Psychology with Counselling and Psychotherapy

Psychology with counselling and psychotherapy brings together the scientific study of the mind with the applied skills of therapeutic practice. Psychology provides rigorous theoretical frameworks for understanding perception, cognition, emotion, development, social influence and mental health, while counselling and psychotherapy introduce the evidence-based approaches used to help people experiencing psychological distress, whether arising from trauma, prolonged suffering, developmental difficulties or the existential challenges of human life. Together they prepare you both to understand psychological processes and to support people experiencing them.

At Manchester Metropolitan University you will study the core areas of academic psychology alongside an introduction to the range of talking and listening approaches that constitute counselling and psychotherapy. You will develop confident communication, strong interpersonal skills and the reflective capacity that effective therapeutic and professional practice demands. The programme runs over three years full time and provides a foundation for a wide range of careers in mental health and the helping professions, as well as in other contexts where understanding psychological processes and communicating skilfully are central to the work.

Graduates are well placed for careers in mental health services, counselling and psychotherapy practice, social work, health and wellbeing roles in schools and workplaces, community support and the charitable sector. Some graduates go on to postgraduate study and further professional training in counselling, psychotherapy, clinical psychology or health psychology, working towards full practitioner status. Others apply the psychological and interpersonal skills the degree develops in human resources, coaching, education, research and a wide range of organisations where understanding human behaviour is professionally valuable.