MA Advancing Counselling Practice at University of Sunderland

Programme overview

Are you a qualified counsellor? Want to build on your skills and grow your practice? This course could be the right fit for you. This MA helps you take your existing knowledge further. You’ll use current research and theory to strengthen your core counselling approach, while also exploring new ways of working. You can choose a specialist route and graduate with one of the following awards: MA Advancing Counselling Practice (Adult); MA Advancing Counselling Practice (Children and Young People).

Department: Psychology | Duration: 2 years part-time | Study mode: part-time | Intake: September 2026 | Location: Sunderland, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

Year 1; Open All; Preparing to Research (15 credits)+; In this module, you’ll explore different ways to carry out research in counselling. You’ll learn about key ideas like reflexivity and ethics, and why they matter in your work. Using what you learn, you’ll create your own research proposal. You’ll identify an area you want to explore and choose the best research method to investigate it. Evolving the Core Model (15 credits)+.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

To apply, you must be a practitioner with at least a 2:2 degree in counselling or psychotherapy. You should also have a qualification recognised by one of the following: British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP); National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS); The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). This ensures you've met the requirements to be eligible for registered membership. Alternatively, you may hold both of the following: A 2:2 degree in a related subject (e.g. health or care) and a satisfactory personal statement; A Level 5 qualification in counselling, recognised by BACP, NCPS, or the UKCP. Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL); If you hold a PgCert or PgDip in counselling, you're eligible for the course. This must be a qualification recognised by BACP, NCPS, or the UKCP. You'll need to have passed your practitioner qualification element of training. As a minimum, you must also have registration with a professional body as a 'registered' member.

Intake: September 2026

Duration: 2 years part-time

Apply through the official page: https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/postgraduate/ma-advancing-counselling-practice#apply

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