Certificate in Counselling

Skills

 

A one-year, part-time course (foundation or stand-alone)

 

Aims of the course

1. To learn the basic counselling skills of actively listening,

paraphrasing, mirroring, reflecting back, listening and

responding in order to facilitate client's own problem solving

and development.

 

2. To undertake self-exploration and development in order to foster attitudes that

will facilitate the aims in #1.

 

3. To learn some basic counselling skills theory in order to provide a framework for the

choice of actions and to learn some basic developmental theory based on

psychodynamic ideas.

 

4. To learn the importance of boundary setting in using counselling skills.

 

5. To develop an understanding of the difference between using counselling skills

and other helping activities.

 

6. To recognise the impact of how belonging to a different social group or family group

affects individual development.

 

7. To be aware of working and living in a multicultural society where issues of differences

are acknowledged and worked with.

 

8. To understand ethical issues and to work within the BACP Codes of Ethics

Course outline

 

The theoretical components of the course will be presented as lecture, video, discussion papers and reading material. The experiential elements, 'learning by doing', will include exercises, role-plays, working in pairs, threesomes and working on/by yourself.

 

Topics covered

 

Your seminar leader will provide you with a reading list and a term by term programme which you may be asked to contribute towards shaping.

 

Term One

Basic counselling skills of active listening, responding, empathy etc which will be explored

and practised until students are able to use such skills without having to be consciously

aware of their efforts

The nature of counselling and how it differs from other forms of work

'Helping' and how it can be unhelpful and why students are interested in counselling

others

Ourselves, our values and our prejudices which may influence how we respond to others.

Clients and what they may bring to the counselling relationship and how they may resist

and challenge

Cultural or other differences between ourselves and our clients and how a counsellor

recognises and respects these differences.

Term Two

Human growth and development beginning with life in the womb early infancy and issues

of trust and dependency - the work of D.W.Winnicott

The toddler with issues of control and authority

Early childhood with issues of sexuality and rivalry

Attachment, separation and loss - the work of John Bowlby

Middle childhood and the school years

Adolescence-a time of transition

Adulthood-parenting and the world of work

Mid-life- looking forward or looking back?

Old age-issues of aging

Death and dying-bereavement and stages of grief.

Term Three

Clients and the groups they belong to, such as the family, and the influences of group

on the individual - group theory

Beginnings - the first session, setting a contract, money issues

The middle phase of counselling - resistance and defences

Working with the counselling relationship and how it is 'dynamic' and changes

The importance of breaks and endings and how counsellors work with this

The importance of supervision and how it works

Evaluation and ending of the course.

Seminars

 

Seminars take place in the first part of the evening for an hour and a half.

 

Students will be expected to take part in experiential exercises and to take turns to present a pracis of a set piece of reading for a particular discussion.

 

 

 

Experiential group

 

The second part of the evening students meet with the experiential group conductor for an hour and a half.

 

The purpose of the group is to explore what is of concern to individual members and the group as a whole in the here and now. It is part of the group's task to identify these concerns and discover how to work with them with the help of the group conductor. This work provides a source of learning about oneself and about group dynamics.

 

The work of the group and the material revealed by individuals is strictly confidential to the group.

 

The experiential group leader may give an opinion about a student to the Course Tutor/ Training Coordinator if it is felt that it would be helpful to do so but will not reveal personal material.

 

As with seminars, regular attendance is very important and a requirement of the course.

 

Students are asked to send a message to the group via the experiential group conductor if they are unavoidably absent.

 

How to Apply

Certificate in Counselling skills application form [print-friendly version]

Return your completed application form to:

 

John Goodchild, Training Coordinator
Enfield Counselling Service (ECS)
St Paul's Centre
102a Church Street
Enfield
Middlesex.
EN2 6AR
Email: ecs@onetel.com

 

 

 

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