplomas are both BACP accredited, we believe that we will meet the HPC standards (or will do so with a small number of changes to the courses).
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