As the BSc is an IACP recognised course, the following requirements also apply:

  • Completion of 50 hours of personal therapy over the duration of the course. Therapy must be conducted with an accredited IACP/IAHIP/BACP therapist.
  • Completion of 120 hours of client work (starting the end of Year 2 or the beginning of Year 3).
  • 24 hours of one-to-one supervision outside of the course. This commences when you start seeing clients and must be with an IACP/IAHIP/BACP supervisor.
  • 10 sessions of group therapy. This generally occurs in Year 4, but some students choose to commence it toward the end of Year 3.
  • When you are starting to see clients, you are required to become a student member of IACP and to obtain professional insurance.

If you are a pre-accredited/accredited member of IACP, and are not seeking IACP accreditation as a result of completing this MSc, the following requirements apply:

  • Completion of 100 hours of client work – as qualified therapist, who is not seeking IACP accreditation as a result of this course, these hours can be done in your normal routine work, and at your normal rate of supervision.
  • If you are already IACP accredited/pre-accredited, then there is no personal therapy requirement on this programme.

If you are not a pre-accredited/accredited member of IACP, and are seeking IACP accreditation as a result of completing this MSc, the following requirements apply:

  • Completion of 100 hours of client work – if you are seeking IACP membership as a result of this masters, then these hours must be completed in an approved placement setting at a supervision ratio of 1:5.
  • If you are seeking IACP membership as a result of this masters, your supervisor must be IACP/IAHIP/BACP accredited.
  • If you are seeking IACP membership as a result of this masters, you must also complete 50 hours personal therapy concurrent with the programme. Your therapist must be IACP/IAHIP/BACP accredited.
  • If you are seeking IACP membership as a result of this masters, you will need to join IACP as a student member. The college will provide you with a letter for this application.

All students on this programme will need to set aside time each week to read, study, research and practice what they are learning.

  • 100 hours of client work must be completed as part of this programme. Approx. 50 hours should be with children aged 6-11 and 50 should be with adolescents aged 12-17. A ratio of 60:40 is also allowable if a learner has a preference for working with one age group over the other.
  • Clinical hours must be completed in an approved setting, after completion of an assessment of readiness to practice with younger clients.
  • Learners must be in supervision and clinical hours for this programme are at a ratio of 1:5 regardless of your accreditation status.

Learners on this programme are required to evidence 33 hours of work based practice with clients over 8 months. A log of hours completed and a supervisor’s report must be submitted at the end of the programme. Learners must complete supervision at a minimum ratio of 1:20. Supervisors contracted to do this work must be suitably qualified and experienced to supervise. If you do not currently receive supervision in your professional practice, then an additional cost will incur to learners in the form of contracting an external supervisor to provide a minimum of 2 sessions of supervision.

  • Everyone’s study skills are different, but a good guide is to set aside 5-10 hours per week for reading, research and practice.
  • We encourage learners to do ‘a little and often’. Read an article or skim a book chapter. Practice skills. Studying a small amount daily can help much more than trying to cram it in at the end.

The college works with each student to locate an appropriate placement. However, all students can secure placement with the Village Counselling Service in Tallaght if they wish to do so. Additionally, for those not located in Dublin, the college has a list of potential placement centres around the country. Every placement has to be approved by the college to ensure it meets the robust clinical governance requirements necessary for a student therapist.

  1. During the BSc (Hons) learners are required to complete 120 hours of client work as a trainee therapist.
  2. This must be completed in an approved setting, and at least 75% of the hours should be a in a general counselling and psychotherapy setting. 25% can be done in an agreed area of specialisation such as Addiction or Bereavement. 
  3. These clinical hours must be supervised by an external one-to-one supervisor. The supervisor must be IACP/IAHIP/BACP accredited, and the supervision must occur at a ratio of 1:5 hours. The cost of supervision is external to the course fees and is negotiated with your external supervisor.
  4. Placement only begins when a learner has submitted their application to start seeing clients, and when this has been approved by faculty. Placement generally begins toward the end of second year or the start of third year of the degree.
  1. If you already hold IACP membership (accredited or pre-accredited), the placement requirement is 100 hours. In this instance, the hours can be done in your routine private practice/employment and at your normal ratio of supervision as per IACP accreditation status. The cost of supervision is external to the course fees and is negotiated with your external supervisor.
  2. If you do not already hold IACP membership, and wish to obtain it as a result of completing the MSc, the placement requirement is different.
    1. You must do 120 hours of clinical placement in an approved placement.  Please speak to the college about what agencies are approved.
    2. Even if you are a qualified therapist, if you are seeking IACP as a result of this programme, you cannot undertake these hours in private practice.
    3. 75% of the hours must be a in a general counselling and psychotherapy setting. 25% can be done in an agreed area of specialisation such as Addiction or Bereavement. 
  1. Your one-to-one external supervisor must be IACP/IAHIP/BACP accredited, and the supervision must occur at a ratio of 1:5 hours. The cost of supervision is external to the course fees and is negotiated with your external supervisor.
  1. During the MA programme, learners are required to complete 100 hours of client work with children and adolescents. Ideally, this will be 50% children (6-11 y/o) and 50% adolescents (12-17 y/o).
  2. This placement must be undertaken in and approved setting.  Please speak to the college about what agencies are approved. Child and adolescent hours cannot be undertaken in your private practice.
  3. Regardless of your accreditation status, as this programme is designed to extend the scope of your practice to child and adolescent therapy, your supervisor must be an accredited member of a relevant professional body and have experience of supervising clinical work with children and adolescents.
  4. Supervision for this programme is at ratio of 1:5 regardless of your accreditation status. The cost of supervision is external to the course fees and is negotiated with your external supervisor.
  1. Learners on this programme are required to integrate CBT into their professional practice. Completion of 33 hours of integrated practice is required. This can occur in your normal place of work.
  2. Supervision is at a ratio of 1:20. Supervisors must submit a formal report confirming that the supervision of 33 hours too place. The cost of supervision (if not provided in your work place) is external to the course fees and is negotiated between you and your supervisor.
Each module has a summative assessment. These will vary by module but include Skills Assignments, Theory Essays, Role Plays, Presentations etc. There are no exams.
Learners on the BSc (Hons) degree are required to complete a capstone Dissertation Module in fourth year. This module requires learners to complete a small piece of research. This occurs in a safe and supportive manner, and learners are guided through the process via group research supervision sessions and individual supervisor review of drafts of their work.
Learners on the MSc in Pluralistic Counselling & Psychotherapy will complete a Research Portfolio in second year. This consists of a portfolio of four assignments, submitted throughout the year:

  • Literature Review Paper
  • Research Paper
  • Reflexive Paper
  • Presentation

You will be assigned a one-to-one supervisor for the portfolio, who will mentor and support you through the process.

Learners on the MA in Integrative Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy will complete a Research Portfolio in second year. This consists of a portfolio of four assignments, submitted throughout the year:

  • Literature Review Paper
  • Research Paper
  • Reflexive Paper
  • Presentation

You will be assigned a one-to-one supervisor for the portfolio, who will mentor and support you through the process.

If you are doing an IACP Recognised programme, you are required to do 50 hours of personal therapy.

No. The personal therapy requirement of the programme relates to time spent training on a programme where counselling and psychotherapy was at the core.

The programme requirement is that you see a fully accredited IACP, IAHIP or BACP therapist. Therefore, a therapist with pre-accredited status is insufficient on this programme.

No. You select your own personal therapist.

You can find a personal therapist on the IACP website, or from the list provided by the college (located on your Moodle Supporting Documents, and the Useful Resources section).

The list is not a recommendation but is a list of suitable accredited therapists who offer a student rate. Where required you can also consider any therapist on the IAHIP or BACP websites.

Yes, The BSc is a QQI validated Level 8 four-year programme, recognised by IACP (Irish Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) as a professional award. Across all programmes, we hold at our core the importance of student support throughout the learning experience, and this is evident through the quality of the programmes, the expertise of our faculty and administrative teams, and the By-Your-Side student support programme we offer.

Learners must evidence all academic and clinical modules learning outcomes, 50 hours of personal therapy and complete a clinical placement reflecting 120-hours with adult clients in a suitable service. Personal therapists and individual supervisors must hold full accreditation status with IACP, IAHIP or BACP. There is no leeway on this requirement. The college provides support in securing a suitable placement and we know of services suitable across the country.

There is an 85% attendance requirement on all programmes.

Yes, as your level 8 or level 9 programme is unrelated to counselling and psychotherapeutic practice you would need to complete the full four years required by IACP to obtain an award recognised by IACP.

However, it is possible that with a degree (at level 8 or 9) you may be eligible for RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning), but this can only be assessed following a full academic audit.

Entry under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is possible for applicants who can evidence previous qualifications and/or professional knowledge relevant to counselling and psychotherapy.

Entry under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is possible for applicants who can evidence previous qualifications and/or professional knowledge relevant to counselling and psychotherapy. You would need to apply under RPL so we can complete an academic audit and offer you the best entry route.

Entry under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is possible for applicants who can evidence previous qualifications and/or professional knowledge relevant to counselling and psychotherapy. You would need to apply under RPL so we can complete an academic audit and offer you the best entry route.

Every RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) application is unique to the applicant, and therefore, each RPL request is always assessed on a case-by-case basis. Applicants are asked to provide evidence of prior learning related to counselling and psychotherapy, which reflects the learning outcomes of this programme.
Our course comparison form is designed to aid you in this as it details our modules and provides space for you to indicate what prior learning you have that you believe reflects the Learning Outcomes/ ECTS credits for the corresponding module. When completing the form, please detail any comparable modules you have previously completed. It is likely that your degree has equipped you with some of the knowledge skills and competencies related to certain BSc year one and two modules, and this could mean further exemptions within those modules. A determination of an applicant’s eligibility for an RPL entry route would be subject to a full academic audit of their complete application. This aids us in ensuring the RPL offered to you provides a robust, individualised Learning Plan that suits your education and training needs. For further information, email admissions@iicp.ie and we can send you the RPL form.

Direct Debit Payment Plans are available for an additional administration fee of €50.00, and students report that having this plan affords them flexibility and manageability in fee payments.

The Level 6 Certificate is delivered using a rotational blended learning model. This means that classes rotate between onsite and online each week (if it’s a weekly cert) or each month (if it’s a block cert). This combination of on-campus and online learning offers a flexibility without sacrificing the need for experiential and practical activities to occur in the classroom. Learners will need to have access to appropriate broadband and a laptop with a mic and camera.
The Level 7 Certificate is delivered using a rotational blended learning model. This means that classes rotate between onsite and online teaching inputs. This combination of on-campus and online learning offers a flexibility without sacrificing the need for experiential and practical activities to occur in the classroom. Learners will need to have access to appropriate broadband and a laptop with a mic and camera.
The Level 8 Certificate is delivered using a rotational blended learning model. This means that classes rotate between onsite and online teaching inputs. This combination of on-campus and online learning offers a flexibility without sacrificing the need for experiential and practical activities to occur in the classroom. Learners will need to have access to appropriate broadband and a laptop with a mic and camera.
The Level 9 Certificate is delivered using a rotational blended learning model. This means that classes rotate between onsite and online teaching inputs. This combination of on-campus and online learning offers a flexibility without sacrificing the need for experiential and practical activities to occur in the classroom. Learners will need to have access to appropriate broadband and a laptop with a mic and camera.
The BSc (Hons) is delivered using a rotational blended learning model. This means that classes rotate between onsite and online each week (weekday classes) or each month (weekend block classes). This combination of on-campus and online learning offers a flexibility without sacrificing the need for experiential and practical activities to occur in the classroom. IACP requires that at least 70% of the 450 contact hours are face-to-face. Our programme’s duration far exceeds the 450-contact requirement, and this ensures that learners will achieve 7 the IACP requirement for 70% of 450 face-to-face teaching onsite. Learners will need to have access to appropriate broadband and a laptop with a mic and camera.

The MSc is delivered using a rotational blended learning model. This means that classes rotate between onsite and online each week (weekday classes) or each month (weekend block classes). This combination of on-campus and online learning offers a flexibility without sacrificing the need for experiential and practical activities to occur in the classroom. Learners will need to have access to appropriate broadband and a laptop with a mic and camera.

While this programme is normally fully face-to-face, in the 2022-2023 intake, this programme will be delivered using Blended Learning. This means that classes rotate between onsite and online each week (weekday classes) or each month (weekend block classes). This combination of on-campus and online learning offers a flexibility without sacrificing the need for experiential and practical activities to occur in the classroom. Learners will need to have access to appropriate broadband and a laptop with a mic and camera.

You can fill in an application form for the Taster evening which can be found on our website www.iicp.ie. Once we receive your application, you will be included on the participant list and the Zoom link will be emailed to you on the day of the Taster.