Bsc in Psychology and Counselling

Discover how the human mind works and psychological theories can be used to understand behaviour and learn to make a positive impact on others by studying Psychology and Counselling here at the University of Roehampton.

This course is accredited by the British Psychological Society.

The course is made up of three main teaching methods: psychological theory, counselling skills and practice, and personal development. You’ll cover core topics within psychology, as well as develop the practical counselling skills you need in a range of psychology-related professions.

You will be taught by leading experts and practitioners in the field of psychology and counselling, who use real-life case examples from their therapeutic work in the classroom. Through their teaching, you’ll study the complexity and variety of different factors involved in counselling and therapy, and the reflective skills used in professional practice.

You will graduate well equipped to begin building a career in psychology, psychotherapy, counselling, arts and play therapies, and the wider helping professions. You can also go onto postgraduate professional training in any applied psychology route including clinical, health, forensic and educational psychology.

The course is professionally accredited by The British Psychological Society (BPS). If you graduate with at least a second-class honours degree, you’ll be eligible for Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the BPS – a key first step if you choose to become a Chartered Psychologist.

In your first year, you’ll get a solid grounding in the subject of psychology, and gain an introduction to counselling theory and counselling skills. In second year, as well as building on your knowledge of psychology and counselling, you’ll take our pioneering module Reflective Practice in Counselling which focuses on practical sessions, to allow you to discover how to steer a course through therapeutic conversations to reach an objective. In your third year, you’ll shape your degree according to your interests and career goals by completing your Extended Research Project and selecting modules from a diverse list of topics.

You’ll also have the option of completing a placement year between years two and three.

Placement Year

This course offers all students the option of a one-year paid work placement, to boost their employability even further. If you choose this route, you will take the placement following year two of your course, and then return to complete your degree.

Year 1

Required modules

• Introduction to Counselling Theory
• Practice of Counselling Skills
• Mind, Body and Brain (1)
• Social and Developmental Psychology (1)
• Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology
• Research Methods and Statistics (1)

Year 2

Required modules

• Models of Counselling
• Reflective Practice in Counselling
• Mind, Body and Brain (2)
• Social and Developmental Psychology (2)
• Individual Differences and Psychometric Research
• Research Methods and Statistics (2)

Year 3

Compulsory module

• Extended Research Project

Required modules

• Psychological Assessment for Counselling
• Managing the Counselling Process

Optional modules

• Autism: An Interdisciplinary Approach
• Communication and Social Interaction
• Cognition and Emotion
• Critical Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Organisational Psychology
• Positive Psychology
• Criminal and Forensic Psychology
• Cognitive Development in the Classroom
• Topics in Cognitive Neuroscience
• Self and Identity
• Childhood, Attachment and Self-Regulation
• Psychology@Work

These modules are those we currently offer and may be subject to change each year.

Careers outside of psychology

Many of our students choose to study Psychology and Counselling because the transferrable skills you develop are valued by a range of employers. As well as gaining an understanding of the human mind, you’ll become adept at active listening and questioning. You could work in:

• Social work
• Mental health services
• Human Resources
• The police force

A range of business roles, including careers in research, media and marketing.

Becoming a psychologist

Many of our graduates want to continue on to become practising psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists.

To become a Chartered Psychologist, you need to gain Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) by completing a BPS accredited degree, like this one. You then go onto further training in the area of psychology that you want to work in, such as Counselling Psychology, Clinical Psychology or Educational Psychology.

Careers support

Whether you want to gain work experience in the field of psychology or look for placements in other industries, our careers team will make sure that you will have the opportunity to build the career skills to help you succeed in whatever you go onto after you graduate.