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PGCert Supervision in Counselling, Coaching and Other Helping Professions

Counselling & Wellbeing
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LOCATION
Stratford Campus
Location Fees and Funding
Here's the fees and funding information for each year of this course
Overview
We are delighted to launch our new postgraduate certificate in supervision in counselling, coaching and other helping professions. The course is designed to help you acquire the knowledge and skills required for supervision. It is aimed at counsellors and psychotherapists, coaches, nurses, teachers, social workers and other professionals who wish to develop and enhance their continuing personal and professional development alongside their supervisory skills and practice.
For experienced professionals, becoming a trained supervisor is the next step in terms of professional development. As a supervisor, you will combine your professional knowledge and experience with a range of theories and skills to support the development of novice and trained counsellors, psychotherapist, coaches, nurses, teachers or social workers alike.
The School of Psychology at UEL offers an evidence-based approach grounded in the most up-to-date theories in the field.
This postgraduate certificate will help you to understand the purpose and principles of supervision and to make critical judgements on the application of various supervision models and techniques required for professional practice.
We are in support of promoting equality, diversity and inclusion by our mode of delivery (i.e., monthly block sessions), as this allows a broader range of working professionals to participate.
If you are interested in becoming a supervisor and wish to learn more about training requirements, please contact us.
What makes this course different

Supervision offers coaches, counsellors, psychotherapist, nurses, social workers and other helping professionals the opportunity to use systematic reflection and dialogue as valuable tools which enhance both learning and development. National and international organisations and coaching professional bodies are including regular and ongoing supervision as a requirement for their employees and affiliates. Therefore, there will be a growing need for qualified and accredited supervisors. This course will equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to become a competent and confident supervisor."
Dr Andrea Giraldez-Hayes Course Leader, Supervision in Counselling, Coaching and Other Helping Professions
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
This course is designed to allow you to develop and demonstrate an understanding of both the art and science of supervision. It aims to support counsellors, psychotherapists, coaches and other helping professionals with supervisory responsibilities who wish to incorporate supervision into their career portfolio. The course provides the foundation for students wishing to apply the principles of supervision toward their existing or future professional practice in the domains of professional counselling, psychotherapy or coaching and in corporate, education, health, charity or community sectors.
You will learn the principles, the process and the structure of supervision. You will critically review some of the main theories and concepts in supervision and develop and demonstrate skills which can be applied directly in peer supervision and in either one-to-one or group-based supervision.
The full Postgraduate Certificate training comprises two core modules, either of which can also be taken independently as stand-alone short courses which are titled similarly to the modules.
In the module 'Understanding the Theory and Practice of Supervision' (or in the similarly-titled short course whose content is equivalent), a strong emphasis will be placed on equipping you to critically reflect on the theoretical and research underpinnings of supervision. Having acquired an introduction to these matters, you will be encouraged to reflect on your own approaches toward supervision as you experience and practice a carefully curated array of skills and techniques associated with supervision. The module will present a wide variety of supervision techniques, approaches and experiments, including innovative arts-based creative tools.
Whilst making various personal and professional discoveries, you will be introduced to the application of supervision by regularly participating in safe practice opportunities in threes - comprising a supervisor, supervisee and observer (or 'shadow supervisor') who will offer feedback - alongside group supervision with other participants in the course. As an option, you will regularly observe live group coaching supervision sessions, followed by a guided reflection with the supervisor.
In the module 'Evidence-Based Practice in Supervision: Personal and Professional Development' (or in the similarly-titled short course whose content is equivalent), the emphasis is placed on applying in practice your critical reflections on your own approaches to supervision, with the opportunity to experience and practise new skills and techniques associated with supervision.
Whilst putting into practice an array of personal and professional discoveries, you will increase your confidence in making a set of critical judgments on the application of evidence-based approaches to one-to-one and group supervision in different professional contexts. You will also become familiar and critically analyse the most recent research in supervision.
We consistently review our courses to ensure we are up to date with industry changes and requirements from our graduates. As a result, our modules are subject to change.
DOWNLOAD COURSE SPECIFICATIONS
MODULES
- Core Modules
Understanding the Theory and Practice of Supervision CloseUnderstanding the Theory and Practice of Supervision
This module is designed to introduce you to some of the theories and concepts that are relevant to supervision, and it will allow you to critically consider different supervision models and techniques.
The module will also provide a contextualised framework for practice. You will have the opportunity to observe and critically analyse supervision sessions. You will also develop some of the main skills required for supervision and apply them during supervised practices with pairs. The observations and the peer supervision practice will help you to understand some of the issues that may arise with conducting supervision.
Evidence-Based Practice in Supervision: Personal and Professional Development CloseEvidence-Based Practice in Supervision: Personal and Professional Development
This module will give you the opportunity to critically explore and demonstrate an understanding of the latest thinking and research on supervision, and to consider the complexities of advanced supervision practice.
The overarching aim is for you to enhance your understanding and analytical skills, and to develop the capacities and competencies needed to work as a supervisor in a range of professional contexts. You will be asked to critically evaluate a range of evidence-based models and approaches in the practice of individual and group supervision. You will also need to formulate and articulate a personally integrated approach to supervision and critically analyse and evaluate personal and professional strengths and areas for development in your supervisory practice.
HOW YOU'LL LEARN
You'll be taught by a range of staff, many of whom run their own practices or work in practice, which ensures that the practice-led research which is disseminated in the learning environment, or actually takes place within it, is relevant to your industry and practice. It also means that skills-practice labs are well-positioned to take advantage of myriad professional networks which are associated with the staff team.
Within each module there are theoretical elements and practise-based elements, with the intention that knowledge and skills are always introduced and developed in relation to professional practitioner settings and real-world applicability. Thus, both the notion of evidence-based practice and that of practice-based evidence are valued, with the sense that each informs the other and is inextricably linked to the requirements of your day-to-day personal, professional and/or vocational settings.
When not attending timetabled lectures, seminars, skills-practice sessions and other activities, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-directed learning and study.
These efforts will typically involve reading academic journal articles and texts, working on individual and group projects, undertaking various coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for the submission of your assessment portfolio.
Your independent learning is supported throughout by a range of state-of-the-art facilities, including an array of online resources, the campus library and Moodle - our curated VLE platform which guides and shapes the scope and direction of your self-directed learning activities.
Our academic support team provides help and assistance in a vast range of areas, including but not limited to support for those who live with seen and/or unseen disabilities.
When you embark on your studies, we will introduce you to your Academic Advisor. This a member of staff who will provide you with academic guidance, typically be a support throughout the entirety of your time at the University, and show you how to make best use of the full array of assistance, support and resources available to you as a student.
For each module (or similarly titled short course whose content is equivalent), you will typically devote in the region of 45 hours to timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars, skills-practice sessions and either individual or group tutorials. Contact hours may vary slightly.
You should also plan on devoting in the region of 255 hours to self-directed independent study. Activities which are likely to be involved are self-directed reading and revising, portfolio assessment preparation, online and/or on campus skills-acquisition activities, peer study and groupwork, assimilation of formative feedback and reflection on summative feedback. Your individual requirements may vary slightly.
Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. This training is being offered in an 'executive-style' format (i.e., approximately monthly on Saturdays) in order to accommodate the needs of busy working professionals who would rather not take time off from their weekday commitments.
To give you an indication of class sizes, this course is intended to attract up to 60 students per year. Lecture sizes are normally conducted in a large-group format, whereas various small-group activities such as skills-practice sessions, seminars and tutorials are broken up into smaller group in order to heighten the opportunity for meaningful peer feedback and the development of professional networks amongst your peers.
HOW YOU'LL BE ASSESSED
The full Postgraduate Certificate training comprises two core modules, either of which can also be taken independently as stand-alone short courses which are titled similarly to the modules.
In the module 'Understanding the Theory and Practice of Supervision' (or in the similarly-titled short course whose content is equivalent), you will prepare a portfolio in which the emphasis is placed on the acquisition of supervision theory, comprising: (a) acquisition of theory, (b) analysis of skills, and (c) a case study. Considered as a whole piece of work, these three elements comprise 100% of your assessment for the module.
In the module 'Evidence-Based Practice in Supervision: Personal and Professional Development' (or in the similarly-titled short course whose content is equivalent), you will prepare a portfolio in which the emphasis is placed on the demonstration of supervision skills and processes applied in practice, comprising (a) application of theory in practice, (b) analysis of skills, and (c) a reflective journal. Considered as a whole piece of work, these three elements comprise 100% of your assessment for the module.
Students will be required to have more than one supervisee arrangement in place over the duration of the course; both to meet the number of practice hours required (30 per module) and to gain a sufficiently varied experience of offering supervision; in order to meet the assessment criteria. UEL will help by giving students the opportunity to supervise students, but you may also make your own arrangements to complete the hours required for the course. In order that your experience of offering supervision is itself representative of supervised practise, you will also need to undertake at least one supervision session every three months. These sessions must be arranged and funded independently, and therefore are considered as an additional cost to the course fees. A feedback form completed by your supervisor will be required as proof of their engagement.
CAMPUS and FACILITIES

Stratford Campus, Water Lane, Stratford
WHO TEACHES THIS COURSE
The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.
Related Courses
YOUR FUTURE CAREER
Counselling, psychotherapy, coaching and other helping professions have been areas of extensive development throughout the years. In response to this, there has also been growth in the advocacy for supervision. This course will enhance your knowledge and skills whilst becoming part of your overall personal and professional development.
Moreover, if you aspire to work as a supervisor for counsellors, psychotherapists, coaches and other professionals in either one-to-one or group settings, then this course will position you on firm footing, in terms of achieving this goal. Once qualified, you will be able to continue receiving supervision and accruing hours of practice and experience whilst pursuing accreditation and, ultimately, offering supervision as one of your services.
This training is well-positioned to help you upskill in terms of supervision models, strategies, and techniques which you will be able to follow and/or customise. Whatever your present and future roles and responsibilities, you will find yourself equipped to use an array of analytical and critical-thinking skills. You'll also identify, select and apply a set of reflective-practice competences which are consistent with an evidence-based approach to supervision in various settings and contexts.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.