Educational Guidance and Counselling
School of Education, Trinity College Dublin
Master in Education
(Guidance and Counselling)
Applications can now be made for the Guidance and Counselling programme 
[please see further details here (PDF)] organised by the School of Education in Trinity College, Dublin. The course will begin in September 2011.
Timetable 2011-2012 Guidance and Counselling (PDF)
Aims of the programme
The Guidance and Counselling programme aims to build a structure of professional knowledge and in-career skills on foundations already acquired by students in teaching, guidance and counselling, mental health, pastoral care, chaplaincy, or school / college administration. This is achieved by a combination of academic and experiential components, together with supervised experience. An integrative framework is developed over this two-year programme.
The course also provides an opportunity for personal reflection, with a strong emphasis on personal growth, self-confidence building and self awareness, so that the therapeutic relationship, which is the basis of effective guidance and counselling, can be used to maximum effect.
Who is the programme for?
The programme is intended for secondary teachers, pastoral care tutors, adult education officers, and for those who have an initial qualification in guidance counselling and who wish to proceed to Masters level. The course is recognised by the Department of Education and Skills as an initial qualification in Guidance and Counselling. An internship is an important part of the training in Year Two.
Structure
The taught component of the course contains four modules, with each module containing 25 hours of contact time. Modules take place on Fridays in Trinity College, from 9.00am to 4.00pm (during both semesters). The modules take an interactive approach based around relevant readings and student participation. Assessment is by means of academic papers, approximately 4,000 - 5,000 words in length, or equivalent. Activities such as student presentations, case-studies or portfolio type projects form part of the assessment of some of the modules. Students who have attained a satisfactory level in their module assignments may progress to the dissertation year. This second year is a research year and, with supervision, the student will be involved in the researching and writing a dissertation. To support this work, there is a course in research methods. Students are also expected to complete a minimum of two full weeks 'work shadowing' a Guidance Counsellor and this period of internship normally constitutes a total of 50 hours (Note: the internship is a mandatory professional requirement [Institute of Guidance Counsellors and Department of Education and Skills] - internships must be sourced and managed by the student).