BSc (Hons) Counselling

Would you like to study for an undergraduate degree leading to a professional career in mental health?  A course packed with transferable skills relevant to so many careers? A course with an integral placement, working alongside clients as they explore life’s troubles and life’s meaning? 

Then our BSc Counselling course is what you are looking for!

We’re offering you an exciting and inclusive British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) accredited professional and academic training and education in counselling. Our course integrates theory, therapeutic competencies, self-awareness, professional development, skills work, and placements, so that you’re prepared to become skilled, competent and reflective practitioners and life-long learners. 

On the course, we'll give you in-depth knowledge of three major psychotherapeutic approaches:

• Person-centred therapy
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• Psychodynamic therapy

You will develop your understanding of a key feature of counselling: the therapeutic relationship between counsellor and client. In order to achieve this, you'll experience personal therapy yourself, starting in year one. You'll also practise what you've learned in lectures through video-recorded counselling sessions with your peers in the UEL labs. Once you’ve passed a Readiness to Practice assessment, you’ll progress into supervised clinical placements, meeting with clients bringing a range of life experiences - such as loss and bereavement, violence and abuse, depression and anxiety. 

We’ll prepare you to think about work with clients, and learning at university, with regard to intersectionality. Social justice is one of our passions as a teaching team. It’s what UEL stands for!  

There are many jobs and careers that are options for you with a BSc Counselling degree. It is a vocational training programme so graduates are eligible to practice after graduation in public and private practice. Other opportunities include jobs within the Allied Psychology sector, such as: Employment Specialist; Social Prescribing Link Worker; Wellbeing Manager; support roles in NHS and other mental health providers; advocacy work in the third sector. Some of these many require further training that we can help you with.

Some of our graduates choose to seek employment in non-Psychology areas. These are jobs in areas where there are employers who want counselling graduates, due to the transferable skills you will gain during your studies. These include Human Resources; Civil Service; Graduate Training Schemes; Teaching; Third sector/Charity roles; administration; Self-employed/entrepreneur (counselling or non-counselling psychology linked). 

Student could further progress their education with any of the postgraduate courses we offer such as Counselling and Psychotherapy-linked PG courses for professional development, Counselling psychology, MSc Psychology conversion programme. 

Theory, practice, research and personal development are the four pillars on which we've built our course.

In year one, you'll study the foundations of the therapeutic process and start to practise counselling skills. You’ll be introduced to the importance of working ethically. You’ll engage in personal and professional development. There will be research methods modules, on working with small and larger samples. You’ll learn about one modality (or approach) to therapy – person-centred therapy. 

Year two builds on what you have learned in year one, offering you modules in life-span development with regard to adults, and children and young people. You’ll deepen your knowledge of research methods. You’ll learn about psychodynamic counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). In year two, you’ll take your Readiness to Practice assessment – when you’ve passed that, you can go out into clinical placement. 

The final year of the course brings together the modalities (or approaches) you have studied – person-centred, CBT and psychodynamic – to look at becoming an integrative practitioner. You will have a module about clinical practice and supervision and one about becoming a competent practitioner. There is an optional module on existential counselling, and other choices from psychology. This year, you will also complete your research dissertation. 

We consistently review our courses to ensure we are up to date with industry changes and requirements from our graduates. As a result, our modules are subject to change. 

If you want to join us to study for a degree in counselling but don't have the standard entry requirements, then our one-year Foundation course is perfect for you. Upon successful completion of the Foundation Year (passing all four modules including Topics for Counselling), students are eligible for an interview to join the BSc Counselling degree. If you change your mind during the course, you are also eligible to progress onto the BSc (Hons) Psychology, or one of our specialised pathways.

• Tawjihi: 60% for Foundation
• 3 x AS Levels: Foundation
• US High School Diploma: GPA 2.0 for Foundation
• US High School Diploma: GPA 3.0 + SAT1 1070 for Direct Entry to Bachelor's
• International Baccalaureate (IB): 25 points with minimum 15 at Higher Level for Direct Entry to Bachelor's
• 3 x A Levels: Direct Entry to Bachelor's

There are many jobs and careers that are options for you with a BSc Counselling degree. It is a vocational training programme so graduates are eligible to practice after graduation in public and private practice.

Other opportunities include jobs within the Allied Psychology sector, such as: Employment Specialist; Social Prescribing Link Worker; Wellbeing Manager; support roles in NHS and other mental health providers; advocacy work in the third sector. Some of these many require further training that we can help you with.

Some of our graduates choose to seek employment in non-Counselling areas. These are jobs in areas where there are employers who want counselling graduates, due to the transferable skills you will gain during your studies. These include Human Resources; Civil Service; Graduate Training Schemes; Teaching; Third sector/Charity roles; administration; Self-employed/entrepreneur (counselling or non-counselling psychology linked).

You could further progress your education with any of the postgraduate courses we offer such as Counselling and Psychotherapy-linked PG courses for professional development, Counselling psychology, MSc Psychology conversion programme.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.