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Counselling for the Helping Professions

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,C

Excluding General Studies

We will accept 2 AS levels in lieu of one A level but must be accompanied by 2 A Levels or BTECs General Studies is excluded.

Pass with 23-45 Level 3 credits at Merit/Distinction with a minimum of 6 credits at Distinction

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Grade C or 4 English Language or an acceptable equivalent qualification

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMM

or a combination of BTEC Level 3 grades

UCAS Tariff

96

Must be achieved from 3 A levels, BTECs or other acceptable Level 3 qualifications

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Psychotherapy

**Please note that this course is only available from year 2 onwards for September 2024 intake**

BSc (Hons) Counselling for the Helping Professions prepares you for a wide range of roles that involve working with people. It's a degree in people skills. You'll learn how to support others, training to:

• listen actively
• empathise and demonstrate that empathy so that others feel heard and understood
• be self-aware and reflective
• communicate clearly and effectively with others
• handle confidential information
• work with emotions and emotional content
• manage difficult and high-pressure situations relating to mental health
• interpret, manage, and operate in stressful situations
• think critically and use evidence to make decisions
• facilitate behaviour change

These are highly transferable skills, which are invaluable in a wide range of helping professions.

You'll learn about the theory, research, and practice of counselling and associated subjects like psychology, with a particular interest in how these can be used to support other people. The degree covers a variety of theoretical perspectives - person-centred, cognitive-behavioural, psychodynamic, and strengths-based. In terms of research, counselling is an evidence-based profession. Teaching is evidence-based, and you'll learn how to interpret, critique, and apply research. You'll also learn how to do research in the context of counselling.

You'll also learn, practice, and develop the counselling skills that will be invaluable in a range of professions that involve listening to, caring for, and supporting other people.

**Why study at Marjon?**
• Small, person-focused university
• No.2 university in England for Student Satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2024)
• No.4 university in the UK for Career Prospects (WhatUni Student Choice Awards 2023)
• No.4 uni in England for Education (Student Experience) (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023)

Modules

Year 1

• Immersing in Psychotherapy and Counselling
• Introduction to Psychotherapy and Counselling
• Skills in Psychotherapy and Counselling
• Skills in Psychotherapy and Counselling 2
• Introduction to Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Psychology and Counselling

Year 2

• Person-Centred Psychotherapy and Counselling
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Research in Psychotherapy and Counselling
• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Counselling
• Working Ethically in a Mental Health Context
• Engaging with Employability: Psychotherapy and Counselling Contexts

Year 3

• Positive Psychology and Strengths-Based Approaches
• Counselling Skills in Professional Roles and Settings
• Personal and Professional Development in Psychotherapy and Counselling
• Working with Difference and Diversity
• Empirical Project in Psychotherapy and Counselling

Assessment methods

• Academic skills portfolio
• Applied project
• Case study
• Case study and reflection portfolio
• Conference poster
• Counselling skills portfolio
• Critical review
• Directed research report
• Essay
• Ethical approval application
• Observed practice and written reflection portfolio
• Online quiz
• Portfolio of critical reflections
• Poster
• Practical portfolio
• Presentation
• Reflective essay and log of hours (portfolio)
• Research proposal
• Scientific report
• Written reflection

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£14,500
per year
International
£14,500
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Plymouth Marjon University

Department:

School of Sport, Health and Wellbeing

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

75%
Psychotherapy

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
90%
Staff are good at explaining things
80%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
80%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

70%
Library resources
75%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
70%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
12%
Male students
88%
Female students
83%
2:1 or above
14%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
B

After graduation


We don't have more detailed stats to show you in relation to this subject area at this university but read about typical employment outcomes and prospects for graduates of this subject below.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Counselling, psychotherapy and occupational therapy

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£23k

£23k

£25k

£25k

£23k

£23k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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