BTI's Bachelor of Counselling equips graduates with Biblically and Tiriti-informed principles to integrate knowledge, personal formation, and professional competence. This foundation enables effective, ethical, inclusive, and culturally responsive counselling practice enhancing the wellbeing of individuals, whānau, families, and communities.

Graduates of the Bachelor of Counselling will:
HEART - Formation and Disposition
1. Demonstrate cultural humility and a faith-informed professional identity marked by critical and reflective awareness, vocational clarity and purpose.
2. Relate with compassion, integrity, and openness, grounded in Christ's teaching and Tiriti-informed responsiveness.
3. Engage ethically and responsively in the ongoing formation of self as a counsellor to enhance effectiveness and faithfulness in diverse contexts and communities.

HEAD - Knowledge and Understanding
4. Apply critical, integrative knowledge of counselling theories and human development informed by Biblical perspectives and sociocultural, spiritual and historical contexts, including Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
5. Evaluate and synthesise counselling approaches for diverse contexts and clients.
6. Critically engage with emerging research, practice developments, and societal trends.

HANDS - Skills and Application
7. Establish and sustain safe, collaborative, and effective therapeutic relationships with diverse individuals, children, young people, whānau, families and communities.
8. Practice in ways that are ethically sound, trauma-informed, Tiriti informed, and aligned with professional standards and scope.
9. Demonstrate readiness for effective, accountable and adaptive professional practice in diverse counselling contexts.

Graduates may pathway into postgraduate and master's studies in a related discipline.

The personal programme of study of every candidate shall require the approval of the Academic Board. Approval will normally be granted for programmes that are in accordance with the Programme Regulations. For general provisions affecting their programme of study, students are referred to the General Academic Regulations.
1. Candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Counselling shall before enrolment have:
a. satisfied all the normal requirements for entry to the Institute.
b. demonstrated likely suitability for the counselling profession
c. met the requirements for University Entrance as stated by NZQA (or equivalent):
A minimum of 42 credits at level 3 or higher on the National Qualifications Framework including a minimum
of:
i. NCEA Level 3;
ii. 14 credits each at level 3 or higher, in three approved subjects;
iii. Literacy - 10 credits at level 2 or above, made up of:
* 5 credits in reading
* 5 credits in writing
iv. Numeracy - 10 credits at level 1 or above, made up of:
* achievement standards - specific achievement standards available through a wide range of subjects, or
* unit standards - package of three numeracy unit standards (26623, 26626, 26627 - all three required).
d. completed and submitted the ONSENT TO DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION form, enabling police vetting to occur.

Admission to the programme shall be granted or withheld upon consideration of criteria a), b) and c) together with a successful selection interview in which some evidence of self-efficacy, resilience and a commitment to personal and relational transformation has been established.
2. Admission will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the Selection Panel who will evaluate the applicant's degree of fit with criteria 1 above and evidence of likely success in study at this level. Applicants under the age of 25 years will be assessed by a Professional Lead or Head of School and another SoSP staff member.
3. For the purposes of these regulations, a course is defined as a particular subject and is identified by means of a unique course code number. Each course carries its own credit value.
4. The course of study of every candidate shall consist of 360 credit points chosen from those listed in the schedules to these regulations.
5. The programme of study for the Bachelor of Counselling must be completed within 7 years and must include the courses listed in the schedule to these regulations.
6. Supervised Practicum Experience:
Each Practicum will include at least 50 hours of supervised experience completed face-to-face and/or online in accordance with NZAC and NZCCA guidelines and the BTI counselling practicum policy. It is expected there will be also additional hours made up of participation in agency activities, group process (onsite or online), reflection, supervision, reading, record keeping and preparation. Candidates will be required to complete at a PASS grade for Practicums 1, 2 and 3. For Practicum 4, students must complete with at least a grade of GOOD to be eligible to graduate.
7. Every programme of study shall comply with the co-requisites, prerequisites and restrictions specified for each course in the schedules to these regulations.
8. In exceptional cases the Academic Board may approve a personal programme of study which does not conform to these regulations.