Student Support

Why Choose IICP College?

IICP College provides a centre of academic and professional excellence in counselling and psychotherapy education. It is an engaging, dynamic and supportive college in which to study. IICP College prides itself on its ethos of student support, ensuring that learners are guided and supported through the programme. The professional programmes, from certificate to master’s, reflect the core ethos. Each stage of the programme offers training based on models of psychotherapy that promote respect, personal responsibility, understanding and flexibility. Carl Rogers’ model of Person-Centred Counselling (in which respect for the client is paramount) and William Glasser’s empowerment model of Choice Theory are integrated with multicultural counselling, which recognises the diversity within and between social and economic groups, as well as between ethnic groups.

This diversity is reflected in the students who attend and graduate from the programme. Both students’ personal and professional development are situated within a pluralistic framework. In other words, through their personal and professional journeys, students are encouraged to become competent counsellors who facilitate a client’s therapeutic process, tailoring it to the client rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach.

Our Certificate Programme is the perfect entry point for those considering a career in counselling and psychotherapy, offering an excellent mix of theory, skills and personal development. The faculty are all therapy practitioners, so they put the training into a real-world context.

IICP College has dual validation — professional recognition from IACP, the largest professional counselling and psychotherapy body in Ireland, and academic validation from QQI. IICP College is also proud to be a member of the Higher Education Colleges Association (HECA). HECA is the recognised voice of independent higher-level education in Ireland. HECA’s main focus is representing the independent third-level sector by ensuring the highest quality standards amongst its members.

With dedicated academic staff supporting each year group, learners are guided throughout every stage of the programme. Our teaching is closely connected to real-world practice. In skills modules, we ensure that multiple members of the teaching team are present to provide continuous feedback and support as learners develop their clinical skills. IICP College has strong clinical placement links with an on-site counselling agency, Village Counselling Service. This ensures learners do not have to find their own placement and enables them to commence their clinical work in a safe, supportive environment. We also have links with agencies across the country, so learners can complete their placement closer to home.

Following on from our BSc, our students can progress to our MSc in Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy. Likewise, there is a progression route for our MA in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy for those who wish to specialise in this area.

Useful IICP College Student Resources

Library Services

A range of library resources is available to learners. See the student handbook for details on collections. There are over 1,200 books available in the library. Additionally, learners have access to thousands of online journals via EBSCO’s Psychological & Behavioural Sciences Collection. Each learner can log into our online database with their unique username and password and access these resources from any location with wi-fi. Furthermore, each lecturer will post a range of reading material in the Moodle section for each module. Learners are not encouraged to purchase large quantities of texts; instead, they are provided with access to relevant, up-to-date reading material and research.

Orientation

Each programme commences with an Orientation day. This covers all aspects of the programme content, delivery, assessment and requirements. Orientation provides the learner with an opportunity to become familiar with the environment, peers and faculty members. Additionally, Orientation is important for establishing a class contract. Throughout the academic year, a range of additional tutorials are provided for learners on topics such as academic writing, research skills, preparing for clinical placement and skills practice. These additional tutorials generally take place during student care time and are open to all learners on the programme. Student care is provided formally from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. each teaching day and informally by appointment outside these hours. IICP College provides ongoing evaluation and feedback, self-directed learning opportunities, group supervision and peer study groups. Learners can contact their module lecturers for further guidance through email, where appropriate. Each learner can arrange further learning supports during the pastoral care time at the end of each training day. This period is an important factor in learner support and care. Module lecturers make themselves available for casual or appointed meetings with learners. Generally, this period of the day is very helpful to learners for answering questions or concerns they have about the programme. This pastoral care time also gives lecturers an opportunity to get to know the learners on a one-to-one basis and to become more familiar with their individual needs. Formal one-to-one meetings, which aim to explore progress and provide feedback, are also built into the programme.  

Student Care

The Student Support Officer provides non-academic support if you need advice or are experiencing difficulties during your programme. The Student Support Officer also holds regular online clinics where you can book a one-to-one appointment. 
 
Please do not hesitate to contact the Student Support Officer if you are: 

• Experiencing personal difficulties or an emergency situation that is affecting your studies 
• Enquiring about the non-academic supports available 
• Requesting information about the 5.6a Reasonable Accommodation Policy
• Seeking clarification on College procedures and policies, such as deferral 
• Aiming to provide feedback on College or programme-related matters 
• Requiring guidance or direction on the supports and pathways available 

Learner Representation

Each class elects a class liaison. Class liaisons play a vital role in the college. They are instrumental in keeping class members and the faculty in contact with one another and in keeping the College’s community alive. Class liaisons are elected to represent learners’ views and to communicate them in a manner that best reflects the College’s ethos and philosophy. A class representative is appointed to the College’s Academic Committee to ensure learners’ voices are heard and feedback enhances the ongoing development of the programmes.

Graduation

This Data Protection Privacy Notice explains how IICP College collects and uses the personal data of its graduands and graduates, as well as those who attend its graduation ceremonies.

Student Payment

This page is for IICP College students to make payments online via debit or credit card using our enrolment platform. Logging in is really simple; please see these instructions:

1. Log in to the eNROL platform.  
2. Enter your student number as the Username.
3. Then, select Forgot your username/password?
4. You will receive an email with instructions to change your password to something you will remember. Your login details thereafter will be your username and the password you set.