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What makes the FdSc in Counselling with the University of Worcester at Herefordshire and Ludlow College special?

In the Counselling FdSc, we focus on the Person-Centred counselling model. Throughout the programme, you will develop the skills and personal awareness needed to foster a lasting therapeutic relationship. You'll learn through experience and communicating the core conditions of the Person-Centred Approach: empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard.

This foundation degree will equip you with everything you need to practice as a counsellor in a number of settings. This course is an ideal opportunity for those who would like to enhance their current role with qualified counsellor status. You'll also have the opportunity to progress onto our one year Integrative Counselling BA top-up degree delivered at Iron Mill College.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • Flexible locations: this programme is delivered by Herefordshire and Ludlow College.
  • Close collaboration with counselling agencies and employers leading to excellent placement opportunities.
  • Meets the core competencies of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy.
  • Opportunities to progress to further study with a one year top-up degree at Iron Mill College.
  • Flexible progression to employment in a range of settings, from education and the NHS to agencies addressing specific issues like bereavement or alcohol abuse.

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Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

The normal minimum entry requirement for Foundation Degree courses is the possession of 4 GCSEs (Grade C/4 or above) and 1 A level (or equivalent Level 3 qualification).

The minimum entry requirement for this course is a Level 3 qualification in Counselling Skills or equivalent. Prior training must have included tuition in both theory and skills (minimum 120 hours tuition).

All offers are subject to satisfactory Health and Enhanced DBS Disclosure Clearances.

T Levels may be used to meet the entry tariff requirements for this course. T Level subjects considered for this course include:

  • Education and Childcare
  • Health
  • Healthcare Sciences
  • Science

Other information

If you have any questions about entry requirements, please contact the Admissions Office on 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk for advice.

Further information about the UCAS Tariff can be obtained from http://www.ucas.com

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Course content

Course content

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative. 

Year 1

  • Person-Centred Approaches in Counselling
  • Personal & Professional Development (1)
  • Comparative Theoretical Approaches
  • Human Growth & Development
  • Social, Political & Cultural Context of Counselling
  • Counselling for Loss and Grief
  • Independent Work-Based Learning Project (1)

Year 2

  • Introduction to Counselling Research
  • Personal & Professional Development (2)
  • Developing the Skills of Person-Centred Counselling
  • Introduction to Counselling Ethics & the Law Relating to Counselling
  • Counselling for Children and Young People
  • Professional Practice
  • Independent Work-Based Learning Project (2) 
Teaching and assessment

Teaching and assessment

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support through the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of experiential workshops, lectures, seminars and practical sessions. Experiential workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to encourage learning through experiencing and the exploration of personal awareness through this process. Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures, and skills practice sessions are focused on developing counselling skills and the application of theory into practice.

In addition, meetings with your personal academic tutor are scheduled on at least 4 occasions in the first year and three occasions in the second year.

You have the opportunity to undertake a work-based learning placement of 50hrs in the first year of the course, incorporating a work-related project supervised by a work-based mentor and the course tutor.

In the second year, you have the opportunity to undertake a counselling placement of 100hrs, overseen by work-based supervisors and the course tutor.

Contact time

In a typical week you will have 6.5 contact hours of teaching (with additional tutorial time). The precise contact hours will depend on the scheduled activities and in the final year you will normally have slightly less contact time in order to undertake more independent study.

Typically class contact time will be structured around:

  • 2 hours of experiential workshops
  • 1 hour of lectures (whole group)
  • 1 hour of seminars in groups of around 4 students
  • 1.5 hours of supervised counselling skills practice
  • 1 hour of counselling supervision

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 12 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve completing reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

As part of your development in self-awareness, you are required to undertake 20 hours of personal therapy in each year of the course.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes highly qualified therapists and experienced academics, together with supervision expertise and technical support.

Teaching is informed by research and consultancy, with 80 per cent of course lecturers having undertaken postgraduate research and have a higher education teaching qualification.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or 'formative' assignments. Each module has one or more formal or 'summative' assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade.

Assessment methods comprise a range of coursework assessments such as journals, personal-development plans, reflective reports, leaflet design, portfolios, case studies and presentations, as well as counselling skills assessments. In the first year there is an independent work-based learning project and in the second year an independent research project.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the year of study: The formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is:

Year 1

  • 1 x 2 journal extracts
  • 1 personal-development plan
  • 1 individual presentation
  • 2 group presentations
  • 5 reflective reports
  • 1 counselling skills assessment
  • 1 work-based learning portfolio (including project report)

Year 2

  • 1 x 2 journal extracts
  • 1 personal-development plan
  • 2 individual presentations
  • 2 reflective reports
  • 1 leaflet design
  • 1 case study
  • 2 counselling skills assessments
  • 1 counselling placement portfolio (including reflective report)
  • 1 independent research project (including research proposal)

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments, counselling skills and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutor and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.

Careers

Careers

Employability

The course will place you in an excellent position to meet possible training requirements for counsellor registration. The Foundation Degree in Counselling can help you obtain employment in a variety of settings such as schools & colleges, the NHS, different counselling agencies (e.g. bereavement, alcohol) and private practice. The qualification may also enhance possibilities for development in an existing role.

The course offers an opportunity for progression to the one-year Top-up to BA (Hons) in Integrative Counselling at Iron Mill College.  Progression to the final year of other undergraduate degrees in Counselling may also be possible.

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Costs

Fees and funding

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard fee for full-time home and EU undergraduate students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2024/25 academic year is £9,250 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the 2024/25 academic year is £16,200 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Part-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fees for part-time UK and EU students enrolling on BA/BSc/LLB degrees and FdA/FdSc degrees in the academic year 2024/25 are £1,156 per 15-credit module, £1,542 per 20-credit module, £2,312 per 30-credit module, £3,083 per 40-credit module, £3,469 per 45-credit module and £4,625 per 60 credit module.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Additional costs

Every course has day-to-day costs for basic books, stationery, printing and photocopying. The amounts vary between courses.

The following costs are additional requirements for this course (* amounts are approximate and subject to local variations)

  • Enhanced DBS - £44 Update service £13 per annum
  • Student BACP membership - £82 per annum, reduced rate £41 (available for those receiving certain state benefits or have no personal income, conditions apply)
  • Personal Therapy 20 hours (per year) - £800*
  • Counselling Supervision second year only - £400 - £600*
  • Indemnity Insurance second year only - £80 - £150*
How to apply

How to apply

Applying through UCAS

Counselling FdSc B941 FdSc/C

UCAS is the central organisation through which applications are processed for entry onto full-time undergraduate courses in Higher Education in the UK.

Read our How to apply pages for more information on applying and to find out what happens to your application.

UCAS Code

B941

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Lucia McAuliffe

Admissions Tutor

Judith Davies

Link Tutor