Find out more about studying Psychotherapeutic Counselling MSc at University of Staffordshire? We've gathered all the key details, entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
MSc - Master of Science
Stoke-on-Trent Campus
Part Time
Sep 2026
3 Year
The course aims to: Provide students with an in-depth exploration in integrative counselling and its application to counselling and the mental health field. Equip students with the conceptual understanding, skills and knowledge to assess critically research findings in the context of the developing discipline of counselling. Encourage students to consider and critically reflect on ethical, legal and moral aspects of different approaches to counselling issues. Facilitate a critically reflexive attitude around diversity and difference to develop awareness of the impact of cultural and family messages on development of self and self in relationship with others. Equip students with the skills that will prepare them for employment as professional counsellors. Develop students’ abilities so that they become competent and reflexive practitioners, able to work effectively and professionally with others, Sustain a culture of research and learning, while encouraging students to question their previous assumptions and develop an open and enquiring attitude. Enable students to develop their ability to carry out independent research at an advanced level and to incorporate this learning into written assignments, demonstrating self-direction and originality.
How do gender, race, sexuality, disability, class and a variety of other factors impact on you as a person and as a professional? In this module we will examine our relationship to all of these and more, in order to become culturally competent counsellors working with a variety of areas.
This module brings together development of key counselling skills, personal qualities, and ethical awareness essential in building respectful and empathic relationships. You will learn about the importance of reflective practice informing your therapeutic approach. Understand the value of reflexivity in developing awareness of power differences and the range of factors influencing the counselling process in terms of diversity, (i.e., groups, families, culture, gender)
Developing your integrative professional identityOn an integrative course you will necessarily learn about a number of approaches. We show you in this module, not only several different approaches, including systemic, psychodynamic, CBT and person-centred approaches, along with a consideration of attachment theory, but how you can integrate aspects of these into your practice to have an appealing skillset as an integrative practitioner.
Do you have a specialist area you?d like to focus on?This module will help you to consider various specialist areas within counselling and psychotherapy. We?ll consider topics from spirituality, working with young people, working with gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity. This is your chance to hone in your specialist area to graduate with a good general knowledge of counselling as well as an in-depth understanding of some speciality areas.
This module deepens your knowledge of counselling theories and research. Current information on integration accompanied by discussions and exploration in groupwork refines the rationale informing your unique integrative approach.You will have opportunity to reflect on your personal beliefs, identities, and cultural awareness to develop an approach that is coherent with you as a person.The emphasis is on personal learning within the group and the application of this learning in personal, group and societal settings.
What sort of counsellor do you want to become?This module will help you to work on your professional identity, and give you experience in presenting at conferences, as well as incorporating your Patch work to showcase for a larger audience in our annual one-day conference.
On this Counselling research project module, you will carry out an active research project relevant to the area of counselling. Your project will be in a topic chosen by you, to allow you to follow your own area of special interest within the counselling field (agreed with supervisor). You will have the opportunity to interview people or conduct other modes of inquiry and write up your findings with the possibility of going on to present the research and findings at conferences or publish in academic journals.
The proposal module allows counselling practitioners qualified to post-graduate level (or equivalent) to enhance and deepen their knowledge in the field of counselling research. This includes ethical decision making, carrying out a literature review in an area of interest relevant to counselling and reflecting on the philosophical and practical aspects of research. The research proposal introduces students to a variety of research methodologies. They begin to formulate research questions and make informed choices about relevant approaches to researching their chosen topic. They critically review and report on the literature in the chosen area. Ethical and legal considerations will be explored in depth to enable application for ethical approval of the proposed counselling research project.
