Counselling

Counselling

Duration: 2 years
Languages of Instruction: Russian
Mode of study: Full-Time
Field of study: 37.04.01 Psychology
Programme name: Counseling
Special conditions: tuition fee waivers available
Awards:
- Master degree diploma “Psychology” (MSSES, Russia)
- Диплом MA in Counselling  (University of Manchester, UK)


The program trains psychological counselors who help individuals, families, or organizations cope with the complex challenges that arise in their life. Graduates of the two-year master's program study up on the basics of General and experimental psychology and specialize in three areas: individual, family, and organizational counseling. Therefore, they can advise people on personal life and work issues, and help organizations build business relationships within the team, taking into account the individual psychological characteristics of each employee.

Students choose research topics based on their interests. They can focus on a particular area of psychology or a specific issue that concerns them. For example, this year our undergraduates study such subject areas as psychology of family and sexual relations, organization of work of psychological NGOs, problems in the self-determination of adolescents, difficulties in self-esteem and self-acceptance, methods of dealing with stress and professional burnout, etc.

The program is designed in accordance with British standards and has been validated by the University of Manchester.
A British degree allows our graduates to reach an international level and gives them an advantage over other Russian psychological consultants.

Studying for a master's degree in psychology is a fascinating process that allows our students to get useful tools and techniques for life and work, to better understand themselves and find like-minded people.

MSSES is an absolutely unique project. Teaching staff that "infects" students with the profession and the desire to learn more, changes the way of thinking and outlook. The most interesting tasks and projects in the course of training keep students in good shape and stimulate. Colleagues-students from different cities share their interesting knowledge and experience. An extraordinary library that has everything and even a special atmosphere in which it is pleasant even just to walk. All this creates a very inspiring learning environment and stays with you for many years after. MSSES helped me not only to get some knowledge or techniques for counseling but also to build my own philosophy and vision of the profession and work. And this is especially noticeable now that I am in private practice.
Svetlana Kudinova, 2010 graduate, private psychotherapist – consultant

Who is this program for?

The program is suitable for both qualified psychologists and those who do not have a basic psychological education. Our students are people of different ages and experience, who are united by the desire to master practical psychology. Here they find a comfortable infrastructure for education, a friendly working environment and a community of like-minded people.
  • Students will master modern methods of psychological counseling and various therapeutic approaches (including foreign and new authors' methods).
  • Business coaches can strengthen their theoretical training and systematize their knowledge. This will setч them apart from other trainers who may not be familiar with psychological concepts in all their diversity and do not know many modern psychological techniques.
  • HR managers will get psychological tools for more subtle and effective work with employees.

  • Project managers will learn how to manage a team, effectively manage the work and create a comfortable atmosphere for the employees.
  • Analysts will be able to get acquainted with the specifics of conducting research in psychology, better build on the probabilistic picture of the data obtained and the ethical principles of conducting such research on behalf of organizations.

  • Graduates of a bachelor's degree in psychology will gain knowledge and practical skills to start a career as a consultant psychologist and plunge into real practice.
  • Graduates of non-psychological specialties who want to help other people will get a new profession and acquire ideas about various areas of psychology, learn how to resolve conflicts, suggest the right line of behavior, help effectively determine goals, and communicate professionally with people.

Advantages of the program

  • Students master the main psychological disciplines and two specializations: “Individual and family psychological counseling, “Organizational psychology and personnel management". This allows them to become universal specialists who help people both in the professional sphere and in their personal life.
  • The program is focused on practice. When students gain theoretical knowledge, they can immediately apply and test it in their practical work and projects.
  • The basic part of the curriculum includes ten subjects, the variable part includes six more specialization subjects and four elective subjects.
  • Each student chooses to study, write essays and dissertations on topics that are interesting to them and will be useful in their future work.
  • The training program includes training for personal growth and interpersonal communication, as well as the basics of conducting psychological training, master classes, interactive classes, seminars and practices.

  • Students find like-minded people among classmates, instructors, and the alumni community, which allows them to create common projects and receive support on their professional path.
  • Practical psychologists, well-known experts, doctors and candidates of psychological Sciences, members of professional associations, business consultants and business coaches with extensive practical experience teach at the faculty.
  • Students regularly attend lectures by foreign scientists and specialists.
  • Training in the evenings makes it possible to combine study with work.
  • The library contains a rich collection of books and magazines and provides access to unique information resources on psychology.
  • Students study English for Practical Psychology and improve their academic writing in English. All our graduates speak English at a level sufficient for professional communication.
  • Training takes place in the city center (Okhotny Ryad metro station), which is convenient for most students.
If we take an approach to training, I would highlight two advantages. First, all the instructors were practitioners. For example, a course on organizational consulting was taught by people who actually did it themselves, so they talked about how they do it. In parallel with my studies, I continued to receive orders, and instructors could be approached and consulted about specific, practical things: whether to enter into a particular contract, etc. Secondly, in my opinion, Shaninka has a profound feedback system that allows students to influence the quality and content of the courses taught.
Ekaterina Kukso, 2013 graduate, PhD in Pedagogy

How does training work?

Classes are held on weekday evenings from 19:00 to 22:00 and on Saturdays. Therefore, all master's students can combine their studies with work.

The program consists of interactive practical and academic courses:

Training: students gain professional experience in a psychologically safe environment and receive feedback from fellow students and professionals.
  • During the personal growth training, participants get to know each other and form a psychologically comfortable interaction.
  • At the training on individual and family counseling, the situation of counseling is simulated, each participant tries himself as a client, consultant and supervisor. The training participant presents their problem for discussion and has the opportunity to be in each of the three roles. Classes are held in a special room with a Gesell mirror, which allows students to organize a psychologically comfortable observation of the process of educational counseling.
  • During the group session management training, each student prepares the training and conducts it in a group, after which they receive feedback from the participants and the instructor. The result of this work is an essay in which the student describes the initial training plan, analyzes its success, based on the feedback received and suggests ways to improve it.

Academic courses (Methodology of Psychological Research, Statistics for Psychologists, Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods) provide a scientific basis for the practical and analytical work of a psychologist. The class examines research projects offered by the students themselves. This significantly helps them in planning the empirical part of the dissertation and in writing it.

 In accordance with the British educational tradition, the program includes the discipline called Ethical Problems of Psychological Counseling. It examines ethical codes of conduct for psychologists, discusses cases and ethical dilemmas, and examples of conflicts of interest.

The subject named Organizational and Legal Basis of Psychological Counseling examines the normative documents and limits of the psychologist's actions from the point of view of the law: what procedures and requirements must be followed by a psychologist working in private practice or in organizations.

In the Fundamentals of Counseling course, students are introduced to different areas of individual and family counseling: systemic family counseling, humanistic psychology, solution-oriented short-term practice, psychotechnical approach, client-centered psychotherapy by Carl Rogers, psychodrama, transactional analysis, cognitive-behavioral techniques, and others.

Training program

Disciplines: basic part

  • Actual problems of theory and practice in modern psychology
  • Personal growth and interpersonal interaction training
  • Methodological problems and methods in psychology
  • Basics of consulting work
  • Ethical issues in counseling
  • Clinical psychology and pathopsychology
  • Psychological foundations of personnel management
  • Qualitative and quantitative research methods
  • Academic writing for psychologists
  • Statistical methods in psychology

Variable part

  • Psychology of family relations
  • Basics of psychological training
  • Individual and family psychological counseling
  • Organizational and legal basis of psychological counseling
  • Management psychology
  • Organizational psychology

Optional courses

  • Organizational consulting
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of programs and projects
  • Career guidance counseling
  • Psychology of decision-making



I consulted as a coach before entering Shaninka, but the higher education diploma in psychology gave me the opportunity and confidence to work as a psychologist and help people even more professionally. I acquired the skills of psychological counseling, the skills of conducting psychological testing, and the internship in therapeutic groups and in the psychological center on Belorusskaya, with which I still cooperate, was very valuable.
Ekaterina Shiryaeva, private psychological practice ‘Practice’

Internships

During the training, students pass three internships:
1. an internship on the development of skills and abilities
2. pre-graduate internship
3. scientific-research internship.

For the past two years, students have been practicing in a project commissioned by the Moscow Department of social protection. They assist experienced leaders in groups for the prevention of psychological burnout in social workers and get real work experience. The second place of internship is the center for psychological assistance “On Belorusskaya", where students get acquainted with the methods of psychological counseling that are beyond the framework of the main curriculum.

Campus


Graduate careers

Graduates work as HR specialists, psychologists in organizations, consulting psychologists, researchers, instructors, trainers, and coaches. Many graduates become consultants with private practice and help people and organizations successfully cope with problems. In this case, our graduates can create their own work and leisure schedule and maintain an optimal work-life balance.

Places of work: social policy departments, HR departments, psychological services, non-profit organizations, psychological services in large corporations, self-employment.

Program graduates

  • help private clients to establish personal relationships, set priority goals, manage conflicts, determine their vocation, solve family problems, increase self-esteem, and motivate them to solve problems.
  • help companies to resolve conflicts in teams, increase labor motivation, change the bonus system and the structure of the social package, select employees, diagnose the state and prospects of the client organization, work with the personnel reserve, evaluate employees, influence the climate and atmosphere in the team, develop talented employees, adapt new employees.

Alumni reviews

The Shaninka population formed in my mind a clear and multi-faceted image of an empathic professional, progressive and passionate. The experience gained during training, preparation of works and internship helps school leavers (and I, it is to be hoped) to embody this image in their own person.
Gleb Kachaev, 2009 graduate, PhD in geography
The school has helped to become professionals in their field, able to improve and develop their potential independently, creatively bold, resilient. I was able to win the competition and successfully work out a long-term federal project thanks to the knowledge and skills I received at school, and the support of wonderful instructors who helped me at this critical moment (B. Yu. Shapiro, A.V. Solovyov, manager E. I. Voronkova). The principles of heuristic thinking given by E. B. Morgunov are very helpful
Zinaida Shcherbakova, 1997 graduate
After Shaninka, I changed my attitude to the notion of "education".". Having come here with a lot of knowledge, I learned how to use it in the right way and enjoy my work.
Zalina Tekoeva, 2013 graduate, Psychologist, head of the Support Department for foster families, forensic expert

Contact Us

8 (495) 150-80-94
applic@universitas.ru 

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