Mental Health & Counselling

Psychological Theory Application

Required. Apply a specific therapeutic framework (CBT, psychodynamic, person-centred, ACT, DBT, or equivalent) to a real case conceptualisation from supervised practice. Reviewed by a qualified clinical supervisor who confirms the conceptualisation is grounded in real supervised encounter material. Case conceptualisation precedes supervised client work in all accredited counselling training programmes.

Therapeutic Relationship & Communication

Required. Demonstrate therapeutic communication skills in a supervised or peer-assessed role-play assessed against a structured rubric (active listening, reflection, empathy, appropriate challenge, boundary maintenance). Written feedback from both a clinical supervisor and a peer observer — addressing each rubric domain specifically. Generic feedback is not sufficient.

Mental Health Assessment Skills

Elective. Document structured mental status examinations for ≥3 supervised patient contacts (anonymised). Each MSE must cover all domains: appearance, behaviour, speech, mood, affect, thought content, thought process, perception, cognition, insight/judgement. Clinical supervisor's competency sign-off required. Peer verification is NOT accepted. The proof documents the student's skill development — not clinical conclusions about the patients.

Supervised Counselling Practice Log

Elective. Document ≥10 supervised counselling sessions: session duration, presenting issues (anonymised), therapeutic approach, what went well, what was difficult, supervisor feedback received per session. Qualified clinical supervisor attestation required — the sessions must be real supervised practice, not role-plays with peers or self-directed practice. Peer verification is NOT accepted.

Ethics & Safeguarding in Mental Health

Elective. Analyse a real or realistic ethical dilemma from mental health practice: ethical principles in tension, relevant legal framework (mental health legislation in your jurisdiction), the decision made and its rationale, and what you would do differently. ≥800 words. Reviewed by a qualified mental health practitioner or clinical supervisor. The case must be real or grounded in real supervised practice — not a textbook vignette.

Free monthly publication from the American Psychological Association covering clinical practice, ethics, and professional development. The ethics and professional issues sections are directly relevant to the ethics and safeguarding case step.

Free UK clinical guidelines for mental health conditions. The treatment recommendations are evidence-based and reference the therapeutic frameworks (CBT, psychodynamic, DBT) used in the case conceptualisation and supervised practice steps. International students: use your country's equivalent national clinical guidelines.

Free PDF of the BACP ethical framework — the standard reference for the ethics and safeguarding case step. Covers autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, self-respect, and fidelity in the counselling context. US students: use APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists (free at apa.org/ethics/code).