Course overview
FdA Counselling City of Bristol CollegeThis Counselling Foundation Degree course will give you a professional qualification so that you can practice as a counsellor. The course is accredited by The National Counselling Society.
The course will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to take forward into your future practice. It will support you through a ‘helping placement’ at Level 4 and completion of counselling hours at Level 5. The course is centred around an integrative approach to counselling.
You will be required to engage in your own personal therapy and the course supports opportunities for your personal enquiry, reflection and development.
You have the option to complete the Counselling Foundation Degree full-time over two years or part-time over the course of three years
If you studied your Level 3 course with us, you could be eligible for our Higher Education Progression Bursary. You can find out more about our financial support options or download the HE progression bursary application form.
Please note that all applications for full-time study need to be made via UCAS
Please note that all applications for part-time study need to be made via Bath Spa University’s App Hub
Dates and applications
Please hover over the ‘i’ button to find out more about course fees and applications.
Course Code | Dates | Duration | Days | Hours per week | Start Time | Location | Fee | |
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HBF1369D01-1 | 08/09/2025 - 18/06/2027 | 2 years | Date/Day(s) Being Finalised | 13.00 | 09:30 | Ashley Down Centre |
This course is still in its planning phase; course details - including fee information - are subject to change. In June, course details will be finalised and enrolment will open.
|
Enquire |
HBP1369D01-1 | 16/09/2025 - 17/06/2028 | 3 years | Date/Day(s) Being Finalised | 8.50 | 09:15 | Ashley Down Centre |
This course is still in its planning phase; course details - including fee information - are subject to change. In June, course details will be finalised and enrolment will open.
|
Enquire |
Additional information
Who is this course for?
This Counselling Foundation Degree is for people aged 18 and over who wish to develop a career as a professional counsellor.
It will support you to:
- Develop academic and research skills in counselling
- Work towards a professional counsellor accreditation
- Enhance your counselling skills for other employment or your current professional roles.
What you'll learn
During this Counselling Foundation Degree course, you will complete a number of different modules. Areas studied 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 practice
Course entry requirements
To join this course, students will usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at 4 or above (A*- C) including English Language and Maths
- 80 UCAS points from Level 3 qualifications such as A Level or BTEC
- Level 2 Certificate in Counselling (or other suitable counselling experience or qualification)
- A completed DBS check
We will take significant relevant work experience into account where appropriate. This must be directly relevant to the field of counselling and will be discussed and investigated at the interview.
All applications are considered on an individual basis.
How is the course delivered and assessed?
Please note: this is an in-person course. Many of the classes are experiential and learning comes from your experience in the group. it is important that you are able to attend college regularly.
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.
During this Counselling Foundation Degree course, you will be asked to complete a minimum of 30 hours in a vocational 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.
Future career and study opportunities
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.
Completion of this programme would allow for direct entry into the BA (hons) Level 6 top-up programme at the City of Bristol College leading to the BA (Hons) Counselling Degree awarded by Bath Spa University
Additional costs
As a City of Bristol College student, you may incur additional costs to attend your course. For example, it is likely you may need to pay for travel and stationery.
Many courses offer learning opportunities that you may need to pay for. This may include things like study visits and visiting speakers. We will let you know in advance if there will be additional costs.
For this programme of study, 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 expected to pay to join the BACP or National Counselling Society and will need to pay for your own counselling whilst on the course.
When on placement you may also need to pay for:
- supervision costs
- travel expenses
- insurance related to your placement
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Career Coach
For guidance on which career path to take, to explore career options related to our courses, find out which careers are in demand, and then get the training you need.