Masters in Counselling

Institution University of Strathclyde, Law, Arts & Social Sciences
Method At the institution
Location Glasgow
Type Masters
Course fee By request

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Masters in Counselling

Academic title Masters in Counselling
Course description Introduction
MSc/PG Diploma Course Leaflet

View MSc/PG Diploma Course Leaflet (PDF - 70kb)

Students who have completed the University of Strathclyde Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling, our pre-1999 Diploma in Counselling, or an equivalent course, have an opportunity to continue their studies towards a Master’s exit award through enrolling on the Master’s phase of our counselling programme.
What does it consist of?

The primary component of the Master’s phase is a 15,000-20,000 word research-based dissertation. The topic of this dissertation is of the student’s choice, but students are invited to link their research in to the main Counselling Unit Research Themes:

    * Person-centred/experiential therapy: process and outcomes
    * Existential therapy: process and outcomes
    * Pluralistic framework
    * Social anxiety: person-centred/experiential approaches
    * Counselling in schools
    * Relational depth

Students are also encouraged to use one of the research methods that the Unit specialises in:

    * Systematic Qualitative Research
    * Interpretive Single Case Study Research
    * Measure Development for person-centred/experiential approaches
    * Practice-based group design research/service evaluation

The course begins in September with an intensive introduction to research methods in counselling and psychotherapy, delivered as four one-day workshops, two in September (Friday 12th and Friday 19th Sept. 2008) and two in October (Friday 3rd and Friday 10th Oct. 2008), guiding students through the four key types of counselling research listed above. Follow-up sessions in November and December will help students finalize their research topic and develop their ethics proposal for submission by the end of Term 1. Much of the dissertation work will be carried out by students on an independent basis, supported by ‘learning community’ meetings (group supervision and supported facilitated by course tutors) at 3 or 4 week intervals. Each student will also be allocated ten hours of individual supervision.

In addition, the course offers on-line support and resources.
How long will it take?

Most students will complete their research dissertation in a year or two - depending on how much time they have available. Part-time students have a maximum of three years to complete their dissertations, and full-time students, two years.
Why should I do it?

As a research-based programme of study, the Masters in Counselling will:

    * Provide you with a higher level counselling qualification
    * Help you develop your research competences -- skills that counselling employees may be looking for
    * Provide you with an opportunity to follow up an area of particular interest and to take a lead in that field
    * Help you develop the skills, knowledge and confidence required to publish writings in the field of counselling and psychotherapy
    * Provide you with the basics for further academic work in the field (i.e. a PhD or Doctorate in Counselling and Psychotherapy)

Who will supervise the study?

In most cases, students will work with two supervisors, one of whom will be the main supervisor. As per University regulations, main supervisors will meet at least two of the following three criteria:

    * be qualified at Masters level or above
    * have a specialist knowledge and understanding of the topic proposed
    * have had experience of supervision of higher degree work

The majority of the dissertations will be supervised by Mick Cooper, Robert Elliott, Brian Rodgers, with Lorna Carrick and Beth Freire also contributing their expertise to the supe

Who is eligible to apply for the Master’s phase of the counselling programme?

120 Master’s level credits required in person-centred therapy

To enrol on the Master’s phase of the counselling programme, students will need to have accrued 120 Scottish Master’s credits in person-centred counselling (i.e. a Postgraduate Diploma in person-centred counselling), or equivalent (see below), within five years of proposed registration onto the Master’s phase of the counselling programme.

Students who have completed the University of Strathclyde’s Diploma in Counselling, prior to its formal accreditation at postgraduate level in 1999, will be considered to have completed a course of study equivalent to a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling, and thereby to have met this criteria.

Students who have been out of formal learning for more than five years

Students who have completed their (Postgraduate) Diploma in Counselling (or another course) more than five years prior to their proposed registration onto the Master’s phase of the counselling programme are still eligible to apply for the Master’s phase of our counselling programme. Such students, however, will need to complete a statement of on-going learning, demonstrating how, over the previous five years, they have maintained their learning at a level commensurate with a person-centred Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling. View more details of the specific learning outcomes of our Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling here

Students who did not complete a postgraduate diploma in person-centred therapy

Students who have completed a course of study other than the University of Strathclyde’s (Postgraduate) Diploma in Counselling, or an equivalent person-centred Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling, also have an opportunity to apply for the Master’s phase of our counselling programme. In this instance, students will need to (also) complete a statement of equivalence, demonstrating that the learning outcomes of their course were equivalent to a person-centred Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling.