Why study this course?
This Counselling and Psychotherapy MSc course will give you the academic and practical training to become eligible to practice as a counsellor. We offer an integrative approach to counselling and psychotherapy based upon person-centred, cognitive-behavioural, and psychodynamic therapeutic frameworks, which will enable you to succeed in your future career in the counselling professions.
This course places value on learning through experience, collaborative projects in small groups, as well as reflective, non-discriminatory, and ethical counselling practice. Through the exploration of different therapeutic frameworks, you’ll develop essential practitioner skills and learn how to ethically apply them to support clients with differing expectations and needs.
By developing advanced levels of knowledge and practical counselling skills, you’ll also learn to critically reflect on your own experiences and practice to maintain the highest standards that protect those using counselling services.
More about this course
The Counselling and Psychotherapy MSc is studied on a full-time basis over two years, studying on campus one day per week. On successful completion, you’ll have gained the 100 supervised client contact hours required to apply for individual membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and may also apply to join the BACP professional register, subject to passing the BACP Certificate of Proficiency exam. You’ll have access to a placement coordinator who will help you to secure a work placement. From this, you’ll have the confidence and experience required to become a reflective, non-discriminatory, and ethical practitioner.
During your first year, you’ll explore different counselling frameworks and their application in a range of settings and develop the core practical skills required to begin your supervised placement. In your second year, you’ll develop your ability to build effective therapeutic relationships with clients and to use your reflective skills to enhance your practical skills, ensuring reflective, non-discriminatory, and ethical counselling practice. You’ll also develop a critical understanding of the role of research in the development of counselling practice and will complete a supervised research dissertation on a topic of your choice.
By completing our Counselling and Psychotherapy MSc at London Met, you’ll be eligible to apply for individual membership of the BACP and may also apply for professional registration (MBACP), subject to passing the BACP Certificate of Proficiency exam. You’ll graduate with the confidence and experience to engage with clients from all backgrounds across different settings in the public and voluntary sectors and in private practice.
Counselling and Psychotherapy PG Dip
If you would prefer to gain a professional qualification and practical experience and do not wish to complete the full MSc programme, you can exit with a Counselling and Psychotherapy PG Dip.
Counselling and Psychotherapy PG Cert
You can also exit after one year with a PG Cert in Counselling and Psychotherapy, equipped with a range of counselling skills and knowledge and understanding of the main therapeutic frameworks and their ethical application.
Assessment
Our assessments include oral presentations, technology mediated presentations, case formulations, written assignments, reflective logs, and practical skills assessments. This includes participating in role-play sessions and engaging in critical self-reflection. For the Counselling and Psychotherapy MSc, you’ll also complete a supervised research dissertation in year two.
Fees and key information
Apply nowEntry requirements
You will be required to have:
- an honours degree in a relevant discipline with a minimum 2:2
- English Language and Mathematics GCSE at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent)
- an enhanced DBS check with access to the DBS Adults' Barred List
- relevant experience (i.e., voluntary or paid work involving working with vulnerable or distressed individuals)
- sufficient availability to complete 100 supervised client contact hours in a work placement
- evidence of completing a Counselling Skills qualification (minimum Level 2) which includes ongoing skills observation and feedback.
Applicants with relevant professional qualifications and/or professional experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis, as will any applicants declaring previous cautions or convictions.
English language requirements
To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our higher requirements.
If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.
Modular structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2023/24 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 1 modules include:
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon
This module is designed to allow you to develop your knowledge and understanding of the dominant modalities in counselling and psychotherapy including the person centred/humanistic, psychoanalytic, and cognitive/behavioural modalities which underpin many widely used counselling and therapeutic techniques. In particular, it will help you to develop your understanding of the philosophical, theoretical, and empirical underpinnings of the core modalities and your ability to evaluate their applied efficacy in relation to different client needs. It provides opportunities to apply the competencies and skills developed in this module and PY7211 Professional Practice and Reflective Skills in different counselling and therapeutic scenarios and provides a foundation for more advanced study and practice at later stages of the course.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Wednesday morning
This module will help you to develop a range of core personal and professional skills in preparation for work in supervised counselling placements. It is designed to foster core competencies and reflective skills that underpin effective counselling practice. It complements the theoretical and intellectual competencies developed in other aspects of the course through its focus on developing the practical skills required to work safely and effectively with clients with differing expectations and needs, both face-to-face and remotely, reflecting the fact that much counselling and therapeutic practice occurs online. The module is experiential in its approach and provides opportunities for you to participate in roleplay counselling sessions with peers and to critically reflect upon and discuss your experiences with your peers and members of the course team. The module will also help you to develop your critical awareness of the limitations with your own competencies and to take responsibility for addressing such limitations. It thus provides an important context in which your readiness to work in supervised practice placements is developed and assessed.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Wednesday afternoon
This module is designed to develop your knowledge and skills in a wide range of psychological research methods. It will help you to develop your ability to design and conduct different types of research, analyse different data types, and appropriately interpret and present the findings, in line with codes of professional ethical practice and open science. The module includes an introduction to the nature and purposes of research in counselling and psychotherapy. You will explore different methods for gathering data, different types of quantitative and qualitative analysis and different ways of summarising and disseminating research findings. You will learn how to use different software packages for analysing both quantitative and qualitative analyses, how to interpret results, and to draw appropriate conclusions. Each of these abilities is associated with competencies that are essential to an evidence-based practice in counselling and psychotherapy and are highly valued in employment contexts. The module also provides a firm foundation for PY7P10: Dissertation.
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Wednesday morning
This module will allow you to develop your understanding of the ethical principles outlined in the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy’s (BACP) Ethical Framework. It will help you to develop your understanding of core aspects of ethical practice, including safeguarding, confidentiality, data protection, and ensuring the integrity of the practitioner-client relationship. It will enhance your knowledge of policy and legislation relevant to counselling and psychotherapy, including the Mental Health Act (2007), the Mental Capacity Act (2005), the Children’s Act (2004), and the Health and Care Act (2022). The module will support your capacity to work safely and ethically in clinical and healthcare settings with vulnerable individuals and groups, your ability to assess and appropriately manage different types of risk and will thus help to maintain high standards in the counselling and related professions.
Year 2 modules include:
- This module currently runs:
- spring semester - Wednesday morning
This module is designed to support the development of your theoretical knowledge and practical skills and your professional identity as a counsellor/psychotherapist. It provides opportunities for you to critique and reflect upon the links between theory and practice in complex or challenging clinical situations, informed by contemporary theory and research. It will develop your understanding of the limitations with different modalities and techniques and your ability to integrate concepts and methods from different modalities to meet clients’ needs. The module will allow you to develop your ability to translate the application of your counselling and therapeutic skills to different contexts (e.g., face to face and online) and your critical awareness of factors that can impact the therapeutic relationships that you form with clients. A problem-based learning approach is used to develop your ability to utilise advanced and creative methods of supporting clients with complex needs and your ability to work cooperatively and productively with others to ensure best practice.
- This module currently runs:
- summer studies - Wednesday afternoon
- spring semester - Wednesday afternoon
This module is designed to consolidate and develop the knowledge and skills you have acquired throughout the course. Your research interests will be mapped to a suitable supervisor who will guide you through the different stages of the research process, including selection of a suitable research topic, obtaining ethical clearance, study design, analytic approach, and dissemination of the findings via a research report and a poster presentation. The research project must be informed by relevant theory and research of relevance to counselling and/or psychotherapy and agreed with your supervisor prior to commencement and should adhere to the principles of open science.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon
This module aims to develop your understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) legislation and its application in counselling and therapeutic practice. It will introduce you to a range of issues often experienced by clients from underrepresented and marginalised groups when accessing and using healthcare services. It will also develop your understanding of circumstances – both external to and within the therapeutic relationship – that can impact clients’ engagement and motivation to change. This includes your understanding of how your own assumptions and unconscious biases can impact the therapeutic relationships you form with clients and how they can be identified and addressed. The module provides a context for you to consider different ways of creating a safe therapeutic environment that supports the expectations and needs of clients from diverse populations, thus preparing you to address situations you will encounter as you progress through the course and beyond.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Wednesday morning
This module is designed to align with your experiences in supervised counselling placements and to support the development of your practical counselling skills, including your ability to integrate and apply different counselling modalities. You will learn how to develop case formulations based upon anonymised clients encountered in your supervised work placements and to evaluate the efficacy of different therapeutic interventions. The module will enhance your ability work cooperatively and productively with clients with differing expectations and needs and your ability to reflect upon and make use of feedback from different sources (e.g., clients, supervisors, and peers) to improve your practical counselling and therapeutic skills.
Additional information
Undergoing personal therapy during the programme is encouraged, at your own expense.
You are expected to secure a supervised placement in the first year of the programme and will be supported in securing one, although it is your responsibility to do so.
Should you secure a placement in an organisation that does not have an appropriately qualified supervisor, it is your responsibility to secure and fund an external supervisor, with assistance from the placement coordinator.
An enhanced DBS check with access to the DBS Adults’ Barred List is required for this course. Prior cautions or convictions will not necessarily prevent an applicant from joining the programme and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Placement providers may request additional DBS checks before a placement commences.
Applicants who meet the entry requirements described above will be invited to an interview and will be required to participate in an interactive small group activity with other applicants as part of the application process.
How to apply
Use the apply button to begin your application.
If you require a Student visa and wish to study a postgraduate course on a part-time basis, please read our how to apply information for international students to ensure you have all the details you need about the application process.
When to apply
You are advised to apply as early as possible as applications will only be considered if there are places available on the course.
To find out when teaching for this degree will begin, as well as welcome week and any induction activities, view our academic term dates.
