Approach to Teaching and Learning

We use a varied approach to teaching and learning, which includes the following core components of training in counselling and psychotherapy:

theoretical input through lectures and seminars;
clinical work;
supervision of clinical work;
self-awareness and personal development through experiential groups or equivalent activities

Learning and teaching activities include:

experiential exercises (including student-focused activities encouraging active participation)
modelling of client work interactions,
group practice experience
seminars and study group projects,
lectures
use of electronic systems for accessing data, literature, resources and contacts.

Attendance Requirements

To practice as a counsellor and/or psychotherapist with a member of a professional body (e.g., BACP, NCPS, etc.), students must complete a "Core Practitioner Training" that meets the qualification requirements for membership. Such training is necessarily experiential, practical, and relational, to support students working with genuine clients in face-to-face settings. Students must be able to sufficiently attend and engage in-person (i.e., located/synchronous) to be able to achieve the goals of the course.

As a course, we recognise and value having a diverse community of students and staff who wish to make a difference to the lives of others, ensuring inclusivity is embedded in our practice. As such, we endeavour to make reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, providing students can still achieve the module learning outcomes and progress towards being competence practitioners.

Where students are entitled to reasonable adjustments via the Disability and Inclusivity (DIAS) team, the adjustments we can offer will depend upon the student’s specific needs, the learning outcomes and the pedagogy of the specific modules, as well as our commitment to ensuring students are assessed as competent and fit to practice, meeting professional ethical requirements.

Further Guidance

DIAS

We encourage students to contact the Marjon DIAS team directly to identify what support they may be entitled to: https://www.marjon.ac.uk/student-life/student-support-/disability--inclusion-advice-service/

Core Practitioner Training Requirements

BACP: https://www.bacp.co.uk/careers/careers-in-counselling/training/ and https://www.bacp.co.uk/membership/individual-membership/

NCPS: https://nationalcounsellingsociety.org/become-a-member/individual and NCS - Standards of Training and Education to support applications for the grade of Accredited Registrant.pdf

Competence/Fitness to Practice

We also encourage students to read the Good Practice in Action resources by the BACP, specifically:

BACP GPiA 078 - Fiitness to Practise Fact Sheet.pdf

BACP GPiA 088 - Self-care.pdf