Advancing Counselling Practice MA

Advance your current undergraduate training and experience to offer effective and professional practice in a modern, mental health landscape.

Scholarships available

Overview

If you are a qualified counselling practitioner, MA Advancing Counselling Practice offers a focused programme of study designed to deepen and extend your professional knowledge and advance your professional practice. You will apply contemporary evidence and theory to develop your core model whilst cultivating a wider understanding of alternatives to your current approach to practice.

Your learning is grounded in the context of a contemporary mental health landscape and you will develop approaches to working with specific client groups and issues through research and case-focused study. Teaching will be influenced both by counselling theory and the expertise of mental health professionals from outside the field of counselling.

Specialist routes mean you can advance your standing as practitioners working with adults or with children and young people, resulting in an exit award title of MA Advancing Counselling Practice (Adult) or MA Advancing Counselling Practice (CYP).

Why us?

The School of Psychology was awarded an Athena Swan Bronze Award in 2021, in recognition of its commitment to supporting and transforming gender equality
A first for the region, offering masters-level progression for qualified counselling practitioners who have a level 6 qualification (or equivalent)
Advances professional standing under the newly approved SCoPEd framework

Relevance to modern-day counselling roles such as mental health and multi-disciplinary team working
A course teaching team drawing from experienced practitioners in the field of counselling and psychological therapy
Expert teaching input from lecturers from across a range of health professionals in the Faculty
A wide range of expertise in research from across the School of Psychology

Course structure

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods which include lectures, seminars, workshops, and tutorials.

A diversity of assessments are used across the course including presentations, case studies, reports, viva’s, essays, and reflective work.

Modules

Year 1:

Preparing to Research (15 credits)

Learn about the diverse approaches that can be applied to research in counselling including the role of researcher reflexivity and ethics. Draw upon the techniques and approaches covered in the module to develop a research proposal to select an appropriate methodology that can be applied to a specific need for research that you’ve identified.

Evolving the Core Model (15 credits)

Undertake a critical review of your current core model to identify areas in which you can strengthen and deepen your knowledge and expertise to be more effective in practice. Develop skills and perspectives to inform the enhancement of your practice by drawing upon contemporary literature that reflects the current evidence base and theory relevant to your core model. Evolve a conceptualisation of your core model with consideration of potential issues and implications for its use in practice.

Mind, Body and Embodiment (15 credits)

Explore the emotional relationship between mental and physical health and the implications for counselling practice. Examine psycho-dynamically informed concepts of bodily transference and countertransference, as well as their potential to influence the space between client and counsellor. Consider the use of self in relation to the physical presence of the counsellor. Explore areas such as psychosomatic expression and the carrying of trauma within the body.

Counselling and Mental Health (15 credits)

Take a holistic approach to mental health, focusing on the client’s own interpretation of their mental health and the alignment with their diagnosis. Explore how different counselling modes can best support those experiencing mental health difficulties. Engage in debates around boundaries and definitions of mental health which are pertinent in the context of contemporary challenges at a personal and global level. Examine the role of counsellors in multidisciplinary team working and become familiar with the fundamentals of assessment.

Life and Loss (15 credits)

Inform your approach to clinical work by covering a range of theories and perspectives that offer insight. Learn how life stages and events may influence the client and help explain their presenting issue. Gain an understanding of a trauma-informed approach to counselling practice and a deeper appreciation of the potential impact and significance that life events and patterns in attachments can have.

Specialisms and Issues in Practice (15 credits)

Explore the concept of professionalisation, specialisation, and expertise in counselling, including how different schools and orientations may view these concepts. Consider various ways of being a counselling practitioner through a collaborative learning process with your peers. Formulate your own view on these concepts and share with your group.

Year 2:

Professional Perspectives Beyond Counselling (15 credits)

Critically reflect on the evolving nature of counselling and its relationship to other care-orientated professions. Examine the perceptions and misconceptions of counselling that may be held by non-counselling colleagues. Explore the roles of specific professionals such as psychiatrists and social workers and why there’s a need for a plethora of professionals. Consider the limitations of counselling and when it may not be the best approach for a client.

Beyond the Individual (15 credits)

Discuss the development of psychological problems within individual personality theories. Gain an introduction to approaches which place difficulties within the wider social context. Explore ideas from systemic theory, narrative therapy, and psychoanalytic theory, as well as sociological and political perspectives to examine how taking a view beyond the individual may offer previously unconsidered ways of supporting clients with their difficulties.

MA Advancing Practice (Adult) only

Counselling Dissertation (case-based or empirical project, 60 credits)

Prepare a project action plan that addresses feedback on your original proposal by detailing changes you would like to make in response. Using feedback from your supervisor, put your project into action and produce a final report for assessment. Disseminate your findings to professionals in the field to help shape future practice.

MA Advancing Practice Award (CYP) only

Extending Practice (30 credits)

Consider a specific aspect of your case work experience where you’re developing specialist knowledge, relating to a clinical placement, client group, or a client presenting difficulty. Showcase your understanding of your work as a counselling practitioner through the integration of counselling theory, current research evidence, and an understanding of professional guidelines, competencies, and professional ethics.

Counselling Children and Young People (30 credits)

Examine the competencies required to work effectively with children and young people in counselling practice. Drawing on current evidence bases, research, and professional guidelines, evaluate your training and personal and professional development to establish the extent to which you meet current best practice guidelines and develop an action plan to address any gaps.

Facilities

The School of Psychology is based in the Murray Library on City Campus, close to the city centre and a three-minute walk from the University metro station. Teaching will take place in locations across City Campus, including in the new teaching and learning space in the School of Psychology. We also have a range of excellent library resources you can access.

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.

A 2:2 degree classification in counselling/psychotherapy

This must be a practitioner qualification recognised by British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), or the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) as meeting the requirements to be eligible for registered membership.

Or, both of the following:

A 2:2 degree classification in a related subject (e.g. health or care) and a satisfactory personal statement
A level 5 practitioner qualification in counselling recognised by BACP, NCPS, or the UKCP as meeting the requirements to be eligible for registered membership.

APEL

Holders of PgCert/PgDip in Counselling would be eligible to join the course however their PgCert/Dip in Counselling must be a practitioner qualification recognised by BACP, NCPS, or the UKCP as meeting the requirements to be eligible for registered membership.
The student would need to have passed their practitioner qualification element of training and be registered with a professional body as a ‘registered’ member as a minimum.

Fees and finance

Fees are £445 per 10 credits.

We are unable to accept international applicants for part-time courses who require a Student visa to study in the UK.

Additional costs for this course may include student membership fees of BACP and/or NCPS.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Students graduating at the Stadium of Light

Career ready

By achieving a masters-level qualification in counselling, you will have an advantage over undergraduates in the field. Specialist areas of study undertaken will afford you higher skills levels and greater levels of competence if you wish to work in private practice. The course will support graduates in progressing through the SCoPEd educational framework and register as a more advanced level of practitioner. It is also a route to entry for study for a PhD. The MA in Advancing Counselling Practice award is unique in providing specialist recognition for practitioners working with Children and Young People.

Career options

With this qualification, you can work in industries such as:

Private counselling practice
Third-sector providers of psychological services
Organisations such as schools, colleges or universities
Employers who provide counselling services to staff/employee assistance programmes
Training and Education
Research
Other, broader roles related to mental health promotion and provision

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing.

Page last updated: 04 April 2024

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.