Counselling and Counselling Skills

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Students who have completed our PgDip 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 five one-day workshops, three in September (Thursday 13, Friday 14 and Friday 21) and one in October (Friday 19) guiding students through the four key types of counselling research listed above. A follow-up session in November (Friday 16) 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 course tutors at 3 or 4 week intervals. Each student will also be allocated ten hours of individual supervision per year.

In addition, the course offers on-line support and resources.

Full-time international students will need to attend monthly research community meetings and meet with their supervisor on at least one other point in the month.

Most students will complete their research dissertation in two years, although it is possible to finish in one year. 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?
Students will work primarily with one or 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 Robert Elliott, Mick Cooper, Lorna Carrick, Beth Freire and Brian Rodgers.

Who is eligible to apply for the Master´s phase of the counselling programme?120 Master´s level credits required in person-centred therapyTo 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 yearsStudents 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 hereStudents who did not complete a postgraduate diploma in person-centred therapyStudents 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.English Language Requirements In addition to academic qualifications, you must also be able to show that you have a sufficient grasp of English. If English is not your first language you will need to provide evidence of your proficiency before you can begin the course, and you are strongly advised to take the IELTS or the TOEFL test examination. The University's general entry requirements are IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 600 (including the Test of Written English), TOEFL 250 (computer based test) and TOEFL 100 (internet based test). English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 CAE score: (read more) Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) is part of the Cambridge English suite and is targeted at a high level (IETLS 6.5-8.0). It is an international English language exam set at the right level for academic and professional success. Developed by Cambridge English Language Assessment - part of the University of Cambridge - it helps you stand out from the crowd as a high achiever. 75 (Grade B) TOEFL paper-based test score : 600 TOEFL iBT® test: 90 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.