TS5S001 - Counselling Psychology Theory and Practice 2 05 Jul 2023 - 31 Aug 2025 | Version 3

Associated Module Information

Module Code: TS5S001
Module Title: Counselling Psychology Theory and Practice 2
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Therapeutic Studies
Faculty Sub Group: Professional Learning in Education
Module Leader: Rachel Davies
Module Team: Annie Beyer, Shelley Gait, Nicky Lewis, Anna Playle, Kirsty Richards
First Intended Intake: SEP 2018 Final Year of Intake: 2023
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 8
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100495 - counselling
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 3
Valid From 05 Jul 2023
Valid To 31 Aug 2025

Module Aims

To support students to critically understand and appraise the philosophical and theoretical perspectives underpinning conceptualising and formulation in Counselling Psychology.

To enable students to critically evaluate and contrast different ways of conceptualisation psychological health and well-being.

To aid the development of skills in assessment and formulation, including a basic understanding, critical evaluation and application of psychometrics.

To enable students to critically evaluate the interface between psychopharmacological approaches and psychotherapeutic practice as applied within a Counselling Psychology context.

Content Summary

Counselling Psychology in a changing world: contexts, contributions, and current developments.

History of mental health and its influence on contemporary approaches to distress, wellbeing, and recovery: biopsychosocial-spiritual perspectives.

Conceptualising mental health distress and wellbeing within Counselling Psychology: moving beyond psychopathology.

Models of development informing an understanding of biopsychosocial influences across lifespan, including advances in neuropsychology, neuroanatomy, neuropathology, and neurodiversity. For example, a range of disorders that children and young people with neurodiverse profiles might be diagnosed with (e.g., dyslexia, developmental coordination disorder, autism spectrum conditions), adult and older adult neuropsychology (e.g., neurodegenerative disorders), and other specialist areas of neuropsychology (e.g., brain injury, rehabilitation, mental capacity).

Philosophical and theoretical perspectives underpinning assessment, diagnosis, and formulation, the analysis of a range of psychometrics and psychological tests and critically appraise their use within Counselling Psychology.

Types and uses of psychopharmacological drugs and their impact on the individual: benefits and caveats and the Interface between psychopharmacology and therapeutic practice: assumptions, constructs and implications.

This module includes mandatory formative assessment activities, to support students learning and development prior to summative assessment tasks.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 16
Tutorial 2
Practical classes and workshops 18
Independent Study 110
Directed Study 54
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Critically consider and apply the philosophical and theoretical perspectives underpinning formulation in Counselling Psychology and evidence its application with an example from current practice.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Case study 1 Case study formulation of real client, with reference to peer feedback 0 3000 100 No 50

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1
Case study 1

Reading List

Anderson, I.M. and McAllister-Williams, R.H. (Ed) (2015) Fundamentals of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 4th ed. UK: CRC Press.

BPS (2009) Code of Ethics and Conduct. UK https://beta.bps.org.uk/sites/beta.bps.org.uk/files/Policy%20-%20Files/Code%20of%20Ethics%20and%20Conduct%20%282009%29.pdf

BPS (2012) Diagnosis – policy and guidance. UK: The British Psychological Society. http://www.bps.org.uk/system/files/documents/diagnosis-policyguidance.pdf

Burton, M., Pavord, E., and Williams, B. (2014) An Introduction to Child and Adolescent Mental Health. UK: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Cooper, M. and McLeod, J. (2011) Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy. UK: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Davey, G. (2014) Psychopathology: Research, Assessment and Treatment in Clinical Psychology (BPS Textbooks in Psychology). 2nd Edition. UK: John Wiley & Sons.

Douglas, B., Woolfe, R., Strawbridge, S., Kasket, E., Galbraith, V. (Eds) (2016) The Handbook of Counselling Psychology. 4th Edition. UK: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Galbraith, V. (Ed) (2017) Counselling Psychology: Topics in Applied Psychology. UK: Routledge.

Milton, M. (Ed) (2010) Therapy and Beyond: Counselling Psychology Contributions to Therapeutic and Social Issues. UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Murphy, D. (Ed) (2017) Counselling Psychology: A Textbook for Study and Practice (BPS Textbooks in Psychology). UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Pilgrim, D. (2014) Understanding Mental Health: A Critical Realist Exploration. London: Routledge.

Rogers, A. and Pilgrim, D. (2014) A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness. 5th Edition. UK: Open University Press.

Pybis, J., Cooper, M., Hill, A., Cromarty, K., Levesley, R., Murdoch, J. and Turner, N., 2015. Pilot randomised controlled trial of school-based humanistic counselling for psychological distress in young people: Outcomes and methodological reflections. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 15(4), pp.241-250

Simon-Dack, S.L. and Marmarosh, C.L., 2014. Neurosciences and adult health behaviors: Recent findings and implications for counseling psychology. Journal of counseling psychology,. 61(4), p.528.

Stuart-Hamilton, I. (2007) Dictionary of Psychological Testing, Assessment and Treatment. UK: Jessica Kingsley.

Tomasino, B. and Fabbro, F. (Ed) (2017) Neuroimaging and Neuropsychology of Meditation States. Frontiers in Psychology. May 2017. DOI 10.3389/978-2-88945-178-4.

Wilson, R.Z. (2014) Neuroscience for Counsellors: Practical Applications for Counsellors, Therapists, and Mental Health Practitioners. UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

British Journal of Clinical Psychology

British Journal of Psychology Research

British Journal of Social Psychology

Counselling and Psychotherapy

Counselling Psychology Review

Evidence-Based Mental Health

Journal of Applied Psychology

Journal of Counseling Psychology

Journal of Neuropsychology Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice

The Psychologist

The Psychotherapist

Therapy Today

PsyPAG Quarterly