This course is for anyone wishes to practise as a counsellor either with an employer, charity or independently (self employed) as it meets the BACP SCoPEd framework entry point A (see below) at HND level assuming you complete the full HNC and the 100 hours placement.

SCoPEd framework 2022 – see page 11:
https://www.bacp.co.uk/media/14435/scoped-framework-january-2022.pdf

Anyone wanting to Top-up to a full degree would need to complete the full HND.

Why study?
The Level 5 units give students the opportunity to specialise in a counselling-related occupational area and to progress to degree-level study. They prepare students to move on to specific areas of education and further learning at Level 6 or to enter employment with the qualities and abilities necessary for roles that require professional responsibility and decision-making. Students will be able to develop and apply their own ideas to their studies, to deal with uncertainty and complexity, to explore solutions, demonstrate critical evaluation and use both theory and practice in a wide range of therapeutic situations. By the end of Level 5, students will have a sound understanding of the principles in their area of specialist study and will know how to apply those principles more widely in counselling and psychology practice. They will be able to perform effectively in their specialist area.

Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Counselling and Applied Psychology have the following specialist pathways within the qualification title:

Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Counselling and Applied Psychology (Integrative)
Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Counselling and Applied Psychology (Psychodynamic)
Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Counselling and Applied Psychology (Cognitive Behavioural)
Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Counselling and Applied Psychology (Humanistic)- intended pathway

Where will this course take me?
Top-up to a full degree (BSc) with another University to Level 6.
Employment as:
- work as a Counsellor in a service or agency setting

- work in healthcare or non healthcare settings

- work in voluntary sectors

- Counsellor

- Mental health coach

Core modules
Year 1:
Unit 1 Mandatory Personal and Professional Development Through Inclusive Practice
Unit 2 Mandatory Developing Empathic Communication for Effective Therapeutic Relationships
Unit 3 Mandatory Preparing for Research (Pearson-set)
Unit 4 Mandatory Ethical Frameworks in Counselling Core
Unit 5 Mandatory Self-awareness and Reflective Practice in Counselling
Unit 6 Mandatory Theoretical Perspectives in Counselling
Unit 7 Mandatory Individual Differences
Unit 8 Mandatory Digital Approaches in Caring Professions

Year 2:
Depends on chosen specialism
Students must complete 70 placement hours (with 35 in the specialist field) to achieve the Level 5 HND qualification and to be able to practise. Students will need to source a placement independently either before starting or by November in order to achieve the hours. Prospective students need to note this is a requirement and need to plan this time over and above their days in college and independent study.

Assessment & Feedback
Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals are assessed using a combination of:
Centre-developed internal assignments that are set and assessed by Centres
Pearson-set assignments, which are set by Centres in line with our guidelines and graded by Centres. Pearson-set units are mandatory and target particular industry-specific skills. The number and value of these units depend on qualification size
For the HND, Centres will assess two compulsory Pearson-set units targeted at particular skills: one Level 4 core unit carrying 15 credits and one Level 5 core unit carrying 15 credits.
All other units are assessed through internal assignments set by the Centre.