Counselling Skills and Psychology BA (Hons)

Our Counselling Skills with Psychology degree offers more than just theoretical knowledge. You'll also develop highly practical counselling skills, equipping you with the knowledge and experience to help others and pave the way for a rewarding career as a professional counsellor. Our course blends theory with real-world application, exploring a range of counselling approaches and fostering self-awareness. You'll learn to communicate effectively, ethically, and empathetically.

This 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 School of Psychology at Chester offers degrees accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). 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. 

This course promotes the strengths and best interests needed to prepare you to enter into the real world of counselling skills. This is achieved through the skills, knowledge and understanding obtained throughout. The dynamic and interdisciplinary nature of the course which is led by research active staff promotes inclusive learning and authentic assessment methods. Experiences during studies encourage curiosity, debate and problem-solving throughout and you develop your counselling skills and self-awareness. You can communicate with a range of stakeholders across communities to apply acquired knowledge to varying specialist and non-specialist audiences. You will also develop academic interdisciplinary team work, project management and research integrity which are key to a highly adaptive work ethic valued by stakeholders and employers. By the end of this course, you can articulate your varying attributes relevant to a range of employment roles and opportunities.  

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.

This course is delivered in three terms of ten weeks each. In each term you will study 40 credits comprised of 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. Students 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.

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. 

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, extra-curricular 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.