Last modified: 14 Oct 2025 12:16
This course aims to enable students to develop the personal qualities and professional skills necessary to become competent and reflective practitioners within a pluralistic framework. Core elements of a pluralistic approach to therapy are explored in relation to theory, practical skills, personal and professional development, and research.
| Study Type | Postgraduate | Level | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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This course explores the conceptual, practical, and research foundations of a pluralistic approach to counselling and psychotherapy. The origins of pluralistic therapy are critically discussed in relation to key philosophical and ethical sources, research evidence around the factors contributing to the effectiveness of therapy, the nature of a decolonised and social justice therapeutic stance, and models of therapist learning and development. The course addresses core principles of pluralistic practice, such as collaborative dialogue, metacommunication, shared decision-making, linguistic flexibility and cultural resources, as well as the relevance for pluralistic practice of ideas and interventions from psychodynamic, person-centred/humanistic, and CBT approaches to psychotherapy. A central focus of the course is the development of practical competence in the operationalisation of these ideas, and the use of a pluralistic way of working with clients, and preparation for entering a placement, through weekly skills practice and personal/professional development activities.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 19 | Feedback Weeks | 24 | |
| Feedback |
Student learning on this course will be assessed through an essay that combines critical analysis of a topic or area within the pluralistic framework for practice identified by the student as particularly meaningful in relation to their development, supported by appendices that reflect on their personal and professional development, (for example, reading logs, reflective journals, peer-feedback, private therapy/supervision, and mind-mapping exercises), and deliberate practice of skills, in relation to that topic. |
Word Count | 4000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Critical appreciation of key concepts and principles of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy |
| Conceptual | Apply | Ability to understand principles of collaborative working, and apply them in practical settings |
| Procedural | Apply | Practical competence in implementing core therapeutic skills |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Appreciation of ethical principles and guidelines that inform counselling practice |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 24 | Feedback Weeks | 27 | |
| Feedback |
Essay and appendices on a different topic from the first/main submission: Student learning on this course will be assessed through an essay that combines critical analysis of a topic or area within the pluralistic framework for practice identified by the student as particularly meaningful in relation to their development, supported by appendices that reflect on their personal and professional development, and deliberate practice of skills, in relation to that topic. |
Word Count | 4000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Critical appreciation of key concepts and principles of pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy |
| Procedural | Apply | Practical competence in implementing core therapeutic skills |
| Conceptual | Apply | Ability to understand principles of collaborative working, and apply them in practical settings |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Appreciation of ethical principles and guidelines that inform counselling practice |
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