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What makes Counselling Psychology* at Worcester special?

Counselling Psychology brings together psychological theory, research and therapeutic practice with an emphasis on personal development. This course will provide you with an understanding of all core areas of psychology with an added emphasis on ways in which psychological theories of personality and relationship formation contribute to the understanding of mental health and the practice of counselling psychology.

At Worcester our courses have been designed to develop you as the psychologist of the future. From innovative and career-focussed assessments to understanding the challenges global societies will face in the future, your course will equip you with the skills and aptitude to make a difference.

Whatever your course (business, clinical, counselling, forensic, psychology or sport and exercise psychology), you will be taught by specialist practitioners whose work is underpinned by contemporary research. All courses are also accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), putting you in a great position when you’re starting your career.

Applications are still open for 2020 entry.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • A welcoming, professional community of students and lecturers, including the Worcester Psychology Society, with guest speakers, group trips, social nights and a peer mentoring scheme
  • A personalised learning journey; choice of modules, skills development and personal and academic tutoring based as much on your career as your studies
  • Modules and assessments designed with an emphasis on experiential learning which will help you be an active and passionate learner and to understand the challenges global societies will face tomorrow and how psychology plays a role in addressing these
  • ‘Assessments for life’ designed to reflect the key skills that employers of psychology graduates value helping to increase your employability prospects and making you prepared for today, tomorrow and beyond
  • Innovative and cutting-edge modules delivered by practitioners working in their specialist fields through research inspired and practitioner-based teaching
British Psychological Society accredited logo

Accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

You will have the opportunity to gain Graduate Basis for Chartership Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society – your first step to a career as a psychologist.

Entry requirements

What qualifications will you need?

112
UCAS tariff points

Entry requirements

112 UCAS Tariff points (for example, BBC at A Level)

And GCSE English and Mathematics at Grade C/4 or above (or equivalent)

A Criminal Record Bureau disclosure may be required for some modules

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 the UCAS website.

If you are an international student who does not have the relevant entry requirements for direct entry onto this course, our pathway courses at University of Worcester International College could be the right option for you and enable you to still graduate with this degree. To find out more visit the Science and Health & Social Science pathways page.

"The course has enabled me to develop confidence and self awareness, both of which are crucial in using counselling skills, and working with people in different settings. I enjoyed learning how key theorists have influenced how counsellors with with clients."

Gwen Cooper, Counselling Psychology BSc (Hons)

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Course content

What will you study?

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

Mandatory

  • Psychological Literacy in Society
  • Psychological Literacy and the Mind
  • Becoming a Psychologist
  • Therapeutic Approaches in Psychology

Optional

Year 2

Mandatory

  • Biological Origins and the Mind
  • The Individual and the Social World
  • Being a Psychologist

Optional

Year 3

Mandatory

  • Psychology Research Project
  • Human Development
  • Professional and Ethical Issues in Counselling
  • Interpersonal Communication Processes and Skills

Optional

  • Business Psychology
  • Coaching Psychology
  • Health Psychology
  • Applied Sports Psychology
  • Positive Psychology
  • Cyberpsychology
Teaching and assessment

How will you be taught?

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 interactive teaching methods, including face to face teaching and online mechanisms for teaching delivery. These include interactive lectures, seminars, tutorials and a virtual learning environment. The range of teaching methods are designed to enable you to engage with active learning strategies, apply learning through questioning and discussion and work both independently and in groups with others.

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on at least 4 occasions per year of a course to ensure our personalised approach helps to meet your learning needs.

You may also have an opportunity to undertake study abroad in one of our many partner Universities.

Contact time

In a typical week you will have around 10-12 hours of timetabled face to face teaching, plus online directed study activities and optional tutorials. The precise contact hours will depend on the optional modules selected and in the final year you will normally have less contact time in order to do more independent study.

Typically class contact time will be structured around:

  • 8 hours of lectures
  • 2-4 hours of seminars

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 30 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve completing online activities, 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.

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 principal lecturers, senior academics, HCPC registered professional practitioners with clinical experience, and psychology technicians.

Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of seminars under the supervision of the module leader. Teaching is based on research and consultancy, and 93 per cent of teaching staff in the Psychology Department have a higher education teaching qualification or are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles

Assessment

Assessment methods do 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. 

Year 1
Essay X 2
Research Report X 2
1 hour MCQ Exam X 1
Portfolio X 1
Group Video Presentation X 1
Case Study X 1

Year 2
Research proposal x1
Research report x3
Exam x 2
Reflective Log x 1
Group Presentation x1
Critical Appraisal x 1
General Audience Information Document x 1

Year 3
Research Report X 1
Reflective Log X 1
Case Study X 1
Systematic Literature Review x 1
Presentation X 1
Literature Review X 1
Podcast X 1
Psychology Research Project X 1
Portfolio x 1

These are designed across the course for you to build and develop your own personal learning journey with ‘assessments for life’ so that you will have the skills, knowledge and ability for beyond the end of your course.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors 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.

Meet the team

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course.

Here are a few members of the department who currently teach on this course.

dr-daniel-farrelly

Dr Daniel Farrelly

Daniel is a senior lecturer in psychology. He obtained his BSc (hons) in psychology from Liverpool University in 1999, followed by an MSc in evolutionary psychology from Liverpool University in 2000.

He gained his PhD in Psychology, studying the evolution of human cooperation, from Newcastle University in 2005. Previously, he has held research positions at Plymouth, Newcastle and Edinburgh Universities, and a lectureship at Sunderland University before joining Worcester as a senior lecturer in social psychology in early 2014. Daniel is currently the course leader for all BSc Psychology courses.

dr-helen-nicholas

Dr Helen Nicholas

Helen is a counselling psychologist, registered the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC); a chartered psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS); an EMDR accredited practitioner and a registered coaching psychologist. Her teaching is mainly on the BSc counselling psychology modules and as the counselling psychology pathway lead, although Helen also lead the MSc Counselling course.

Dr. Tanya Carpenter

Tanya is an HCPC registered and BPS Chartered Counselling Psychologist. She is also an Associate Fellow of the BPS with 13 years of clinical and managerial experience at the Priory hospital North London. Tanya has also been in clinical practice within the NHS, private practice and university counselling services.

Tanya also has experience supporting people with Asperger’s, and, as well as having written articles on Mindfulness, she facilitated Mindfulness Groups for 5 years

Careers

Where could it take you?

Before you start your Psychology degree, you'll probably want to know how it can help you into a fulfilling career. Here at Worcester, we've designed the whole Psychology curriculum around your future ambitions - and we support you in developing the skills that will open doors in a range of sectors, including health, business, counselling, forensics, education and sport. Communication, problem solving, critical thinking, team working, and data collection and analysis are just some of the skills that will increase your appeal to employers.

We don’t just help you develop your skills we also provide opportunities for you to practice them, and help you understand your unique and personal ‘skills rucksack’. We work closely with the university's Careers and Employability team, arranging placements, both paid and voluntary, with many local and national organisations - including the NHS, the BPS, West Mercia Police Constabulary, Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, Worcestershire County Council and HMP Aylesbury.

You can also take part in workshops devoted to CV writing, interview skills, recruitment and assessment techniques. And you'll have the chance to talk to guest speakers, and visit potential employers - as well as getting help to apply for work and postgraduate study.

Our Counselling Psychology degree will allow you to apply for further study, in order to pursue the following careers:

  • Chartered Counsellor
  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Counselling Psychologist

Please note: at this level, students will not practice formal counselling skills. Successful completion of the degree could lead to further training to become a psychologist or counsellor.

You could also explore psychology-related postgraduate courses or careers in:

  • Education
  • Health
  • Academia
  • Sport
  • Forensics
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Costs

How much will it cost?

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fee for full-time UK and EU students registering in the academic year 2020/21 is £9,250 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international (non-EU) students registering in the academic year 2020/21 is £12,700 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 registering on this course in the academic year 2020/21 are £1,156 per 15-credit module, £1,542 per 20 credit module, £2,313 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

We highly recommend student membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS). Student membership starts from £26.

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

If your course offers a placement opportunity, you may need to pay for a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Accommodation

Finding the right accommodation is paramount to your university experience, and our welcoming student communities are great places to live and study.

We have over 1,000 rooms across our halls of residence. With rooms to suit every budget and need, from our 'Traditional Hall' at £105 per week to 'En-suite Extra' at £169 per week (2020/21 prices).

For full details visit our accommodation page.
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The University of Worcester was shortlisted in six categories of the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards 2019, including University of the Year.

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How to apply

How do you apply?

Applying through UCAS

Counselling Psychology BSc (Hons) C843 

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

C843

Apply Via UCAS

Get in touch

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

Admissions office

admissions@worc.ac.uk
01905 855111

Dr Daniel Farrelly

d.farrelly@worc.ac.uk
01905 542345

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