Integrative Counselling FdA

Teaching

This is a full-time course. Teaching is via blended learning and will be delivered through attendance at Iron Mill College (70%) and via online teaching (30%). 

You will be taught through a combination of formal lectures, creative activities, experiential exercises, group processes, presentations, skills practice, large and small group activities, and reflective practice.

OPT (Online and Phone Therapies) competencies will be taught via online synchronous learning. There is a strong emphasis on applying theory to practice within all modules. You will also have the opportunity to develop skills as well as graduate attributes through the Work Based Learning modules and clinical placement.

In addition, meetings with Personal Academic Tutors (PATs) are scheduled on at least four occasions in the first year and three occasions in each of the other years of a course.

The University places emphasis on enabling you to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support from Student Services and Library Services, as well as the Personal Academic Tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will help you to flourish and be successful. This includes preparing you regarding employability for counselling in online and telephone contexts as well as face-to-face.

Contact time

In-person teaching will take place one day per week and you will typically have around 7 contact hours per week of either attended or online synchronous teaching. You will receive a teaching schedule for the academic year during the induction days. This will indicate both the attended (70%) and online teaching days (30%). There will be a focus on you developing OPT competencies within the (30%) online teaching days. In addition, there will be up to 3 hours of asynchronous learning each week.

Typically, class contact time will be structured around:

• Lectures, discussions
• Skills practice
• Large and small group activities
• Reflective practice and experiential work 

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake the equivalent of 37 hours per week in total, which includes contact time, self-study, and placement activities. 

• Reading of textbooks and journals
• Journal writing
• Professional portfolio activities
• Work-based learning - approx. 30-50 hours per year
• Placement - a minimum of 100 hours across the two years
• Supervision of counselling practice - a minimum of 1.5 hours per month
• Personal therapy - a minimum of 40 hours across the two years
• Preparation for assignments

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The teaching is delivered by experienced practitioners who are registered with MBACP, and/or UKCP, and who are also in ongoing supervised practice as therapists. The academic team aim to create a colourful and varied learning experience, combining up to date theory, experiential activities, practical work, and reflective opportunities. All lecturers associated with the course have teaching qualifications and substantial teaching experience at HE level, with three members of the team being Fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). You can learn more about our staff by visiting our Staff Profiles on the Iron Mill College website.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or 'formative' assignments. Each module has one or more formal or 'summative' assessments which are graded and count towards the overall module grade.

Assessment methods include essays, presentations, portfolios, interviews, creative exhibitions, case studies, oral exams, and skills assessments. There are no written exams on this course. 

Year 1

• IMIC1101: The Art of Relationship: written assessment (1500 words) + skills reflection
• IMIC1102: Professional Competence: Interview + Portfolio work
• IMIC1103: Neuroscience for Counsellors: Presentation + Supporting Paper
• IMIC1104: A Sense of Self: Essay (4000 words)
• IMIC1105: Professional Development 1: Portfolio work

Year 2

• IMIC2101: The ‘Here and Now’ Encounter: Written assessment (2500 words) + recorded skills
• IMIC2102: Creative Arts Therapies: Presentation + Supporting paper
• IMIC2103: Counselling in context. Presentation + Poster
• IMIC2104: The Process of Change: Case Study 3000 words
• IMIC2105: Professional Development 2: Oral Exam + Reflective Transcript
• IMIC2106: Professional Practice: Placement Counselling hours and Personal Counselling

Feedback

Feedback is an important aspect of your learning. We provide opportunities for you to receive feedback in the following forms:

• Verbal documented feedback provided in your 1:1 tutorial sessions
• Written comments from your tutor, usually attached to your assignments
• Verbal comments from your tutor associated with your work
• Generic feedback from tutors covering particular strengths/ weaknesses found in the work of a particular student group
• Comments from other students about your work (peer feedback)
• Your own comments and reflections on your work (self-assessment and feedback)

You will receive feedback on your assignment and a provisional mark within twenty working days from the submission date.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification.