SACAP : Bachelor of Social Science Honours (Psychology)|BEP

SACAP : Bachelor of Social Science Honours (Psychology)|BEP

SACAP’s BPsych Equivalent Programme is an 18-month programme that incorporates an Honours degree in psychology and leads to professional registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as a Registered Counsellor.

The programme has all academic elements of an honours degree in psychology as well as the professional training requirements necessary for Registered Counsellor status including an integrated practicum.
SACAP’s unique educational philosophy and facilitated learning style ensures that you will build the core competencies needed for the work of a Registered Counsellor in South Africa.

At a Glance

Is this course for me?

This degree is aimed at candidates who have completed a three-year undergraduate degree with psychology as a major and want to become Registered Counsellors.
If you say “yes” to any of the following points, then the BPsych Equivalent Programme could just be the perfect fit for you.
Do you want a qualification that?

• Is an Honours degree that has professional recognition from the HPCSA and enables you to write the board exam to become a Registered Counsellor?  
• Will prepare you for the Scope of Practice of a Registered Counsellor and enable you to work as a Registered Counsellor?
• Will provide you with the opportunity to conduct community based research, under the supervision of a professional, in your area of interest?
• Will prepare you for a research or professional Masters degree in psychology?

What will I learn?

During SACAP’s BPsych Equivalent Programme you will develop high levels of theoretical engagement and intellectual autonomy that leads to robust theoretical understanding in the following areas:

• What it means to be a Registered Counsellor with a focus on the unique Scope of Practice of a Registered Counsellor;
• Psychological screening, basic assessment and psychological interventions aimed at enhancing personal functioning in a variety of contexts;
• How to provide psychological interventions with individuals and groups;
• How to promote mental health through developing and presenting life skills training and psychoeducation workshops;
• How to evaluate and apply best fit research design, methodology and analysis for community based research;
• Diversity and cross-cultural dynamics in the South African context; and
• The ethical rules, regulations, guidelines and policies that govern the profession of psychology in South Africa.

What can I do with this qualification?

You will be able to register professionally with the HPCSA and work in professional practice as a Registered Counsellor. This means that you can:

• Provide psychological services that are focused on prevention and primary intervention for psychological difficulties in diverse community contexts as well as promotion of mental health;
• Perform psychological screening, basic assessment and psychological interventions with individuals and groups, aimed at enhancing personal functioning;
• Provide preventative and developmental counselling services for individuals and groups; and
• Provide psychoeducation and mental health promotion on a range of topics.

What further study pathways are open to me?

• SACAP’s BPsych Equivalent Programme provides multiple academic pathways for Master’s degree studies in psychology both nationally and internationally, including becoming a psychologist.

Selection process

SACAP has a limited intake of 15 students per campus per year into this programme. Acceptance into this programme is subject to a selection process that includes:

• Round one: Paper application – meeting the minimum entrance requirements.
• Round two: Group interview.
• Round three: Individual panel interview.

Minimum entrance requirements

Applicants are required to hold a minimum of an undergraduate degree (NQF Level 7) with a psychology major and with a grade point average of 65% and above.