Counselling Foundation Degree

This counselling course is for people aged 18 and over who wish to develop a career as a professional counsellor.

The Counselling Foundation Degree is also suitable for people:

• wishing to develop academic and research skills in counselling
• who want to work towards a professional counsellor individual accreditation
• who want to enhance their current employment/professional role.

During this Counselling Foundation Degree course, you will complete a number of different modules. These could include:

•  Counselling relationships
• BACP/NCS ethical framework
• Counselling skills
• Creative approaches to counselling
• Theoretical approaches
• Application to practice
• Personal development
• Humanistic approaches: gestalt, transactional analysis, psychosynthesis and existential approaches
• Solution-focused therapy
• Professional practice
• Human development
• Working with loss and grief
• Evidence-based practice and research
• Mental health in a counselling context
• Supervision, professional and reflective

To join this Counselling Foundation Degree course, you will need:

• 56 UCAS tariff points usually made up of A2/AS Levels with at least an A2 in a relevant subject
• 5 GCSEs Grade A-C or equivalent and which include English Language and Mathematics. Level 2 Functional/Key Skills are welcome as a substitute for English and Mathematics
• A minimum of level 2 in Counselling Skills is required by all candidates. Equivalent work experience can be taken into account.
• All candidates must undergo an interview with a course tutor and be deemed suitable for the course.
• All candidates must obtain a satisfactory DBS check at the start of the course. This component must remain satisfactory throughout the programme and is reviewed at the commencement of each academic year.

During this Counselling Foundation Degree course, you will be asked to complete a minimum of 30 hours in a vocation placement, some of which can be undertaken prior to starting the course, where you will develop your counselling skills and knowledge.

In stage 2, you will start your counselling placement and practice as a trainee counsellor in an approved counselling setting to achieve 100 counselling hours under supervision.

We use a wide variety of assessment techniques which are all coursework based including written assignments, presentations, practical skills assessments, critical reviews, creative pieces and a portfolio of counselling and supervision logs and reports.

After successfully completing this Counselling Foundation Degree course, you may move on to work as a qualified counsellor with an agency, employer or in private practice or use your qualified counsellor status in another profession.

You may also apply for the Level 6 top-up programme at the City of Bristol College leading to the BA (Hons) Counselling Degree awarded by the University of Plymouth.

You will need to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service application which costs £55. Students must receive a satisfactory DBS disclosure to continue on the course.

You will be required to pay yearly tuition fees at £4,000 a year for part-time or £6,000 for full-time. You may be eligible for a student loan, contact Student Finance on 0300 100 0607 or visit www.gov.uk/student-finance to find out more.

You will be expected to pay to join the BACP or National Counselling Society.

You may also need to pay for:

• supervision costs
• your own counselling
• travel expenses
• insurance related to your placement.