Program Overview

MPhil, PhD Counselling

The MPhil/PhD in Counselling is an opportunity for practising counsellors/psychotherapists to develop their research knowledge and skills by conducting a substantial practice-based research study related to the process or outcome of counselling. We specialise in person-centred-experiential therapy and have our own research clinic that offers the opportunity to access our substantial data archive or to conduct new data collection.

Research Areas

• Developing the theory underpinning person-centred-experiential therapy through empirical research
• Investigating counselling outcome according to a range of variables and through a variety of methods
• Exploring counselling process through a variety of methods, including systematic case studies
• Measure development (e.g. Strathclyde Inventory, Therapeutic Relationship Scale)

Fees & Funding

All fees quoted are per academic year unless otherwise stated. Entrants may be subject to a small fee during the writing up period. Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter. All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.

Annual Revision of Fees

Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually. The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding. Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year.

Tuition Fees

• Scotland: £4,786 (2024/25), £5,006 (2025/26)
• England, Wales & Northern Ireland: £4,786 (2024/25), £5,006 (2025/26)
• Republic of Ireland: If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status.
• International: £18,050 (2024/25), £19,850 (2025/26)

Supervisors

Name: Susan Stephen
Areas of expertise:

• Person-centred-experiential counselling/psychotherapy process
• Person-centred-experiential counselling/psychotherapy outcome
• Measure development
• Systematic case studies
• Cross-cultural research

Support & Development

The Graduate School

The Graduate School is a friendly and supportive study environment for research students studying subjects within Humanities & Social Sciences. Our staff will support you through your studies and you'll become part of a community of students who get involved with our workshops, seminars and competitions.

Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PgCert RPD)

Our PgCert RPD programme aims to ensure you get the most out of your current research activities at Strathclyde and helps you prepare for your future career as a researcher. We'll help you recognise and develop your transferrable skills that'll have a positive impact on your research, now and in the future.

Entry Requirements

Our MPhil and PhD students are usually practising counsellors or psychotherapists who have completed professional training at postgraduate level (PgDip or MSc) and hold a first-class or upper second-class UK Honours degree, or overseas equivalent. If English isn't your first language, you'll also need to have a recent UKVI recognised Secure English Language Test (SELT) qualification.

The Application

During the application, you'll be asked for the following:

• Your full contact details
• Transcripts and certificates of all degrees
• Proof of English language proficiency if English isn't your first language
• Two references, one of which must be academic
• Funding or scholarship information
• Research proposal of 1500 to 2000 words in length, detailing the subject area and topic to be investigated

Start Dates

You can study an MPhil in Counselling with us over one year, or a PhD over three years, with the option of studying on a part-time basis. Start dates are available between October and September each year.