Explore our Psychotherapy and Counselling taught Master's degree.

P-C8B9

MSc

Part-time: 3 years (with a 1-2 year(s) post master’s accreditation programme)

2 October 2023

Centre for Lifelong Learning

University of Warwick

Psychotherapy and Counselling, offered as a part time MSc with a clinical placement, will provide you with in-depth clinical training. Join Warwick's Centre for Lifelong Learning and work with field experts as you develop psychotherapeutic and counselling skills.

The course provides an in-depth clinical training which integrates theory and practice from a range of psychotherapeutic and counselling approaches, framed distinctively by a holistic view of the self and human experience. The MSc is 3 years long (ending at the end of the third year, rather than the summer). However, in order to achieve practitioner registration, it is essential to complete a post MSc accreditation programme after this MSc which may last 1 or 2 academic years thereafter.

There are two routes to the MSc, both of which are accredited by the UKCP: Psychotherapist and Psychotherapeutic Counsellor. Both routes require 450 hours of supervised one-to-one clinical practice in order to reach registration by the UKCP. The key difference between the routes is that the psychotherapist route requires more hours of personal therapy, a mental health familiarisation placement (to be found by the trainee), some extra weekend training, and a summative assessment.

Skills from this degree

• Use a range of meaningful and effective integrative approaches to develop relational skills for application to therapeutic practice
• Address a broad range of client need including more complex and severe mental health difficulties
• Apply a high level of relevant academic and professional knowledge to a range of settings, which provide counselling, psychotherapy and mental health services
• Utilise personal development opportunities to enhance interpersonal skills
• Acquire research skills and knowledge which are relevant to the counselling and psychotherapy field, and which can inform and enhance evidence-based practice

Learning is via a combination of formal lecture, seminar, practice development, experiential learning and personal development groups. There is also a requirement for 450 clinical practice hours in a community based placement setting (with 1 to 6 hours supervision requirements) plus a minimum of 35 hours a year personal therapy.

Typical group size is around 15 students.

One evening each week (4.5 contact hours) plus one Saturday a month (6 hours).

There is a range of assessment used including case study, theory and reflective assignments, tutor and self-evaluation practice, research appraisal and a dissertation of 12-15,000 words. For the latter typically, you are asked to choose a topic of interest relevant to psychotherapy and counselling, which can form the basis of empirical research and have a positive impact on this professional field.

Reading lists

Most departments have reading lists available through Warwick Library. If you would like to view reading lists for the current cohort of students you can visit our Warwick Library web page.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you when you join us.

2:i (BA/BSc Honours or equivalent) in psychology, social sciences, arts-related subject; basic counselling skills training and evidence of experience, of forming and sustaining helping relationships (either employed or voluntary).

Where appropriate, applicants with significant relevant study and professional and personal development qualifications and experience which does not equate to 2.i level, will be considered on a case by case basis.

Demonstration of personal and practical readiness to train as a practising psychotherapist or psychotherapeutic counsellor.

Duration

3 years part-time (plus up to two years on a post-master's accreditation programme for registration as a psychotherapist or psychotherapeutic counsellor).

• Band A
• Overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 and component scores.

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Year One

The Psychotherapeutic Relationship 1: Introduction to Theory

You will critically analyse and synthesise in-depth specialist knowledge of a range of cutting edge theoretical approaches and their application to therapeutic practices relevant to a holistic and integrative approach to psychotherapy. You will also critically evaluate and compare psychotherapy theories and analyse and evaluate the evidence for their effectiveness, and evaluate their relevance for a holistic – integrative approach.

You will exhibit a sophisticated level of competence and curiosity in the exploration of these theoretical approaches through exercise of generic intellectual abilities as well as a capacity to synthesise and therapeutic theory and then apply this effectively to practice and their own professional and personal development.

The Psychotherapeutic Relationship 1: Introduction to Practice

You will take a proactive and critically evaluative role in practising and synthesising cutting-edge psychotherapeutic skills and approaches, applying key therapeutic qualities in practice and in professional relationships with others. You will critically analyse, synthesise and apply key therapeutic theory, including integrative theory, to practice. To critically and reflectively monitor and systematically evaluate own practice and development, and integrate learning from tutor and peer feedback into practice.

You will also demonstrate and synthesise all aspects of fitness and readiness to practice therapeutically with clients on supervised placement, assessed through: practice observation, written assignments including case studies, overall presentation on the course, including personal development groups and capacity for critical reflection, and viva.

The Psychotherapeutic Relationship 1: Introduction to Individual Development

You will critically and consistently reflect on all aspects of personal development, including cultural competence, and proactively formulate and synthesise ideas and hypotheses to evaluate these. You will also successfully complete the Mental Health placement, and critically evaluate and synthesise knowledge of Mental Health gained to support practice and multi-professional working.

You will also understand, critically evaluate, synthesise and apply, ethical, legal and professional principles to professional and personal development in support of practice

Year Two

The Psychotherapeutic Relationship 2: Development of Theory, Practice and Individual Development

You will be offered every week a blend of formal lecture which includes consideration of application of theory to practice, and a clinical seminar where a student presents and critiques case material from relevant literature. There is also a weekly clinical practice development session which acts as the focus for therapeutic practice development with tutor, peer and self-evaluation and feedback a prominent feature. You will be offered some Saturday teaching sessions which will offer formal lectures, looking at applications to professional and personal development of key themes as well as being expected to fully participate fully in a personal development group.

Research in Professional Practice

This module aims to develop understanding of the research process and its relevance to your professional practice, including designing and carrying out research into your own practice field. This includes identifying research questions and appropriate research strategies and gathering and analysing sources using a variety of methods. It will enable you to carry out research into an aspect of career development or coaching practice of interest and relevance to you.

Year Three

The Psychotherapeutic Relationship 3: Integration of Theory, Practice and Individual Development

Dissertation

There are no optional modules for this course.

We have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.

This is a holding content block which does not currently display on the page. To make it live, update the copy above, change the Title to remove the brackets, and delete this sentence.