Counselling

Bachelor of Theology Honours (Counselling Stream)

This programme will train you in both narrative counselling and logotherapeutic practices from a Christian perspective. You need to complete an orientation phase (one 24-credit course), and then two narrative courses (24 credits each), and two logotherapy courses (24 credits each).

As part of your portfolio of learning, supervised practicum hours will be expected which may incur additional costs to you.

When you graduate, you will be well-equipped to serve as a Christian counsellor in your church and community. You will also be eligible to register for the Master of Theology course based programme specializing in Christian counselling, and the Master of Theology research-based programme.

Do I Qualify?

Please note that you may not register for the BTh Honours (Counselling) programme if you are currently registered for a cognate programme at another institution.

To register for the BTh Honours with a concentration in Christian Counselling, you need one of the following:

  • A Bachelor of Theology or equivalent degree with CCC1129 (Biblical Basis & Introduction to Christian Counselling) and CCC2121 (Psychopathology and Spiritual Conflicts).
  • A Bachelor’s degree in another field with an accredited certificate or diploma in theology (plus CCC1129 & CCC2121, unless your Bachelor’s degree includes sufficient credits in psychology or counselling).

Is The Honours A Research Degree?

The BTh Hons – Counselling is a postgraduate degree. The curriculum consists of five 24-credit papers. The first paper is an orientation to the theological, ethical and contextual aspects of counselling. Then, two papers train you to use narrative counselling and two train you in logotherapeutic methods of counselling. The narrative counselling and logotherapy papers all have a practical counselling requirement. A research portfolio is developed over all five papers.

How Long Does It Take?

You will need 2½ years to complete the degree as you are only able to take one course at a time.

Courses

Programme requirements

Compulsory Courses

These are the courses that you must do in order to graduate from the BThC Honours. If you earn 120 credits but do not have all of them as completed courses, you will not be eligible to graduate.

Total Credits (120)

The BThC Honours requires that you earn a minimum of 120 total credits. Since some courses are 12 credits and others 24 credits, the number of courses required to earn your 120 credits may vary.

Code
Course
Credits
Compulsory Courses4
CCC4241Narrative Counselling as Pastoral Care24 credits
CCC4242Narrative Counselling and the Church24 credits
CCC4243Logotherapy as Ministry24 credits
CCC4244Logotherapy and Community24 credits

Please note: CCC4240 is subject to specific enrolment numbers.

Here are some recommended resources that can be accessed by clicking here.

Timetable

General Information

SATS has 3-month courses, called “term” courses and 6-month courses called “semester” courses.

Timetable

Course Name

3 or 6-month course

Availability

CCC4240 Counselling Ethics and SATS

6-month

Semester 1 & 2

CCC4241 Narrative Counselling as Pastoral Care

6-month

Semester 1

CCC4242 Narrative Counselling and the Church

6-month

Semester 2

CCC4243 Logotherapy as Ministry

6-month

Semester 2

CCC4244 Logotherapy and Community

6-month

Semester 1

Course Sequence

After completing CCC4240, students may proceed with either CCC4241 or CCC4243 depending on the current semester.

In practical terms, your programme will flow as follows depending on the semester in which you begin:

Students beginning in Semester 1

CCC4240 Counselling Ethics and SATS

CCC4243 Logotherapy as Ministry

CCC4241 Narrative Counselling as Pastoral Care

CCC4242 Narrative Counselling and the Church

CCC4244 Logotherapy and Community

Students beginning in Semester 2

CCC4240 Counselling Ethics and SATS

CCC4241 Narrative Counselling as Pastoral Care

CCC4243 Logotherapy as Ministry

CCC4244 Logotherapy and Community

CCC4242 Narrative Counselling and the Church

Is this programme accredited?

Yes. The BTh Hons with a Counselling Concentration is accredited by the Council on Higher Education and registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training. The BTh Hons is a complete qualification on level 8 on South Africa’s National Qualifications Framework.

Professional registration

Graduates from the programs with a concentration in Christian Counselling can apply for professional registration with the Council for Pastoral and Spiritual Counsellors (CPSC). For more information visit CPSC website: https://www.cpsc.org.za

How are the courses delivered?

The courses are delivered via our online system, MySats. You will access all your study materials on the site. Some counselling courses require you to purchase prescribed textbooks.  You will be able to interact with the lecturer and other students through forums that are available on the site. You will also submit your assignments and receive your results on MySats. There are prescribed dates for the submission of each assignment; if you fail to meet one of those dates, you fail the course.

Counselling Internship

For each of the Papers 2, 3, 4 and 5, you must complete 20 hours of client conversations, 6 group supervision sessions, and 6 external, individual supervision sessions. Of the 20 hours of client conversations, a portion of the hours are acquired through role-plays within the course, and the remainder are conducted as a student-counsellor with volunteer conversation partners. Group supervision is included in the course. The 6 hours of external, individual supervision in either narrative counselling or logotherapy praxis are for the student’s own account. Recommendations for specialist supervisors will be made by your course lecturer. These hours collectively constitute the counselling internship, which enables candidates to acquire the hours needed for accreditation and registration as a Christian counsellor.

Access to further programmes

The BTh Hons articulates vertically into an MTh or MA in Theology, enabling you to specialize in Christian Counselling. If you successfully complete the BTh Hons with a Counselling Concentration and maintain an average of 60 per cent for all the courses, you would be readily accepted into a Master’s in Christian Counselling degree.

How much does it cost?

Click here to see the Full Price List for all programmes

Complete our online application form, or contact us.