Psychology with Counselling and Psychotherapy

Within this unit, you learn to situate a range of contemporary psychotherapeutic topics and debates in their social, historical and applied settings. Topics covered reflect staff research interests looking at advances in theory, practice and policy in relation to, for example, mental health, therapeutic models and processes.

This unit introduces alternative pedagogies in counselling and psychotherapy, in which you will work independently and collaboratively, to negotiate unit content and modes of assessment.

This unit will employ small group student led teaching, as part of the tutorial system. During this unit, you will be encouraged to develop a collaborative approach to your learning of counselling and psychotherapy. During unit tutorials small groups will be encouraged to work collaboratively to select a topic from a predefined range, which focus on a key debate or challenge within counselling and psychotherapy. 

This approach will foster independent learning and team working as a forerunner to employability, as well as a sense of belongingness to your student group. 

In this unit, we provide an introduction to the process of conducting quantitative psychological research. You will learn how to design robust psychological experiments; how to measure and collect data about thoughts, feelings, and behaviour; how to work with numerical datasets and apply analyses to discover patterns and test theories; and how to report findings using recognised scientific reporting guidelines. The unit emphasises progressive ‘open science’ research practices and transferrable data science skills.

Many research questions are better answered using discursive qualitative data, rather than numerical quantitative approaches. In this unit you will learn the main methods and approaches in qualitative psychology, and the important contributions they can make to advancing psychological knowledge.

Real-world work experience is valuable in developing and applying a range of personal and professional skills and attributes. However, what does psychological research and theory highlight as the essential skills required for success at university and employment? Through a process of reflective practice, critical thinking and practical activities, this unit focuses on identifying and developing specific skills including confidence, self-efficacy and goal orientation.

Work experience can be vital for success in a competitive graduate job market, but how do students develop workplace experience, skills, and knowledge whilst studying on a full-time course? This unit aims to develop personal and professional skills applied to a workplace setting. Support from your personal tutor is on hand as you develop your skills, knowledge, and self-awareness, and identify areas for your own personal growth and development. 

Key theories and practices from five British Psychological Society core perspectives and the therapeutic interventions which share the same philosophical base, provide the focus for this unit. These perspectives include cognitive psychology and an introduction to cognitive behavioural therapy; biopsychology and introduction to psychopharmacology; social psychology and an introduction to humanistic and psychosocial interventions; individual differences and an introduction to psychiatry and diagnostic systems; developmental psychology and introduction to psychodynamic therapy.

Through role-play activities and in small groups, you learn some of the practical therapeutic skills in core counselling and psychotherapy approaches. These introductory level clinical skills might include how to create a therapeutic environment, how to open and close a session, questioning techniques, observation techniques, and active listening.

How can we use numerical data to test psychological theories and make predictions? How can we design, analyse, and report experiments, or use questionnaires to measure psychological constructs? This unit introduces advanced research designs and statistical analyses to prepare you to address a wide range of psychology questions, and prepare you to report findings for a range of audiences.

What research do counsellors and psychotherapists consider to inform their practice? What areas are useful and interesting for researchers to look at? Importantly, since starting your course, how have you developed as a researcher and how can you continue this growth? With a strong focus on individual and group reflection and growth, students will be encouraged to connect with, and develop, their own passions within counselling and psychotherapy. This unit encourages you to critically and reflexively consider research, develop an evidence based research rationale, consider the practicalities of conducting ethical research, and develop skills in team-growth dynamics.

Building on the knowledge and skills introduced at Level 4, this unit considers how more advanced qualitative research designs are used to address complex questions in psychology. You are introduced to the importance of rigorous approaches to data collection, analysis, and reporting of qualitative data. 

How do we learn new information? What influences our decisions? What are the factors that influence creativity? Through addressing various fascinating questions such as these, this unit critically explores key areas of cognitive psychological theory and research. It provides a foundation understanding contemporary issues, debates, and methods in this interesting and core psychological field. Practical and real-world examples as well as experimental design issues are discussed throughout the unit, and the historical and philosophical context of our learning is considered. 

Does our attachment with our primary caregivers really affect all our future relationships? Do our primary caregivers or friends have more of an influence on our understanding of morality? The lifespan development unit is designed to explore questions such as these and a range of developmental psychological topics over the course of the lifespan.

This unit explores social psychological topics, and differences in approaches to social psychological knowledge. 

It will cover areas of social psychology outlined by the British Psychological Society, for example social cognition, attribution, attitudes, group processes and intergroup relations, culture, close relationships, social constructionism, self and identity, and leadership. Through the exploration of these topics you will consider alternative paradigms, perspectives and approaches in social psychology and the ways in which social psychological knowledge is impacted by the context in which it is gained. 

Psychology is concerned with the factors that unite us, and the factors that make us different. In this unit, you will learn about approaches that help us to understand individual differences in personality, intelligence, and in other aspects of mental life. Historical and contemporary issues relating to diversity and inclusivity, and their impact upon modern therapeutic practice is explored. We will consider how important awareness of difference and diversity is for counselling and psychotherapy settings.

Biopsychologists study how our behaviours, thoughts and feelings depend on the biology of our brains. We use highly advanced technologies to discover how differences in this biology between individuals, and across our lifespans, make us who we are. Throughout the unit, we’ll look at how a new understanding of how our brains work has led to a changed insight into what it means to be human.

Preparing for your dissertation involves a supervisor supporting you to carry out a literature review so you can develop appropriate research aims and questions for an empirical research project, as well as plan appropriate methodologies that cohere with these. You will engage with ethical issues and develop an application for ethical approval for your proposed dissertation research in line with Faculty and British Psychological Society guidelines and Code of Ethics.

Your final year dissertation may be in any area of counselling, psychotherapy or counselling psychology, giving you opportunity to explore the questions that matter to you. Your dissertation supervisor will hold regular supervision meetings with you to provide guidance and formative feedback to enable you to design and conduct the empirical project, analyse data, and construct an academic report.

Building on previous learning, you will explore contemporary therapeutic approaches to common client problems such as depression and anxiety. Current developments in understanding therapeutic relationships and factors that impact on these, such as awareness of cultural appropriateness, early life difficulties and the mind-body link are investigated. There are opportunities to focus on employability skills including the use of psychology in the helping professions.

Building on your learning from the Introduction to Therapeutic Skills unit, you will continue to develop your practical clinical skills by exploring a client scenario through role-play. Working in pairs, triads and small groups, you will engage in observation, evaluation, and learn to offer appropriate peer feedback. You will use digital media to record and evaluate work, and there is an additional focus on reflection of personal and professional development.