Level 2 Certificate in Introduction to Counselling Skills

Course aims

• to acquaint students with counselling processes and experiential learning;
• to introduce students to personal growth work and an understanding of its place in counselling training;
• to raise awareness of what counselling is and what it is not, and where its use is appropriate and the basic ethics and responsibilities involved;
• to introduce students to basic counselling skills that can be used to improve their communication processes.

Course objectives

On completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate:

• increased self-awareness, both personally and professionally, especially with regard to helping relationships;
• an awareness of their own limitations and knowledge of appropriate referral resources;
• an appreciation of what professional counselling involves, including the ethics and code of practice, with an emphasis on confidentiality, professional boundaries and legal requirements;
• an awareness of the distinctiveness of the counselling relationship;
• an understanding of the basic counselling process, including the basic skills of developing trust, active listening and attending, empathy, reflecting and summarising, focusing, challenging and enabling change;
• a knowledge of anti-oppressive counselling practice and equal opportunities.

Target Candidates

The Introduction to Counselling Skills is intended for candidates who want to develop and learn initial counselling skills to support other people - either in a voluntary or an employed situation. Completion of this course will not be sufficient to work independently as a counsellor, but will equip students with a basic grounding in counselling.

People who benefit from this training include those who:

• wish for a structured journey of self-discovery;
• want to develop their understanding and skills in supporting others in either a voluntary or employed setting;
• are considering a career change and would like to train as a counsellor;
• work in health, education, or other caring professions and wish to expand their professional skills base.

Recruitment Criteria

No prior knowledge or experience is required for the Introduction to Counselling Skills course. Candidates must be at least 16 years old and possess a sufficient level of literacy and numeracy. All counselling qualifications are not suitable for those who are currently in a state of severe emotional difficulty. Prospective candidates will be asked to attend an informal interview with the tutors.

Course focus

This course is concerned with using counselling skills in helping work, which arise as part of carrying out a broad range of helping work. Helping work is differentiated from professional helping relationships, which require knowledge and skills that are more in-depth than those involved in workplace helping interactions.

The focus of concern also differs between helping work and professional helping relationships; helping work involves distress and personal concerns, whereas professional helping relationships can range in focus from difficult life events and crises, to moderate and severe mental health problems.

Using counselling skills at the level of this course often involves helping others to cope with immediate emotional distress, clarify and prioritise concerns, and accessing further support as appropriate.

The framework for counselling skills is based on the CPCAB seven process model, which reflects the processes at work when a counsellor/helper is working with a client/helpee. These are as follows:

1. working ethically and safely
2. working within the counsellor/helper role
3. working with differences and diversity between self and others
4. working with the client/helpee as the focus
5. working with self-awareness
6. working with understanding and skills
7. working in a self-reflective way

Students embarking on this course are expected to undertake an additional 1 hour of study time on top of the guided learning hours. This is an experiential and skills based course. Interaction with other course members to promote self-awareness and enhance inter-personal skills forms a major part of the course, alongside developing a theoretical knowledge base. In addition, exercises on self-reflection are prominent.

Assessment

You are expected to:

• Write a weekly learning journal
• Complete one written self review
• Conduct a peer observation of counselling skills
• Complete one internal assessment
• Complete a portfolio

Course fees

The total cost of the Introduction to Counselling Skills Course is £180. There is a payment plan available.

Please note: We recommend that students who feel that course costs may be a barrier to learning should contact the local authorities to enquire as to the possibility of financial support. We are also willing to discuss further payment options so that financial restrictions may not prove a barrier to learning.