Expand Your Counselling Skills
This course builds on what you studied in Counselling Skills I. If you have not previously studied any counselling skills or are not familiar with counselling micro-skills, it is advisable to take our Counselling Skills II course first.
In this course counselling micro-skills are applied to a range of specific scenarios and common mental health problems like aggression, depression and dealing with grief and loss.
What this Course Covers
The course is divided into eight lessons as follows:
1. The Counselling Session: How Micro-Skills come together
2. Focus on the Present: Present experiences; Feedback; Transference; Projection; Resistance
3. Telephone Counselling: Visual v non-visual contact; Preparation; Initial contact; Use of micro-skills; Overall Process; Debriefing; Types of Problem Callers
4. Dealing with Crises: What is a crisis?; Types of crisis; Dangers of Crises; Counselor’s Responses and Intervention; Post-Traumatic Stress
5. Problem-Solving Techniques I, Aggression: Assisting the Client to Express Anger; Encouraging Change; Role-Play; Externalising Anger
6. Problem-Solving Techniques II, Depression: Counselling Depression; Blocked Anger; Referral Practice; Chronic Depression; Setting Goals; Promoting Action
7. Problem-Solving Techniques III, Grief and Loss: Loss of Relationships; Assisting the Grieving Client; Stages of Grief
8. Problem-Solving Techniques IV, Suicide: Ethics; Reasons for Suicide; Perceived Risk; Counselling Strategies; Counselling Skills; Alternative Approach
Workload
Study when, where and however much you want. For most students, the course can be completed with a total of around 100 hours of study; and a commitment close to that may be needed to achieve desired learning outcomes.
Extra Reading
The following books, available through this web site are relevant supplementary reading for this course
Counselling Handbook
Family and Relationships Counselling
Helping People Cope with Grief or Crisis
Coping Better with Negative Emotions
Assessment
Self Assessment Tests are presented throughout the course. These are essentially an automated quiz. When you undertake a "SAT" or "Self Assessment Test", you will be able to see what you got correct, and what was incorrect; and in that way, you can identify your weaknesses.
Assignments are given at the end of each lesson. You should complete this assignment, paying careful attention to follow what is asked of you. It can be just as important to learn to work to specification, as it is to learn about the topic you are studying. Graduates who develop a habit of working to specification in the field of counselling, will impress employers, and will be more efficient when self employed.
A Final Exam is offered upon satisfactory completion of all assignments. This is optional. If you choose to apply for and do this exam, you will have the possibility of obtaining a "formal credit" or "Pass Certification" for this course. A fee applies. The exam may be sat under prearranged conditions anywhere in the world. This college will award you a formal transcript, upon successful completion of the exam, as proof of your results.
Recognition and Ethics
This college is a member of the ACS Affiliates Network; a group of colleges from several countries, affiliated with each other through ACS Distance Education.. Courses are developed with input from all of these colleges, aspiring to reflect internationally accepted standards and needs.
A strict "No Plagiarism" and "No fraud" policy exists. Assignments are checked for plagiarism, and assignments will not be deemed to have been completed, if work is not your own original creation, and is found to have been copied from elsewhere. If the person doing the course is discovered to be different to the name enrolled, the enrolment and any results will be recorded as invalid and any fees paid will be forfeited.
Refund Policy
A full refund less expenses (up to 15% of fees applied) is provided to anyone wishing to withdraw from a course, within 2 weeks of enrolment. This does not apply after the first assignment has been submitted and marked; or after the two weeks has expired.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS INSTITUTION?
We believe that we have an ethical responsibility to make good use of the fees you pay and the time you invest into an education through our college. To this end, our first priority is always your learning. This comes before issues such as formal accreditations, speculative marketing and bureaucratic processes which all too often add considerable costs to the running of colleges, and take resources away from the provision of more valuable services to the student.
This college focuses on facilitating your learning and support to optimise that learning. We recognise that learning is all about improving knowledge and skills in your long term memory. While some colleges may focus on getting you to pass exams, by committing knowledge to short term memory; we understand that such an approach is not true education, and does little to improve your long term career or business prospects.
How This Course Could Help You
This course is of value to anyone with an interest in counselling & psychology who would like to take their skills to a higher level. It is useful for related mental health fields, and those wishing to work in other caring roles to develop their understanding of this field.
Study this course either in isolation or as part of a certificate or higher qualification to enhance your current skills or as a foundation towards further study.