Our counselling and psychotherapy degree at Edge Hill University will allow you to explore how to use therapy skills ethically and effectively with a focus on helping people to reflect on difficult experiences and to process painful feelings. You’ll build your own confidence and self-awareness, too. We sat down with Programme Leader, John Marsden, to find out more.
What was your journey into Counselling and Psychotherapy?
Strangely, it was the death of Princess Diana. It unleashed a lot of feelings in me of upset and distress, and I was surprised at where all these feelings came from. I began my counsellor training, completing a diploma and various other courses.
I also did a placement working with clients who were experiencing distress associated to the poverty that they were living in. That introduced the element of social justice in counselling. As counsellors we are good at helping people, however we don’t always challenge the reasons why they’re in that situation. We want to promote autonomy and empower the client. I also worked with the probation service with high-risk offenders, whilst also setting up a private practice and doing some teaching at the local college.
I ended up working with all kinds of age groups with all kinds of issues. One of the beauties of counselling is that it allows you to build a career for yourself which is like a portfolio. It involves lots of different types of work, meaning it is endlessly fascinating and interesting. You’re always developing yourself at the same time.
How is personal development a part of this degree?
In the first year of the course, we give students up to £500 to have their own personal therapy. We also have personal development groups, giving people the opportunity to talk to each other and share empathy about their experiences. We also ask students to keep a reflective journal, where they can reflect on their experiences. The theory we teach can all be applied to yourself, so it really is an opportunity to grow and become more self-aware.
Personal growth makes us more effective as counsellors. For example, if a client was to come along with a particular problem that you may have personally experienced, prior personal development is really important so that it becomes a point of connection and empathy. The better you know yourself, the more likely you are able to help others. Any stress and trauma that you may have experienced in your life becomes a resource that you can draw on. It becomes something that is painful but is enabling you to help others with a similar experience.
What makes the course at Edge Hill University stand out?
This course is an amalgamation of two previous courses that we have run. It has brought together the best aspects of both courses, meaning that we have combined a broad curriculum with the counsellor training.
One module is on international perspectives on mental health. In the third-year students get to hear from different counsellors and psychotherapists all over the world, who talk about their experiences in their countries and what the mental health systems are like there.
We also support students out in placement, where they will gather 100 hours of counselling practice. We pay towards their supervision with an individual supervisor of their own choosing, but they will also come into university and speak about their client work in a group setting. This is an opportunity for them to reflect on practice.
What would you say to someone who is considering studying counselling and psychotherapy at Edge Hill?
Counselling is about building a relationship. If you’re interested in the relationship between the client and the therapist, and you believe that the relationship itself is the agent of change, then counselling would be right for you. We try to incorporate aspects of other disciplines, such as sociology, into the course.
Counselling and psychotherapy is a certain way of helping, which is to be alongside people whilst they work it out for themselves, and to help them process emotions and help them come to their own conclusions. It’s about connecting and supporting while people work it out themselves.
One of the good things about counselling is the ripple effect. You’re not just helping the client, but by helping them you may well be helping their relationships with family members, their partners, work colleagues. A lot of people can feel the benefit of the work that you’re doing with that one individual client.
What can a student do next upon completing the BSc (Hons) Counselling and Psychotherapy degree?
Students could go on to be counsellors, working for themselves, or working for organisations that counsel people. Or the broad foundation that they will have will mean they could go into careers such as mental health nursing, social work, or some other helping profession. Students may also wish to go onto further postgraduate study.
You can develop and become experts in different areas of work. For example, I trained in working with post-traumatic stress, which included working with fire fighters. However, my current field of interest is bereavement work. Some of our past students have trained to work with the military or have had an interest in working with the police. You could also train as a supervisor and could end up supervising other counsellors’ work. There’s just so many work opportunities, and the direction you go in is your choice.
Discover Counselling and Psychotherapy at Edge Hill University
August 27, 2024
