Counselling and Psychotherapy

Counselling and psychotherapy address the profound human need for a supportive professional relationship in which psychological distress, personal difficulties, and questions of meaning and identity can be explored with safety and honesty. Humanistic approaches to counselling and psychotherapy, including person-centred therapy, Gestalt, and existential therapy, place particular emphasis on the quality of the therapeutic relationship, the inherent capacity of people to grow and change given the right conditions, and the importance of working with the whole person rather than reducing difficulties to symptoms or diagnoses. This tradition has had an enormous influence on contemporary counselling practice and continues to inform much of how therapists are trained.

At the University of Derby, this programme includes a foundation year, providing an accessible entry into degree-level study for students who need additional preparation before beginning the main degree. The programme is described as transforming students academically, professionally, and personally, and this reflects an important truth about counselling training: to work effectively with others you must engage in sustained self-reflection and personal development alongside academic study and skill development. You will learn the theory and practice of humanistic approaches, develop your counselling skills through supervised practice, and engage with the ethical, professional, and relational dimensions of working as a therapist.

Graduates who complete counselling and psychotherapy training and the additional supervised practice hours required for professional accreditation are prepared to work as practitioners in private practice, NHS settings, schools, employee assistance programmes, charitable counselling services, and community mental health organisations. Professional accreditation through the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy or a similar body is the standard next step for those wishing to practise independently. Further study at postgraduate level is also an option, and some graduates move into supervision, training, and research roles within the counselling and psychotherapy field.