Counselling Professions and Academic Practice
20 Credits
(Compulsory)
This module introduces students to counseling and counselling-related professions in the UK. The module considers the range of settings in which helping takes place professionally and the different remit and skills of different helping professions. Students will develop, practice, and reflect on their own use of basic helping skills. The module considers a range of key theories in addition to considering issues of difference and equality. Basic academic skills will be developed appropriate to study at level 4 using a range of group-based explorations of key texts relating to the content of the module.
The Inclusive Practitioner
20 Credits
(Compulsory)
This module will encourage students to think about the centrality of inclusive practice and how this is influenced by practitioners’ own value base. It will look at how and why children, young people, and families can become socially excluded and will look at the implications for inclusive practitioners. There will be an opportunity for formative assessment within this module. This will take place in the first part of the semester
Humanistic Counselling
20 Credits
(Compulsory)
This module will introduce students to the three main theories of counseling used in the UK, but with a particular focus on the Humanistic Approach. Alongside this, students will develop their ethical and professional awareness. There will be opportunities to begin to develop the process of self-reflection. Students will have the opportunity to practice using Humanistic Skills in a counseling skills scenario.
Changing Families
10 Credits
(Compulsory)
This module will introduce the idea of the social construction of attitudes to children, young people, and families. Drawing on historical and cultural studies approaches, it will give students the chance to critically reflect on the values, meanings, and ideologies embedded in popular discourse and cultural products. It will explore the ways in which cultural production, including music, art, photography, film, and literature act as a site of struggle and a testing ground for competing constructions of childhood, youth, old age, and family in response to political, economic, demographic, and technological change. It will also ask students to consider how these processes have shaped, and continue to shape, the contexts of professional practice in Working with Children, Young People, and Families
Advantaged Thinking: a different way of thinking about your place in the Children, Young People, and Families' workforce
10 Credits
(Optional)
‘Advantaged Thinking’ is an assets or strengths-based approach to working with children, young people, and families that put the emphasis on identifying talents rather than weaknesses. It also allows us to think about our own strengths and talents as professionals and encourages us to think about the positive role we play in the workforce. It is about using the advantages we possess as individuals (or talents, assets, resources, and abilities) to create conditions for a society in which everyone can thrive. The module, therefore, aims to introduce students to the Advantaged Thinking philosophy and prepare them for work-related learning. Equipping students with an Advantaged Thinking approach can help turn the disadvantaged narrative of a person’s life experience into personal opportunities and positive outcomes and give students a chance to think about how they do this in an economy where the models of employment are also changing rapidly. This module will also enable an introduction to the careers service and support that it can provide to the students (such as careers progression coaches, finding placements, etc) during their degree and upon graduation.
Introduction to Work-Related Learning
10 Credits
(Optional)
This module aims to equip students with the knowledge and self-management skills to make informed choices in preparing for work placement and the transition to employment or further study on graduation. Learners will be provided with the opportunities to develop an awareness of the workplace, identify different career and study options, recognize and articulate their own experience, accomplishments, and talents and plan and implement career management strategies for the short and long term.
Psychodynamic Counselling
20 Credits
(Compulsory)
This module extends students’ knowledge and understanding beyond the humanistic approach to include a second major therapeutic tradition: the psychodynamic approach. Following a grounding in the historical influences of this approach, students will gain an understanding of core psychodynamic theory and associated practice, with emphasis on those that are most applicable to counseling, and include the central focus on unconscious communication.
An Introduction to Social Policy
20 Credits
(Compulsory)
This module will examine some of the over-arching social policy issues that shape the working agenda around children, young people, and families. To do this it will be structured around the key issues identified by William Beveridge as the ‘giants’ of social policy – education, poverty, housing, health (including safeguarding and protection of the vulnerable), and work. These topics will be analyzed in the context of the challenges that face professionals working within the current model of the welfare state.