School of Health in Social Science Counselling and Psychotherapy MASTER OF COUNSELLING (PART-TIME) INFORMATION BOOKLET

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1 School of Health in Social Science Counselling and Psychotherapy MASTER OF COUNSELLING (PART-TIME) Incorporating the Pg Diploma in Counselling INFORMATION BOOKLET Introduction The part-time Master of Counselling, (MCouns) at the University of Edinburgh is a four year part-time professionally-accredited postgraduate qualification in counselling: Year 1 is the Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Studies; Years 2 and 3 are the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Year 4 is the Masters Dissertation Year. Combining academic rigour with high quality professional training, the programme provides unique opportunities for training, learning and research in the field of counselling and psychotherapy. The Master of Counselling is a comprehensive professional training programme for individuals wishing to qualify as counsellors or therapists. It is a flexible student-centred training process with a strong emphasis on practice skills, including one or more substantial placements in counselling agencies. Academically, the MCouns is an enhanced professional postgraduate programme, consisting of 360 postgraduate credits, double the standard 180 credit MSc. The MCouns is on a par with other professional programmes, such as the MEd (Education), MSW (Social Work) and MBA (Business Administration). Professional Accreditation The Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling is validated by COSCA, the professional body for counselling and psychotherapy in Scotland. Students successfully completing the academic and practice requirements of the Pg Diploma automatically meet the training requirement for COSCA accreditation. While this constitutes a substantial part of the accreditation process, full accreditation as an individual counselling practitioner involves further post-qualifying requirements related to practice hours and personal and professional development. The Pg Diploma in Counselling also meets the professional and academic requirements for counselling training laid down by BACP, the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, the UK-wide professional body for counselling and psychotherapy. There is significant correspondence between the accreditation processes of COSCA and BACP and it is a matter of individual choice whether Pg Diploma graduates seek accreditation through COSCA or BACP - please contact COSCA or BACP directly. Their web addresses are and respectively. 1

2 Aims The overall aim of the Master of Counselling is to provide a generic professional training in counselling at postgraduate level, and to foster the development of critically reflective practitioners who are able to work in a variety of settings with a broad range of client groups. Students who successfully complete the Master of Counselling will: be reflective, self-aware, safe, accountable and competent counsellors have a sound knowledge base of theories and research on the development of the person, group process, therapeutic relationships and processes, and the role of counselling in society possess highly developed and transferable interpersonal, conceptual and analytical skills, including critical thinking, self-evaluation and research skills. Core Orientation Counselling and Psychotherapy degree programmes are founded on a dialogue between the person-centred approach, located within the humanistic tradition, and psychodynamic perspectives, located within the psychoanalytic tradition. Open exploration and dialogue permeates all aspects of the programmes, including structure, content, process and methods of teaching and learning. This stance characterises the relationships between tutors and students. Through an active engagement with the dialogue, students are encouraged to experience, experiment with and integrate insights, values and practices drawn from each perspective. Overall Programme Structure and Content The professional training programme offers a comprehensive pathway from Postgraduate Certificate through Postgraduate Diploma to Masters Dissertation, each stage combining professional training with academic validation. It is a four year part-time programme tailored to accommodate people in employment, or with other responsibilities, and enables a broad range of people with an interest in counselling to train and learn to the level that meets their needs and interests. There are three stages: Year 1 is the Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Studies. This is a stand-alone professionally-accredited qualification, a postgraduate certificate and the foundation year for the MCouns. If they do not wish to pursue training as a counsellor, students can use the Postgraduate Certificate towards the taught Masters programme, the MSc in Counselling Studies, of which the Postgraduate Certificate is an essential component, or they can leave the programme with the Postgraduate Certificate award. Full information about the Pg Certificate in Counselling Studies and the MSc in Counselling Studies is available on the Counselling and Psychotherapy website: Students who decide to pursue training as a counsellor apply to the next stage of the programme, the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling. 2

3 Years 2 and 3 make up the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling, the professional qualification for counselling practitioners in the UK, combined with an academic postgraduate qualification. In addition to their course attendance and course work, students undertake counselling practice placements which consist of a minimum of 200 hours of counselling practice and 40 hours of professional supervision. The Professional Practice Co-ordinator assists students to identify a suitable placement from a network of approved counselling agencies. Students can leave the programme with the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling award or they can continue on to the Masters Dissertation Year. Year 4 is the Masters Dissertation year which consists of the preparation of a dissertation of approximately 15,000 words in length. Students can choose between a dissertation which focuses on their therapeutic work with clients or a dissertation centred around a theme or issue in counselling or psychotherapy which is of particular interest to them. A member of academic staff with suitable research interests and experience will be appointed to supervise the dissertation. At the end of Year 4, students are awarded the Master of Counselling. The programme is designed to be accessible and adaptable to individual circumstances, producing maximum flexibility and transferability within an academic postgraduate framework. It enables students to enter and exit at different points, transfer between programmes, suspend and then resume studies, while holding on to the credits they have gained from each stage. Students are encouraged to define their own pathway, adapted to their personal needs, circumstances and interests. Programme tutors work closely with students in helping them plan the professional training and academic pathway best suited to their circumstances, strengths and stage of development. Pg Diploma Structure and Content Pg Diploma students move through Years 2 and 3 as a closed cohort and none of the taught courses are available to students outwith this group. The closed cohort enables students to develop a significant level of trust which in turn facilitates personal and professional development at all levels. The two Pg Diploma years run from September to May and are structured around a sequence of courses which are designed to promote students personal and professional development. The Pg Diploma begins with an intensive introduction, delivered in a four day block. Thereafter the taught courses are delivered on Tuesdays during the academic year. Further full day meetings are scheduled at a later date. Pg Diploma year one The counselling relationship: theory, practice and process 10 sessions, Tuesdays pm to 8.15pm 30 th September to 2 nd December 2014 This course develops and deepens the dialogue between the theoretical, practice and process perspectives offered by the person-centred approach and psychodynamic traditions in relation to the counselling relationship. It introduces the concept of narrative, which is used to explore what is going on within and between the client and the counsellor in the counselling endeavour, and the embeddedness of these in the wider world. Central to the dialogue is the emphasis on the relational dimensions of counselling and how these are conceptualised and expressed in practice. The course introduces some current debates about professional and ethical practice. 3

4 Developing narratives of the self 5 sessions, Tuesdays pm to 8.15pm, 13 th January to 10 th February 2015 This course explores the development of selves and of persons-in-relationship. It considers person-centred and psychodynamic accounts of human development, and draws on current research and debates in developmental psychology and neuroscience. Narratives and metaphors concerned with human development and distress are discussed in relation to therapeutic processes. The relationship between psychological and socio-cultural approaches is central to the course. The group in the development of self and others: a person-centred approach 10 sessions, Tuesdays pm to 8.15pm 24 th February to 24 th Mar followed by 3 week break then 21 st April to 19 th May 2015 The person-centred approach identifies the experience of being in an unstructured group as a significant place to learn about self in relation to others. The group experience provides a rich context in which students can become aware of familiar patterns, experience new and different ways of being and of shared facilitation. Within the group the core conditions can be powerfully felt, reflected upon and developed. The personcentred group is a place of learning about group process and experience. Working without agenda or leadership, students have the opportunity to make their personal process available to others, to develop their self-awareness and reflexivity and to think about the application of their learning for their work as a counselling practitioner. Pg Diploma year two From two person to three person to the group: a psychodynamic perspective 10 sessions, Tuesdays pm to 8.15pm dates to be confirmed This course examines ideas about the development of the relational self between two persons, three persons and the family available in contemporary psychoanalytic ideas and practices. A primary focus will be on the links between feeling and thinking, experience and knowledge, and phantasy and reality. These ideas will be linked to the concepts and uses of transference and counter-transference in therapeutic processes. Negotiating Identities in Transition 15 sessions, Wednesdays pm to 8.15pm dates to be confirmed This course explores the theme of negotiating identities in transition as students are deepening their knowledge and experience of therapeutic practice, coming to the end of their professional training in counselling and preparing themselves for working as qualified counsellors. Students consolidate their knowledge of the central tasks of counselling in facilitating change and growth in clients and examine the process of the formation of new and altered identities through integrating personal experience with professional counselling practice. Theories of attachment, separation and loss, endings and beginnings, change and transition will be revisited. The course analyses counselling as a contemporary social phenomenon, locating counselling within specific social, 4

5 cultural and political contexts. Students are required to define their own professional, theoretical and political orientations as practising counsellors. Practice and Process Courses Through both years of the Pg Diploma, students participate in Practice and Process Courses through a small facilitated group which focuses on their developing practice as counsellors. This group runs for ninety minutes on each course day. The PP Courses evolve with students professional experience, moving from initial high levels of support to a peer group supervision model over time. Students present client work in different formats including spontaneous recall, written session notes and audio recording of counselling work. Interpersonal Learning Group Through both years, students also participate in an Interpersonal Learning Group which offers a facilitating environment in which students can explore and reflect upon how the themes and issues of the Pg Diploma impact upon their experiencing of self and others, and what implications this may have for their personal and professional lives. It provides a primary opportunity for the experience of congruence and for learning how to offer the immediacy of self in relationship to others. The Interpersonal Learning Group is a powerful environment for experimenting with, and learning about, intra-personal and interpersonal relationships. Learning Methods and Assessment Teaching and learning methods include experiential learning, small group work, supervised practice, theory seminars and independent study. A distinctive feature is the system of individual personal tutorials with experienced associate staff who are not members of the core team and assessment process. Assessment methods combine essays with seminar presentations, self and peer assessments, placement-based assessment, the professional portfolio and the dissertation. Pg Diploma courses are assessed by a combination of assignments and professional portfolio work. Assessment criteria are included in the programme handbook and tutors provide guidance for the preparation of each assessed task. Counselling Placement At the heart of the Master of Counselling programme is a graduated progression of training in professional practice corresponding to the stage of development of the individual student. Each course and assessment activity has a substantial focus on interpersonal skills and the integration of practice with theory, reflection and personal development. Pg Certificate students undertake counselling skills practice in groups of three, using digital recording to analyse and reflect upon individual skills development. The Introduction and first course of the Pg Diploma builds on this training, incorporating a student-centred assessment of readiness to practise in a counselling agency. Once readiness to practise is achieved, students are assisted to find a counselling placement to begin direct work counselling clients. 5

6 One of the unique strengths of the programme is its negotiated network of practice placements within a variety of counselling agencies both within Edinburgh and further afield. Placement providers work closely with the programme in order to offer a supportive and flexible practice learning experience for counsellors in training. The Professional Practice Co-ordinator assists students to identify placements which meet their individual learning needs, skills profile, professional experience and personal interests. There are opportunities to work in a wide range of settings with a variety of client groups with placements in generic and specialist agencies, in health care, the voluntary and independent sectors, with individuals, couples, children and young people. If they wish, students may arrange their own placement. In this case, programme tutors negotiate with the proposed placement agency to ensure that the placement meets the criteria for a safe, supportive and appropriate training experience. In total, students complete a minimum of 200 supervised hours of counselling practice accompanied by 40 hours of professional supervision. Many placement providers arrange individual and/or group supervision for students. When this is not the case, programme tutors assist students to identify a suitable supervisor. When not provided by their placement agency, students may also arrange their own supervision on condition that the supervisor is suitably qualified and experienced. Personal Counselling or Therapy Counselling training, touching as it does on the inner life and personal relationships of each student, is likely to stimulate awareness of vulnerabilities and opportunities for personal growth. While the programme s interpersonal groups and individual tutorial system offer significant support and opportunities for development, students may wish to seek opportunities for personal work outside the programme, including counselling or therapy for themselves. Students may also find the experience of being a counselling client invaluable in understanding the counselling relationship and process. Undertaking personal therapy is not, however, an essential requirement of the programme. Counsellors wishing to pursue individual accreditation with COSCA or BACP are required to demonstrate the personal development work they have undertaken. Masters Dissertation Year The fourth year of the programme is the Masters Dissertation Year during which students undertake the research course, Between Counselling and Research 1: Approaches, Issues and Debates (details below), and write up a research project based on their counselling practice. The Masters progression requirement is an average mark of 50% or above from all taught courses in the preceding three years. Students are not required to have completed all the professional requirements of the Pg Diploma before beginning this fourth year. The research course introduces students to relevant debates, issues and controversies in the field of research in counselling and is tailored towards the research needs and interests of counselling practitioners. At the end of the course students draft a research proposal and this is used to appoint a suitable supervisor from the Counselling and Psychotherapy Team who has a particular interest and expertise in the student s research topic. The supervisor offers regular individual support and supervision sessions through the remainder of the year. The dissertation is submitted in late August for graduation in November/December. 6

7 Between Counselling and Research 1: Approaches, Issues and Debates 10 sessions to 1.00pm semester one - dates to be confirmed This course provides students with an overview of key approaches to research relevant to counselling, psychotherapy and related practices. Emphasis is given to critical social science perspectives on knowledge and research, to the role of subjectivity, intersubjectivity and context in research, and to the relationship between research and reflective counselling practice. By the end of the course students should be able to identify and conceptualise key research epistemologies and methodologies relevant to counselling, psychotherapy and related practices, including the influence of critical social science perspectives conceptualise the relationship between counselling practice and research practice in relation to epistemological and ethical debates formulate, justify and criticise research questions relevant to counselling and related practices critically assess the relevance of research for the practice and provision of counselling, psychotherapy and related practices The course is delivered through 10 weekly sessions of two hours. A high degree of student participation is expected, with students required to work on set readings in advance of each session. These readings form the basis of group discussion, supplemented by inputs from teaching staff. During the second half of the course, sessions also include presentations by individual students about their proposed research. Students MCouns/Pg Diploma students come from different backgrounds and nationalities, and with diverse experience and motivations. While many are working in the helping professions, many others are from totally different walks of life, such as commerce or IT. Some students are at the beginning of their working life while others are considering retraining in a different field. With this diversity in age, experience, motivation and outlook on life, the student group provides a rich and stimulating learning culture for the study of counselling and the development of therapeutic practice. Career Prospects The Master of Counselling allows students to gain employment in a variety of contexts where this unique combination of interpersonal, therapeutic, self-reflective and analytical skills is highly valued. Students gain employment as counsellors and therapists in a wide range of settings in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors, or use their counselling training to enhance their career in a related profession, such as health care, social work or education. Many graduates of the programme now hold senior positions in the counselling field and have been leading the development of counselling and psychotherapy provision throughout Scotland. 7

8 Entrance Requirements for entry to year 2 The standard academic entrance requirement for entry to Year 2 is successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Studies at the University of Edinburgh. However, we also welcome applications from people who have completed academically and professionally validated postgraduate certificate courses in counselling at other institutions of higher education, who may be eligible for entry with Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) see below. The general requirements for admission to postgraduate study are outlined in the University of Edinburgh postgraduate prospectus, which can be accessed at It is also available from Postgraduate Office Tel: +44 (0) College of Humanities and Social Science hsspg@ed.ac.uk David Hume Tower (First Floor) George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JX Application Process To enter the Pg Diploma phase of the Master of Counselling, the first stage is to complete the MCouns / Pg Diploma Application Form. This application will be available on the Counselling and Psychotherapy website via the following page: In addition to the general academic entrance requirements detailed above, applicants for the Postgraduate Diploma stage of the professional training programme are required to evidence their suitability to train as a counsellor. There are four elements to this process. Applicants must: complete an application form provide two references attend an interview. Our Postgraduate Office will undertake a Disclosure Scotland (PVG) check, after a place is confirmed and before the programme commences In their application, applicants are asked to address the selection criteria for the professional training programme which are: self awareness, maturity and stability ability to make use of and reflect on life experience capacity to cope with the emotional demands of the course ability to cope with the intellectual and academic requirements ability to form helping relationships ability to be self-critical and use both positive and negative feedback awareness of difference, diversity and equality Evidence of these personal qualities is sought both in the application and the interview. 8

9 Applicants to the Pg Diploma who are already matriculated University of Edinburgh postgraduate students do not need to complete any further application steps. Applicants who gained their Pg Certificate from the University of Edinburgh but who are no longer matriculated students need to complete the online MCouns application through the University of Edinburgh online prospectus for this programme, which can be accessed at: Full information about the application process is available at: Applicants who gained their postgraduate certificate in counselling from another institution of higher education need to complete both an application for Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) and the University of Edinburgh online application form via the web prospectus, as above. Recognised Prior Learning We welcome applications from people who have completed academically and professionally validated postgraduate certificate courses in counselling at other institutions of higher education, who may be eligible for Entry with Recognised Prior Learning. Entry with Recognised Prior Learning can only be granted for counselling courses at the equivalent level to the University of Edinburgh Pg Certificate in Counselling Studies, namely 60 postgraduate, or masters-level, credits (SCQF level 11). Other courses, including the COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills, are not sufficient on their own to apply for Entry with Recognised Prior Learning. For further information about Entry with Recognised Prior Learning and the relevant application form, see the MCouns/Pg Diploma in Counselling Entry with Recognised Prior Learning Application Form. This form is available on the Counselling and Psychotherapy website on the following page: and may also be obtained from the Counselling and Psychotherapy Office, contact details given below. Cost In the academic year , the following tuition fees for Home/EU and overseas students apply: Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Studies (Year 1) 3,480 Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling (Year 2) 5,920 Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling (Year 3) 5,920 Master of Counselling (Year 4) 2,090 9

10 The fees for the Pg Diploma years are higher because these are the most staff intensive years of the MCouns with students undertaking significant facilitated group work and receiving individual tutorials. Fees are posted annually on the University of Edinburgh Registry website at: International students who require visas for studying in the United Kingdom need to be aware that they may not be able to obtain a visa for part-time postgraduate study. They have a choice to apply for the full-time Master of Counselling (Interpersonal Dialogue) which may be taken over two years full-time or the MSc in Counselling Studies which may be taken over one year full-time. Full information about both programmes is available on the Counselling and Psychotherapy website (see below) and in the respective programme booklets. More information for international students is available from the Postgraduate Office contact details above or at the website below: Advice and guidance for international applicants is also available from the University International Office: Possible Additional Costs Home Computer Access While face to face contact remains the principal form of teaching and learning in Counselling and Psychotherapy, communication and web-based learning are now essential elements of teaching and learning in higher education. University of Edinburgh students have excellent access to high quality computing facilities, including their own account and web access, and numerous computer labs and wifi spaces where laptops can be used. Students intending to work mainly at home may need to consider purchasing, or upgrading to, a suitable computer in order to study and communicate effectively with Counselling and Psychotherapy. Supervision: Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Students on the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling are required to undertake 40 hours of professional supervision in relation to their placement practice. While some agencies meet most or all of the costs of supervision, others are not in a position to do so, and students may have to pay for their own supervision. Some counselling supervisors offer reduced rates for counselling students. Full supervision rates are in the region of 40 to 45 per hour. Personal Counselling If students do choose to access personal counselling, there may be an associated cost. Students may access time-limited cost-free counselling at the University of Edinburgh Student Counselling Service and at various community-based counselling agencies. 10

11 Many other counselling services charge clients, either on a sliding scale or at a standard rate. Further Information General information may be obtained from the Counselling and Psychotherapy office, as follows: Sue Larsen Senior Secretary Counselling and Psychotherapy The University of Edinburgh Medical School Teviot Place Edinburgh EH8 9AG Tel. +44 (0) sue.larsen@ed.ac.uk If you have a specific or more complex query and wish to speak to an academic member of staff, please contact: Bob Goupillot Pg Diploma Application Co-ordinator Tel +44 (0) bob.goupillot@ed.ac.uk (Mail address as above) Further information about Counselling and Psychotherapy at the University of Edinburgh may be obtained at: 11