Humanistic CounsellingDipHE

Do you have a background in counselling or psychology, and a level 3 counselling qualification? Would you like to gain the practical knowledge and interpersonal skills you need to pursue a career as a humanistic therapist, this Humanistic Counselling DipHE is ideal.

Humanistic counselling encourages individuals to think about their feelings and take responsibility for their thoughts and actions, with the emphasis on self-development and achieving their potential rather than on problematic behaviour. Gestalt therapy, for example, is one of a number humanistic approaches.

On this Humanistic Counselling DipHE, you'll learn the practical knowledge and interpersonal skills you need to pursue a career as a humanistic therapist.

If you're in employment, this course can fit around your working week, with timetabled teaching taking place 1 day a week, workshops on 6 Saturdays throughout the course, and occasional events in the evenings and at weekends.

When you complete the course, you could top up your diploma to a Bachelor's degree. You could also work as a humanistic counsellor in areas such as education, the police service, the prison service and the voluntary sector.

Humanistic counselling can help people deal with difficulties including anxiety, depression, stress, self-confidence issues, bereavement, relationship difficulties or family problems.

Increased awareness in society about mental health and events such as the coronavirus pandemic have increased the demand for counselling and therapy services. As a counsellor, you can have a significant positive impact on people's health and wellbeing, and help take the pressure off other health services such as GPs and hospitals.

Public, private and charity sector settings you could work in after the course include:

• Education
• Alcohol and drug services
• Eating disorder services
• Mental health services
• GPs
• Police and prison services

You could also top-up your diploma to a Bachelor's degree on our BSc (Hons) Humanistic Counselling top-up course.

When you complete the course successfully, you can sit the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Certificate of Proficiency to become a registered member of the BACP.

Supervised counselling placement

You'll complete 100 hours on a supervised counselling placement as part of your course.

Recent students have taken placements at CRUSE Bereavement Care, Portsmouth Abuse and Rape Counselling (PARCS), Yellow Door (counselling for sexual and domestic abuse victims) and other counselling services.

We'll help you secure a work placement that fits your aspirations. You'll get mentoring and support throughout, including regular supervision and skills clinics every other week. You'll enter into a written contract with the placement provider and Eastleigh College and your practical counselling skills will be assessed by case study and a coursework portfolio.

All placements provided are evaluated to ensure the setting provides a suitable learning environment for you.

On this course, you'll study modules worth 240 credits.

Changes to course content

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, course content is revised and regularly reviewed.  This may result in changes being made in order to reflect developments in research, learning from practice and changes in policy at both national and local levels.

Teaching

In year 1, you'll develop foundational counselling skills and explore all the counselling approaches available to practitioners, including gestalt counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT).

In your second year, you'll focus on developing the practical skills you need as a humanistic counsellor, putting what you learn into practice by conducting 100 hours of supervised counselling. You'll also learn about mental health issues and develop skills you need to work with different types of clients.

You'll gain skills, knowledge and competence through learning methods that include:

• Work-based learning
• Lectures
• Seminars
• Saturday workshops
• Skills clinics
• Personal development groups
• Tutorials
• Module handbooks
• A virtual learning environment (VLE)

You'll also complete a minimum of 30-hours personal therapy. You'll demonstrate your personal learning and awareness from this process in a learning journal. We recommend you budget £750–£1500 a year for your personal therapy.

Teaching staff include experienced experts who have industry experience in paid counselling roles in organisations, or who run their own private practice.

How you're assessed

On this counselling diploma, you'll be assessed through:

• Essays
• Live skills assessments (role play scenarios)
• Individual and group presentations
• Portfolios of evidence
• Case studies
• Personal learning journals
• Professional requirements (a 'Fitness to Practice' assessment)
• Supervised work-based learning

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

Feedback is central to this course. You'll get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future, as well as on your application for the 'Fitness to Practice' assessment. You'll also practice giving feedback during live skills assessments, where you'll receive feedback from your peers, as well as the assessment tutor.

We recommend you spend at least 28 hours a week studying for your DipHE:

• In your first year, you’ll be in timetabled teaching activities such as workshops and tutorials for 1 day a week. You'll spend about 20 hours a week on independent study such as research into areas of specific interests, maintaining your learning journal, personal therapy, and on placement.
• In your second year you'll spend about 12–15 hours a week on independent study and have less scheduled teaching, but this can vary.

Teaching days and times

Timetabled teaching takes place 1 day a week. You'll also attend workshops on 6 Saturdays throughout the course. You may occasionally need to go to University and other course events in the evenings and at weekends.   

September 2023 start

Timetabled teaching will take place on Tuesdays, 9.15am–5.00pm

February/March 2023 start

Timetabled teaching will take place on Wednesdays, 1.15pm–9.00pm

Term times

September start

The academic year runs from September to May with breaks at Christmas and Easter.

• September to December – teaching block 1
• January to May – teaching block 2

March start

The academic year runs from March to February with breaks at Christmas and Easter.

• March to July – teaching block 1
• September to February – teaching block 2

You can find more detailed information on the Eastleigh College 'Key dates' webpage.

Even though you'll study at one of our partner colleges, you'll still be a student of the University of Portsmouth.

You'll have access to support via video, phone and face-to-face from University teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following University services:

Types of support

Tuition fees 

September 2023 and March 2024 start

• UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £6,165 a year
• EU residents – £6,165 a year (including Transition Scholarship – may be subject to annual increase)
• International students – £19,200 a year

September 2024 and March 2025 start

• UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £6,165 a year
• EU residents – £6,165 a year (including Transition Scholarship – may be subject to annual increase)
• International students – £20,200 a year

Funding your studies

Find out how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.

Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.

Tuition fees terms and conditions

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.