Therapeutic Counselling - Level 4 Diploma (BACP Pilot)

Essentials

Duration: 2 Years Part-time
Start date: 22nd September 2023
End date: 5th June 2025
Day: Fri
Time: 09:00-16:00
Information event: Y

Course fee: To be confirmed

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Course Content

Northern Regional College are taking part in a pilot scheme with BACP and CPCAB, where successful CPCAB Level 4 students will now have a straightforward route to BACP registration. Students will undertake the BACP Certificate of Proficiency, with the support of their tutors, during year 2 of the programme. Students successfully completing the course will receive certification that includes both the BACP and CPCAB logos, together with confirmation of a qualification that meets the standards of the BACP Approved Qualification scheme.  Full details are available on CPCAB website. 

This two year course provides successful candidates, on completion, with a professional qualification in counselling and enables progression toward BACP accreditation.

There are 7 mandatory units:
Unit 1 - Working ethically, safely and professionally as a counsellor
Unit 2 - Working within a counselling relationship
Unit 3 - Working with client diversity in counselling work
Unit 4 - Working within a user-centred approach to counselling
Unit 5 - Working with self-awareness in the counselling process
Unit 6 - Working within a coherent framework of counselling theory and skills
Unit 7 - Working self-reflectively as a counsellor

Students must also complete the following, and are responsible for the associated costs:

• Personal counselling – a minimum of 10 hours face to face personal therapy during the course (to accommodate a range of theoretical approaches).
• Client work – a minimum of 100 hours formally-contracted counselling (one-to-one) with at least 5 different clients in an agency setting. Students are responsible for securing their own placement within a suitable agency.
• Supervision – Candidates require clinical supervision for their agency client work. In addition, candidates require 30-50 hours group training supervision as part of the course.

BACP Student Membership - all students on this programme must obtain BACP Student Membership for the duration of the programme. The current cost of this (20/21) is £82 per year. 

For further information on course content, delivery, and assessment, please see the candidate guide on the CPCAB website, which can be found at http://www.cpcab.co.uk/qualifications/tc-l4#documents.

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Assessment Methods

The course is assessed both internally with a portfolio of evidence, and externally with a CPCAB set and marked exam, which takes place in year 2.

Full details on the course, including candidate guide and specification, may be found at http://www.cpcab.co.uk/qualifications/tc-l4#documents

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Course Update

Please note that due to ongoing major campus construction projects courses at Ballymena, Coleraine and Ballymoney may be relocated to alternative suitable locations as required.

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Candidates must hold CPCAB Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills (CSK-L2) and CPCAB Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies (CST-L3), or their RPL (recognised prior learning) equivalent.

Students will be required to provide references and to complete an interview process successfully, in order to be offered a place on the course.

Where mature students wish to have prior education and/or experience taken into account, in lieu of meeting the full course entry requirements, they should contact the relevant Course Director or Admissions by 12th August, as an application deadline will apply. It is at the College's discretion to consider APEL enquiries after the dates stated.

In circumstances where there are more applications for the course than there are places available, the College reserves the right to select candidates from those achieving the highest grades.

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Successful candidates may progress to a counselling role within an agency, or to the following courses where available:

• Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling (PC-L5)
• Level 5 Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapeutic Skills & Theory (CBT-L5)
• Level 6 Certificate in Therapeutic Counselling Supervision (TCSU-L6) (once 450 client hours have been accrued)
• Open University Foundation Degree in Counselling

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