MSc Counselling and Positive Psychology
Course Overview
Please note that the details of this course are being reviewed for 2025 entry. Although this course is not accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, the duration will be increasing from 18 months to 2 years so that it meets the proposed ScopED changes as recommended by the BACP.Our MSc in Counselling and Positive Psychology takes you on an immersive journey exploring the applications of a relatively new subject area within psychology and its relevance and benefits for counsellors and psychotherapists. Offering two qualifications and support to prepare for professional registration with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), this career relevant course is designed to take you deep into the concepts, theories and practice of counselling and positive psychology.
With a special focus on the applications of positive psychology and positive psychotherapy for counselling, the course is taught by experienced and enthusiastic teaching staff with an excellent knowledge base. You’ll have the opportunity to practice counselling and psychotherapy skills independently under supervision and guidance. We’ll encourage you to explore and critically debate positive psychology’s new techniques and research, supporting you to evaluate developing theories and applications in positive psychology. Our supportive and passionate team offers expert training in counselling skills, techniques, helping you to conceptualise, design and implement theory in to practice.
Successfully completing the University of Bolton’s MSc in Counselling and Positive Psychology can put you in a highly favourable position for seeking employment in relevant helping professions, educational institutions, and for securing a place on a specialist psychology-related higher degree or doctorate programme. You could also become an individual counselling practitioner.
Highlights
- On successful completion of this course, you’ll be awarded an MSc in Counselling and Positive Psychology by the University of Bolton and, if you choose, gain the ABC level 4 Diploma in Counselling.
- For the duration of the course, our expert team will also support you as you prepare to undertake the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Certificate of Proficiency exam required for registration with this well-respected professional body (fees apply).
- We’ll support you as you develop an in-depth and advanced knowledge of this emerging field of positive psychology, and its applications for counselling and psychotherapy.
- Our teaching staff for this programme are involved in therapeutic practice and ongoing research in this subject.
- You’ll be supported throughout the programme, receiving help in areas such as finding a placement and having the right supervisors for your placement, as well as with your final research project.
- You’ll have plenty of opportunities to develop highly sought-after skills in practice, critical evaluation and reflection relating to counselling and positive psychology.
Key Features
- An enthusiastic, dedicated and supportive teaching team delivers this pioneering programme.
- The course curriculum gives you the opportunity to deliver counselling and psychotherapy to clients under supervision while you are in your placement.
- Learning and teaching is student-centred, with small group sessions and one-to-one tutorials. This is supported by the University’s virtual learning environment, Moodle.
- You can enjoy contributions from expert guest speakers on a range of subjects covered in this exciting postgraduate programme.
- The programme is designed to enhance your employability, particularly in the counselling and psychotherapy fields – or to help you progress to further studies in psychology or counselling.
- By choosing to study with us, you'll have the chance to enjoy Bolton's many shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities. Manchester, one of the UK's most multicultural and lively cities, is less than 20 minutes away by train. Not forgetting, the North West of England is renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline and heritage. This makes Bolton an ideal base from which to explore some of the best cultural and outdoor activities the UK offers.
Entry Requirements
- You should have an Upper Second Class (2.1) Honours degree (or higher) in Psychology or a relevant area. If you have a Lower Second Class (2:2) Honours degree in Psychology, then you may be accepted on to the programme.
- All suitable applicants will be invited to attend an interview and provide proof of one-to-one basis work experience in a helping role via CV and within the interview.
- You will also need to provide two satisfactory references (one for academic capacity and one for work/voluntary experience).
- We may also ask you to provide a portfolio of your work, as part of the application process.
- This course does not confer Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) with the British Psychological Society (BPS) – if you are seeking to achieve GBR please consider applying for our MSc Psychology (Conversion) programme.
- We'll also consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
- This course involves working unsupervised with children and/or vulnerable young people and adults and you must gain an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting your studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service.
- Please note that this course is subject to the University of Bolton's Fitness to Practise procedure.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
The MSc in Counselling and Positive Psychology focuses on the core counselling skills, counselling theories, and applications of positive psychology and psychotherapy in practice. It looks at the impact of counselling and psychotherapy on a person’s wellbeing and what makes people thrive.
The course is designed to develop your employability skills, including intellectual and thinking skills, problem solving, interpersonal awareness, communication skills, your ability to develop arguments supported by relevant evidence, and team work, IT and data handling skills.
What can I do with this qualification?
If you’re aiming to become an assistant psychologist, clinical psychologist, counsellor, counselling psychologist, life skills coach, wellbeing practitioner, or psychotherapist, the theory and transferable skills offered by this course should also benefit your clinical work. Teachers, youth workers and educators can also use counselling and positive psychology expertise in their work.
Some graduates may choose to continue their education to doctorate level. Continuing your education would give you the opportunity to develop your skills further and research your area of interest.
Alternative career options
Graduates can use the qualification as a stepping stone to enter a range of other careers, and for some of these roles, both relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:
- Teaching and education
- Prison service counsellor
- Probation services
- Family mediation and support
- Child protection
- Social work
- Police
- Youth work
- Communications
- Sport and recreation
- Careers guidance
- Human resources
Professional Recognition
On successful completion of this course, you’ll be awarded an MSc in Counselling and Positive Psychology by the University of Bolton and, if you choose, gain the ABC level 4 Diploma in Counselling.
For the duration of the course, our expert team will also support you as you prepare to undertake the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Certificate of Proficiency exam required for registration with this well-respected professional body (fees apply).
Fees & Funding
Please note the total course fee for a Home student starting this course in 2023/24 will be £7,920. As this is an 18-month course, the fees are £5,280 for the first year and £2,640 for the final semester.
Home/EU Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
International Fees
No fee information is currently available, please contact the University of Bolton’s Academic Fees team by emailing AcademicFees@bolton.ac.uk for more information.
Bursaries
Click here for more information on our Master's Bursaries.
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2025-26 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
You may apply directly to the University using the University's online application form. Please select your chosen start date from the list below:
You should have to hand:
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Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates
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Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies
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Details of any employment history including name, address, dates and role
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Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately
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Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference
Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.
Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already input.
If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk
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Apply online: University of Bolton MSc Counselling and Positive Psychology - 22 September 2025
International Applicants
Thank you for your interest
In order to determine your suitability for this course as an international student and also to confirm you meet any initial eligibility criteria, we need you to answer a few short questions.
Teaching & Assessment
We use a diverse range of teaching methods, designed to complement each other and help you achieve the course’s intended learning outcomes. We offer lectures, seminars, workshops, group supervision and one-to-one sessions – but you’ll also be expected to undertake significant independent reading and investigation, as well as completing seminar-related work and preparing for workshops, presentations and group discussions. Some modules will require you to follow up taught sessions by using online resources and completing complementary tasks.
Assessment methods are also varied, allowing you to demonstrate your learning in a range of ways. For example, module assessments may require you to complete reports, essays, presentations, deliver counselling sessions, portfolio, literature reviews, or review journal articles, write up case interventions, treatment evaluations, complete short question and present reflective journals.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Therapeutic Counselling
- Research Methods for Counselling and Coaching
- Foundations of Positive Psychology
- Positive Psychology in Practice
- Supervised Counselling Practice 1
- Qualitative Inquiry
- Positive Psychology Dissertation
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 100% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 70% Placement/study abroad 12% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 18% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
