Program Overview

Course Overview

The PgD Counselling and Psychotherapy course is designed to support students in developing their understanding and practical skills to work with others as they explore and experience various forms of psychological difficulty and distress. The course focuses on developing therapeutic practice grounded in the person-centred and wider humanistic approaches.

Key Details

• Recruiting to: UK / RoI / Settled in UK
• Course Location: Lancaster
• Institute: Institute of Health
• Delivery Style: Face to Face
• Course Duration: Part-time: 2 Years
• Course Start Point: September
• Award: PgD

Course Structure

What you will learn

• Adopt a person-centred approach to your work, with the opportunity to learn about and critically compare and contrast other approaches to therapy.
• Develop skills and understanding that can later be developed to support work with couples, children, and families.
• Emphasis is placed on developing research skills and your understanding of evidence-based practice.

Year one

• Theory and Practice 1: Prepare for supervised Person Centred practice personally, professionally, and theoretically.
• Theory and Practice 2: Develop a critical theoretical awareness and professional understanding of the theories and experiences of psychological and emotional distress.
• Personal and Professional Development 1: Develop a critical theoretical awareness and in-depth professional understanding of ethical practice and decision making.

Year two

• Personal and Professional Development 2: Develop as an ethical, reflexive, and effective practitioner, exploring the complexity of therapeutic practice and linking it with theory, research, and self-understanding.
• Attachment and Adversity: Develop a critical theoretical understanding and professional appreciation of theories of attachment and adversity.
• Understanding Therapeutic Diversity: Develop a complex understanding of several therapeutic approaches and critically compare them to the Person Centred Approach.

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

A variety of teaching and learning methods are used throughout the programme, including discourse, discussion, debate, small group work, seminar presentations, reflection-on and in-practice, context-based learning, and flexible, distributed learning.

How you will be assessed

A full range of assessment methods has been selected to enhance student learning and to help students demonstrate the extent to which they have achieved all the module learning outcomes. Types and methods of assessment will include group seminars and presentations, essays, a portfolio of evidence, viva, examination, OSCE/practical skills assessments, map of patient/client experience, reflective essay, community health profile, reflective incident recording, poster presentation, and dissertation.

Entry Requirements

• Students should have a 2:2 or above in a relevant undergraduate degree.
• Students with other qualifications may be admitted to the course.
• Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) may be considered for relevant prior learning at the same academic level.

Selection criteria

• You will need to have already completed a minimum of 30 hours of counselling skills training and be deemed to have a level of counselling ability that would enable you to go out on placement in the first semester.
• You will need to undertake a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance and Medical clearance through the University of Cumbria.
• Your application needs to be supported by a statement from your referee.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

• £5,983 - UK (2025-2026)
• £9,933 - International (2025-2026)

Additional Costs

• Books and Journals: approximately £100-£200 per year
• Stationery: approximately £30-£40 per year
• Clothing and Equipment: varies depending on the organisation and client group
• Field Trips: approximately £250 for the residential in Year 1
• Other: BACP Student membership, External Clinical Supervision, Professional Indemnity Insurance, Personal Counselling/Psychotherapy, Supervised Practice travel costs, Audio equipment, etc.