Program Overview

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BSc (Hons) - Psychology with Counselling and Psychotherapy

Course Overview

This course will see you develop the academic knowledge and practical skills you need to help make a difference in the lives of others. You’ll learn from industry-expert tutors through lectures, seminars and other learning opportunities.

Our standout Psychology with Counselling and Psychotherapy course adheres to the training requirements of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and is one of the only Psychology with Counselling joint honours degrees that qualifies you as a professional counsellor without the need for further professional or postgraduate training.

Upon graduation, you will also be eligible to gain Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) and apply to be an individual member of the BACP.

In addition to 100 hours of work in the community, you’ll have the opportunity to develop key research skills and undertake specific counselling-focused research projects. You will also gain high-level soft skills such as empathy, conflict resolution and active thinking, which are in high demand in the workplace and will enhance your employability across various professions.

Throughout your studies, you’ll be part of a small, close-knit and supportive learning community, ensuring you receive the guidance and encouragement you need to succeed.

What’s more, our psychology courses are ranked 1st in the North West and 11th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2023 Results).

On this course you will...

• Have the opportunity to explore and apply psychological literature to current issues, contexts and experiences.
• Develop key knowledge, skills and abilities to help you prepare to become a counsellor or psychotherapist, or develop a career in related psychotherapeutic professions.
• Be able to choose topics and areas that you want to learn more about to tailor your learning experience on your psychology degree.
• Be taught and given high-quality support and guidance by our expert lecturing team, who are active in research and practices.
• Have the opportunity to get involved in a range of extracurricular activities including sessions by experts in the field of psychology and counselling.
• Benefit from our excellent links with regional and national charities, not-for-profit and penal institutions to gain work experience and enhance your job prospects.

Key Details

• Recruiting to: UK / RoI / Settled in UK, EU / EEA / International
• Course Location: Carlisle - Fusehill Street
• Institute: Institute of Health
• UCAS Code: C802
• Delivery Style: In-person
• Course Duration: Full-time: 3 Years
• Study Options: Integrated Foundation Year
• Course Start Point: September
• Award: BSc (Hons)
• More information: Programme Specification, Prospectus

Minimum entry requirements

• 96-112 UCAS Tariff points

Tuition fees

• £9,535 - UK (per year)
• £14,900 - International (per year)

Related Courses

• BSc (Hons) - Psychology with Counselling and Psychotherapy with Integrated Foundation Year
• BSc (Hons) - Psychology

Course Structure

What you will learn

On this degree, you will learn about the key research, knowledge, skills and attributes needed to work within psychological and therapeutic settings. You will start by building your knowledge and developing your key skills through lectures, workshops and problem-based learning. You will explore the history of psychology, research methods and analytical techniques.

You will examine the wider issues around therapeutic diversity whilst gaining work experience within therapeutic settings allowing you to further advance your knowledge, skills and advanced counselling skills. An independent research project will allow you to explore a topic of your interest with your own research question.

Year one

You will build knowledge in the foundations of psychology, counselling and psychotherapy as disciplines and develop key skills through lectures, workshops and problem-based learning. You will build knowledge of the history of psychology, research methods and analytical techniques as well as start to develop key counselling, academic and professional skills.

• Psychology in Action
• Introduction to Psychological Research Methods
• Introduction to Data Analysis
• Academic and Professional Skills
• Foundational Counselling and Coaching Skills
• Counselling Skills: Preparation for Practice

Year two

You will start to develop a more in-depth understanding of research, theory and practice and develop important research and practical skills. You will build on the foundation of the skills developed in year one and begin to understand wider issues around therapeutic diversity and start to gain work experience within a therapeutic setting.

• Research Methods and Statistics
• Development, Brain and Cognition
• Social and Community Psychology
• Work Experience
• Intermediate Counselling Skills
• Understanding Therapeutic Diversity

Year three

You will undertake an independent research project that will allow you to explore a topic of interest and pursue your own research question. You will also be able to further advance your knowledge and skills through further work experience and advanced counselling skills.

• Dissertation
• Individual Differences: Abilities, Personalities and measuring differences
• Critical Psychology
• Advanced Counselling Skills
• Work Experience 2

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

A variety of teaching and learning methods are designed to match learning outcomes and to provide you with some experience of the method best suited to your learning style, we will support your move to becoming an independent and mature learner.

Teaching and learning will include tutor-led classroom learning, including debates and discussions along with seminars and small group work. This course also emphasises practical learning and skill development so you have several opportunities to practice these across the course.

How you will be assessed

The assessment throughout the programme will include a blend of assessment activities such as written assignments, unseen in-class tests, presentations and reports, alongside innovative and employability focused tasks such as case study analysis, problem-based activities and reflective logs.

These methods are chosen to encourage knowledge development, practitioner skill development, and a range of transferable and professional capabilities such as communication skills, presentation skills, problem-solving, teamwork, numeracy and IT skills.

Entry Requirements

• 96-112 UCAS Tariff Points
• A-levels: CCC-BBC
• T-levels: P (C+) - M
• Access to HE: 15 Credits at Distinction & 30 at Merit
• CACHE Technical Level 3 and Level 3 Extended Diploma: C
• OCR Cambridge Technical & Edexcel/Pearson BTEC Level 3 (National) Extended Diploma: MMM-DMM
• Scottish Highers: BBCC-BBBB
• Irish LC Highers: B2x4 – B1x2, B2x2

Fair Admissions

When you apply, our Admissions specialists will review your whole application. We are looking for your potential to succeed so will assess your qualifications, any relevant work experience, your personal statement, and references.

Selection Criteria

As part of the application and selection process, we are looking for your commitment to teaching. In your personal statement, you should demonstrate your motivation for choosing this programme, and reflect upon any practical experience you have gained.

If you are offered a place it will be subject to satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service clearance (DBS) and proof of qualifications.

Contextual Admissions

Going to higher education can transform a person’s life. We use contextual admissions to make sure that we are accessible to everyone who has the potential to succeed. Qualifications and grades are important, but they are considered alongside other information that helps universities to identify potential and widen access to university level study. For some individuals, the disadvantages they have experienced in their life mean that they have not been able to demonstrate their full academic potential. Where a person lives and their personal circumstances can all affect their educational attainment.

We take this context into account and look for an applicant’s potential when making admission decisions. The University of Cumbria will make offers at the bottom of any UCAS Tariff range to applicants that live in postal code regions with the lowest participation in Higher Education (Polar 4 quintile 1 – you can check your postcode here), applicants that are estranged from their parents, are care leavers or have caring responsibilities or are in receipt of or received free school meals during their secondary education. Attendance at our Masterclasses and Summer Schools will also allow applicants to receive an offer lower within the tariff range. (T&Cs apply)

Language requirements

Please follow the link to check language requirements for this programme here.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

• £9,535 - UK (per year)
• £14,900 - International (per year)

International Finance

At the University of Cumbria, we offer affordable tuition fees for international and EU students looking to study at one of our main four campuses. No matter your choice of course or career path, our International Team is here to support you.

Funding

For further information about funding, please visit our undergraduate funding page.

Additional Costs

There will be some additional costs. For example all students will need to purchase stationery and may wish to purchase some text books. Extra costs may also be applicable to cover field trips, membership fees etc. although such features are usually options within the course.

• Books and Journals: The University library holds copies of core texts (including some as eBooks accessible online) and paper and/or e-versions of an extensive range of psychology journals. However, you may wish to purchase your own copies of books (new or second hand), in which case the following are recommended (although reviewed each year). A general introductory text to psychology will cover the main areas we teach in year one. For example, Kalat, J. (2017). Introduction to Psychology. (11th ed.). Alternatively, you may wish to read something specialised. For example, Oliver Sacks, The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. Picador. or Sereny, G. (1995). The Case Of Mary Bell: A Portrait of a Child Who Murdered. There is not a prescribed reading list for the course and so book costs will vary to your preference. Unless a specific article is required from a journal the university does not subscribe to for a specialist research project then you should not need to purchase journal subscriptions.
• Stationery: Stationery for your own personal use (pens, papers and folders, etc.). Whilst you will choose how much you need, expect to pay around £30 - £40 per year for these. A Scientific Calculator is recommended for statistics classes £9-16. An academic diary (£5- £10 per annum) and a pen drive or other storage device (£10 - £20) are also recommended.
• Other: Student membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP-£82 in 2019). External supervision – a minimum of 1 ½ hours of supervision a month (maximum 8:1 ratio of hours counselling and psychotherapy to supervision hours) with a supervisor from our list of ‘approved supervisors’ from the time that supervised practice begins and until the end of the programme (supervision is an ongoing requirement for practising members of BACP; even when qualified); the cost is usually £30-£40 per hour; Insurance – if your supervised practice settings insurance does not effectively cover you, you will have to pay for insurance yourself – circa £70 pa; Personal Counselling/Psychotherapy – you must undertake a minimum of 10 hours of individual therapy during the programme. Supervised Practice related costs – this will usually include travel to and from the supervised practice setting(s); Recording and playback equipment etc.