Counselling Skills and Psychology BA Hons

Accreditations

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Course Summary

The Counselling Skills course will prepare you to enter into the real world of counselling skills, by developing your knowledge, understanding and practical skills. Staff work to promote your strengths and best interests by promoting inclusive learning and authentic assessment. The course is dynamic and interdisciplinary and is led by research active staff who are qualified counsellors, able to share their real-world experience.

Teaching is designed to encourage curiosity, debate and problem-solving, with a focus on building relationships and self-awareness. You will learn about a range of counselling theories and concepts, ethical issues within the helping relationship and different presenting issues. You will explore the differences in therapy depending on where and how it is delivered, and how counselling fits within a social justice frame. Alongside this, you will practice and develop your counselling skills and consider how these are applied in relationships.

You will study in academic interdisciplinary team, learning to develop your project management skills and research integrity, which are key to a highly adaptive work ethic valued by stakeholders and employers. By the end of your course, you will be able to articulate your varying attributes relevant to a range of employment roles, and opportunities.

This Psychology course offers a comprehensive exploration of the human mind. From understanding mental health to delving into developmental psychology, you'll gain a solid foundation in the field. We equip you with practical skills, such as research methods, critical thinking, and effective communication. These skills will be invaluable in your future career.

The degree structure will allow you to study a wide range of areas of Psychology. We also offer an optional further year of study abroad that you take between your second and third years of study. As this is an additional year, this means you can use this as an opportunity to pursue areas of study of your choice.

Why You'll Love It

Learn from experts in the field

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You'll have the opportunity to put theory into practice

Two people sitting at a table in front of an open laptop screen in background the room has brick effect decoration.

Support for your success

Student attending a library one-to-one session

Three Reasons Why - Counselling Skills

What You'll Study

You will develop an understanding of various ethical issues within counselling, such as confidentiality, informed consent, boundaries, and working with risk. We explore all stages of the counselling process, from beginnings to endings, and incorporate reflective practice to support you in understanding your own beliefs and values in relation to ethics. 

You will be introduced to the 'core values' and begin to understand how these create and sustain the helping process. With this understanding, you will work with your peers to practise your own counselling skills. 

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

You will explore issues relating to an individual's experience during the life span, drawing on theories such as those of loss, attachment, and adversity. You will begin to understand the relationship between counselling theory and specific presenting issues, such as anxiety, depression, shame and trauma. Alongside this, you will continue to develop your practical counselling skills.

You will explore a range of careers within the field of counselling and perform a critical examination of those roles within their specific context. You will begin to explore the concept of multicultural competence, and how this relates to the counselling relationship, through learning about pertinent issues of social justice, such as intersectionality and power. You can choose to undertake a research project exploring a highly relevant social issue of concern to Counselling Skills.

This course is delivered in three terms of ten weeks each. In each term, you will study 40 credits comprising either one or two modules. Scheduled contact hours range between approximately six and ten hours per week depending upon level of study and the complexity of the material being taught. This course is delivered through a mix of in person and online learning. You can expect to take part in lectures, workshops and peer-led seminars.

You should expect to spend an average of 30-34 hours per week on independent study, which might include following asynchronous learning material, tutorial time with staff, using the University’s library, working with peers and preparing work for assessment. Teaching will be delivered by experience academics and practitioners in the subject. This will be supplemented by occasional guest lecturers and speakers.

There will be a broad range of assessment methods so you are exposed to the different types of task you might encounter in the workplace. These will include coursework in the form of essays (long and short form), reports, presentations, and recordings of counselling skills practice. Assessment support is provided throughout the modules. We continuously review the assessment methods used in order that they adequately prepare you for graduate-level employment.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core – building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Entry Requirements

112UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	112 points
GCE A Level	Typical offer – BCC-BBC
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM
International Baccalaureate	28 points
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers: H3 H3 H3 H3 H4 Scottish Highers: BBBB
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at Level 3, of which 30 must be at Merit or above
T Level	Merit
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diploma: DMM
Extra Information	GCSE Maths at grade C or 5 and GCSE English at grade C or 4 is also required. Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A Level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please click on your country of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

English Language Requirements

IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

72UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	72 points
GCE A level	72 points overall, including grade D in A level
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: MMP
International Baccalaureate	24 points
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers: H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 Scottish Highers: CCDD
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma – Pass overall
T Level	T Level: Pass (D or E on the core)
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diploma: MMP
Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs. If you are a mature student (21 or over) and have been out of education for a while or do not have experience or qualifications at Level 3 (equivalent to A Levels), then our Foundation Year courses will help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to succeed in your chosen degree.

Fees and Funding

£9,535per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,535 a year, or £1,590 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

You can find more information about undergraduate fees on our Fees and Finance pages.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

£14,450*per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £14,450 per year for a full-time course. This fee is set for each year of study.

The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.

For courses with a Foundation Year, the tuition fees for Year 1 are £10,750 and £14,200 for Years 2-4 in 2025/26.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees.

If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.

Students often elect to purchase a laptop, where students choose to do so, the cost it likely to be around £800-£1000.

Most software specific to your course is available free to students through agreements we have with the software vendors.

Occasional, optional, field trips may be offered, depending on student demand, these are typically within the UK and where chargeable the cost is likely to be under £100. Students are not required to participate in order to successfully complete the course.

Who You’ll Learn From

Emily Fozard

Programme Leader, BA Counselling Skills; Senior Lecturer

Dr Liz Whelen

Senior Lecturer

Amanda McGarry

Senior Lecturer, Counselling and Psychotherapy

Where You'll Study Exton Park, Chester

The location

Modern learning resources and library

Seaborne library, seating and reception area.

Student Services

Fitness facilities

A male student wearing goggles is swimming in the training pool between the red rope lane marker lines.

Chapel, chaplaincy and multi-faith spaces

Accommodation

Catering

Your Future Career

Job Prospects

Studying Counselling Skills develops strong skills and knowledge, which are transferable to a wide range of occupations. Graduates may pursue careers and training in a range of areas such as education, the police force, prison work, social work, law and retail management. Graduates may also pursue further therapeutic training or academic research.

Below are some potential career paths and roles for Counselling Skills and Psychology graduates:

Crisis Intervention Specialist: Respond to individuals in crisis, often immediately after traumatic events, providing counselling and resources.
Therapist/Counsellor in Private Practice: Utilise counselling skills to provide therapy to individuals, potentially specialising in areas such as crime-related trauma.
Life Coach: Help people to make decisions and changes to reach their potential.
Play Therapist: Helping children and young adolescents to work through difficult life experiences.
Wellbeing Practitioner: Help individuals to engage with low intensity interventions to support recovery.
Substance Abuse Counsellor: Help individuals overcome addiction, particularly those who have entered the system due to drug-related offences.
Victim Advocate: Offer support and resources to crime victims, acting as a bridge between them and the legal system.
Offender Counsellor: Provide counselling to incarcerated individuals, preparing them for release and ensuring they have the tools and resources to avoid reoffending.
Youth Offender Counsellor: Specialise in working with young individuals who have committed crimes, focusing on rehabilitation and social reintegration.
Restorative Justice Coordinator: Facilitate communication between victims and offenders, aiming for reconciliation and mutual understanding.

Further certifications, experience, or advanced degrees may be required for the above roles.

Many of our Psychology graduates go on to postgraduate studies in Psychology (e.g. Cognitive Neuroscience, Forensic and Sport Psychology) or have secured a graduate role in industries such as Marketing, Banking and Project Management due to their sought-after transferable skills, such as communication, team working, analysis, creative and critical thinking.

Careers Service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extracurricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

Counselling Skills and Psychology BA (Hons)