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PG Dip
Counselling
Key Information
Campus
Brayford Pool
Start Date
September 2025
Typical Offer
Part-time
PGDip: 2 years MSc: 3 years
UCAS Code
N/A
Academic Year
Course Overview
This programme provides opportunities for students to develop their knowledge and skills as counsellors and/or researchers in the field and is especially suited to students considering a career as a practicing counsellor.
In the first year of the programme, students are introduced to counselling theory and ethics. Due to the course leading to a professional qualification in counselling, much of the learning is experiential where students will develop their counselling skills as well as how to apply theory to their work. In the second-year students can begin to gain practical experience as trainee counsellors, learn about relevant clinical research paradigms, and develop skills and knowledge as reflective practitioners. As a key component of learning and assessment on the programme students will need to will develop awareness of the impact of their intersecting identities, psychological development, and relational past on their interpersonal and professional relationships as counsellors in training.
Students will learn research and evaluation skills during the second year of the programme. As a talking therapy, counselling is informed by both outcome research on what works for clients and process research on client experience of the counselling process and relationship. Research themes include determining what counselling skills and interventions are most effective for specific groups or issues, what is the best context for providing a service, and how to build inclusive and caring counselling relationships.
How You Study
The programme is designed to develop students' theoretical knowledge, therapeutic competency, and formation as a professional counsellor. In the first two years of the programme students develop core counselling skills, counselling theory, personal and professional development, research skills, and understanding counselling within the wider social context. In the second year, students will also be expected to develop their skills as a professional counsellor through engaging in a placement.
Teaching and learning will be developed through a range of methods, including:
- Lectures
- Problem- based learning
- Workshop-type based interactive learning
- Counselling skills practice
- Experiential learning activities
- Reflective activities to support personal and professional development
- Professional Practice hours
Programme Requirements for Completion of Hours and Attendance
Following completion of the PG Diploma Counselling, students can apply for individual registration with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) pending completion of professional practice hours. The accreditation criteria of the BACP require that, over the year of training, students need to attend 400 hours of guided learning.
To fulfil these professional requirements your attendance on the course needs to meet the BACP requirements for face-to-face, in-person learning. In addition to this, you are required to undertake a placement where you need to acquire at least 100 hours of face-to-face therapeutic work that takes place in an approved placement and meets the BACP requirements for the number of face-to-face counselling hours accrued. You will be further be required to engage in a minimum of 1.5 hours of individual supervision per calendar month (i.e., ratio of 8 hours counselling to 1 hour supervision, with supervision every two weeks) from the start of the placement. Supervision is compulsory, external to the programme, and needs to be independently arranged by each student. More details can be found at https://www.bacp.co.uk/careers/careers-in-counselling/training/.
Modules
Module Overview
This module aims to develop students' understanding of the Reflective Scientist-Practitioner Model, and will expose them to the skills required to embed their counselling practice within the evidence base. The module aims to provide students with an understanding of the research process, different types of research designs common for clinical settings, their engagement with the scientific literature, and how to communicate research findings to different types of audiences.
Module Overview
The module is concerned with developing skills for working inclusively in counselling, with attention to the influence of personal history and social context on the issues and challenges clients may face.
Module Overview
This module will help students to critically consider the factors that influence the development of a personal and professional identify as a counsellor. Students will develop a critical awareness of the history of ideas, the cultural context, and the various modalities that inform and influence the practice of counselling. In addition to lectures the module will typically include reflective and creative activities to explore the influence of ideas, values and social and cultural experience on developing a counselling identity.
Module Overview
This module introduces students to the theory of person-centred approaches to growth as the main theoretical foundation of the course.
Module Overview
This module aims to develop the skills, understanding, and self-awareness that enable students to work safely and ethically as professional counsellors.
Module Overview
The purpose of the placements is to provide students with the opportunity to translate their counselling knowledge and acquired skills into supervised counselling practice, to engage in supervised client contact and to observe and learn from the clinical supervisor.
Module Overview
This module focuses on enabling students to develop reflective skills, enabling them to become reflective practitioners. The module will include engagement in a reflective group where a range of relevant topics will be discussed in a group format.
† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.
What You Need to Know
We want you to have all the information you need to make an informed decision on where and what you want to study. In addition to the information provided on this course page, our What You Need to Know page offers explanations on key topics including programme validation/revalidation, additional costs, and contact hours.
Placements
As a part of the programme, you are required undertake a placement where you need to acquire 100 hours of face-to-face therapeutic work. The purpose of the placement is to enable you to develop experience in delivering therapy and competence in counselling skills. You will be required to engage in a minimum of minimum of 1.5 hours of individual supervision per calendar month (i.e., ratio of 8 hours counselling to 1 hour supervision, with supervision every two weeks) from the start of the placement. Supervision is compulsory, external to the programme, and needs to be independently arranged by each student.
Students are responsible for acquiring and sourcing their own placements and are advised to consider future career objectives and interests when considering placements.
To ensure placements are appropriate and meet the necessary learning outcomes, all placements should be approved by the programme team prior to students starting therapeutic work. Students will have access to a list of approved providers and supervisors and can contact them directly. Placements are provided by external organisations that may have their own internal application process. The programme team support students with establishing placement agreements and students can access support with applications and interviews from the Careers and Employability Team.
How you are assessed
Students are assessed through a range of assessment types and formats. These include essays, case examples, presentations, counselling role plays, research reports, research proposals, and portfolios.
Career Development
Postgraduate study is an investment in yourself and your future. It can help you to further or completely change your career, develop your knowledge, enhance your salary, or even prepare you to start your own business.
Following successful completion of the PG Diploma, students can apply for individual registration with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) pending completion of professional practice hours.
How to Apply
Postgraduate Application Support
Applying for a postgraduate programme at Lincoln is easy. Find out more about the application process and what you'll need to complete on our How to Apply page. Here, you'll also be able to find out more about the entry requirements we accept and how to contact us for dedicated support during the process.
Entry Requirements 2025-26
Entry Requirements
- First or upper second class honours degree. All offers made to those still completing a BA/BSc are contingent upon applicants meeting these requirements.
- Candidates are required to have experience of working in a helping and caring role in either a paid or voluntary capacity. This experience should demonstrate the candidate's ability to support individuals in distress and also engage in listening and communication skills.
Evidence must be provided of previous counselling skills practice, including one of the following:
-Level 2 or 3 counselling certificate
-Successful completion of a higher education module that includes a core element of assessed counselling skills practice
Applicants will be required to pass an enhanced DBS clearance.
Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 7.0 overall, with a mini-mum of 6.5 in each element.
For information regarding other English language qualifications we accept, please visit the English Requirements page: https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/internationalstudents/englishlanguagerequirementsandsup-port/englishlanguagerequirements/
For further advice on IELTS and the support available, please contact the International College by email at internationalcollege@lincoln.ac.uk.
Course Fees
You will need to have funding in place for your studies before you arrive at the University. Our fees vary depending on the course, mode of study, and whether you are a UK or international student. You can view the breakdown of fees for this programme below.
The University offers a range of merit-based, subject-specific, and country-focused scholarships for UK and international students. To help support students from outside of the UK, we offer a number of international scholarships which range from £1,000 up to the value of 50 per cent of tuition fees. For full details and information about eligibility, visit our scholarships and bursaries pages.
Course -Specific Additional Costs
In addition to course fees, additional costs may be incurred as a requirement of course-specific materials such as clothing or equipment. With regards to textbooks, the University provides students who enrol with a comprehensive reading list and you will find that our extensive library holds either material or virtual versions of the core texts that you are required to read.
Students undertaking placements will be responsible for their own travel, accommodation, and general living expenses.
It is recommended that you become a student member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Student membership details can be found at https://www.bacp.co.uk/membership/student-membership/
Additional recommendations are that students should engage in their own personal therapy as a part of the training process (average prices between £30 to 50 a session), and students are also advised to obtain their own professional liability insurance.
Funding Your Study
Postgraduate Funding Options
Find out more about the optional available to support your postgraduate study, from Master's Loans to scholarship opportunities. You can also find out more about how to pay your fees and access support from our helpful advisors.
Postgraduate Events
To get a real feel for what it is like to study at the University of Lincoln, we hold a number of dedicated postgraduate events and activities throughout the year for you to take part in.
