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Counselling
Counselling Level 4 400 Hours Advanced Certificate
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Learn About Counselling
- 400 hours approx.
- Level 4
- Accredited by ACCPH and The CMA
- No entry requirements other than a good level of English
Are you a good listener? If so, why not develop this valuable skill into a marketable qualification? Wherever you live in this big wide world of ours, counselling and life coaching are more accessible and widely sort after. Step out from the rest with this doubly accredited course.
After completing this course, you can increase your areas of expertise, by taking some of our other "specialised" counselling and psychology courses.
This course is accredited by ACCPH and allows you to join as a professional member after completion. Membership allows you to add the letters MACCPH after your name (post-nominals).
This course has been accredited by the CMA - The Complimentary Medical Association. On completion of any qualifying module, you can join as a "Fully Qualified Practitioner" and be entitled to use the post-nominal letters "MCMA" after your name. CMA Full Membership is a privileged position and the fact that you have been accepted for CMA Membership demonstrates that you have a clear commitment to standards and professionalism. CMA Members in all categories are recognised as the elite in their field.
This course will help you to develop your listening skills and enable you to help people work through life's challenges. It will be a valuable addition to your CV and almost anyone will benefit from completing the course. But it will be especially helpful if you work in or wish to work in:
- Counselling
- Psychotherapy
- Psychology
- Health Professions
- Teaching
- Caring Roles
- Life Coaching Roles
There are many online counselling courses available, but how many can give you the professional status from Day 1, that this one will?
Lessons
Course Structure: Advanced Certificate in Counselling
There are two compulsory modules and two elective modules from a choice of nine. Please click on the links to see a detailed breakdown of what you will learn in each module:
The following modules are compulsory.
1 Counselling Techniques BPS206
Develop your repertoire of counselling techniques. Which theories have had a lasting affect on modern counselling and psychotherapy? Which techniques are best suited to different situations? Learn about the major theoretical approaches to counselling and their application. This course does not recommend one technique over another - it makes the student aware of different therapies that can be used to help clients. This is an indispensible part of training or professional development for counsellors. More....
Learn how to encourage others to achieve maximal well-being. This course will enable people in health, fitness, counselling, social work, etc to help others set and achieve life goals. Develop an appreciation of how different perceptions of the world can be just as critical as knowledge, skill and opportunity in a person's success or failure. Also covers coaching processes, coaching skills and goal setting; and is equally relevant to developing both physical and psychological well-being in the client. More....
Then choose two from the nine modules below:
1 Caring for Elderly People BPS212
Learn how to care for elderly people and improve your counselling skills. The course material covers international standards of care. Understand how to counsel the elderly and those suffering from dementia and other diseases. Learn what happens to a person's state of mind as they age. Discover ways in which a counselor, carer or anyone else might interact with and support an older person and expand your knowledge and skills for professional development; or to better help those around you. More....
2 Bereavement and Grief Counselling BPS209
Learn to help and understand people suffering with grief. For those suffering the challenges of grief can be a very difficult and challenging time.
Observing someone suffering from grief and being unable to help them can be equally distressing. More....
Learn strategies to manage conflict effectively. Age conflict can destroy relationships and lead to increased stress, or it can improve our relationships and give us a greater sense of control over ourselves and our environments. Explore the causes and effects of conflict. Learn how to manage it through effective communication, active listening, and problem solving. Develop your ability to use facilitation, negotiation or mediation in group situations to achieve win-win solutions. More....
Gain basic counselling skills. Develop your ability to support or counsel others through the processes of personal growth and change. This course introduces you to the kinds of problems and issues that a person might face in overcoming stresses and limiting attitudes. Learn about the counsellor's role and the counselling process, and gain basic practical counselling skills. Recommended for parents, teachers and others who want to communicate in a more supportive, empathetic manner. More....
5 Counselling Skills II BPS110
Enhance your existing counselling skills. Discover how to use counselling micro-skills including methods of telephone counselling and techniques for dealing with specific crisis situations - to improve your counselling. This course is ideal for those who have already gained the basic counselling skills in Counselling Skills I, and want to further develop their ability to counsel others. More....
6 Crisis Counselling BPS304
Learn to effectively counsel clients in times of crisis. This course will help you to develop your ability to effectively counsel and assist clients in times of crisis. This course provides those already in the counselling or helping industries with knowledge and skills to give specialised counselling, and will contribute to comprehensive counselling training for those wishing to work in this field. More....
Develop a better understanding of family Dynamics. Learn to understand family problems better and analyze and facilitate solutions to problems that emerge in modern families. More....
8 Relationships & Communication Counselling BPS208
Understand communication problems in relationships. In this course, you will learn about the role communication plays in creating, maintaining or destroying relationships, and develop your ability to assist others to improve their communication in relationships. More....
Learn to manage stress successfully! Anxiety, tension, and mental and emotional strain are all common problems in modern society. This course introduces you to some practical approaches to understanding how it affects the body, dealing with the symptoms, and giving you tools to combat stress. More....
Learning Goals
Please see lesson titles for your learning goals.
Practical (Set Tasks)
Examinations
More Information
Your learning experience with ADL will not only depend on the quality of the course, but also the quality of the person teaching it. This course is taught by Iona Lister and your course fee includes unlimited tutorial support throughout. Here are Iona's credentials:
Iona Lister
Licentiate, Speech and Language Therapy, UK, Diploma in Advanced Counselling Skills.
Iona has been a clinician and manager of health services for fifteen years, and a trainer for UK-based medical charities, focusing on psychosocial issues, mental health disorders, and also the promotion of communication skills for people in helping roles. She tutors and facilitates groups via workshops and teleconferences, and now specialises in Sight Loss. As a freelance writer, she contributes regular feature articles for magazines, has written five published books, as well as published courses relating to personal development and counselling skills.
Iona has also written published books, courses and articles across a wide range of subjects, mostly in the areas of health, counselling, psychology, crafts and wildlife.
She has drawn experience from clinical and managerial experience within the NHS as well as medical and humanitarian subjects. She has been a regular feature writer and expert panel member of a national magazine for six years.
Books include: A Guide to Living with Alzheimer's Disease (and associated dementias), The Psychology of Facial Disfigurement; a Guide for Health and Social Care Professionals, When a Medical Skin Condition Affects the Way you Look; A Guide to Managing Your Future, Facing Disfigurement with Confidence, Cross Stitch: A Guide to Creativity and Success for Beginners.
Courses written include: Mental Health and Social Work, Counselling Skills, Understanding and Responding to Substance Misuse, Journalling for Personal Development, Guided Imagery, Stress Management.
Current work includes: Tutor: Courses associated with Creative Writing, Counselling Skills, Psychology, Holistic Therapy, Certified Hypnotherapist and Hypnotension Practitioner.
Facilitator of Teleconference Groups: Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Trainer (Skills for Seeing): Macular Society
Reviewer of Books/Information: Macmillan Cancer Support
Fundraiser: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Embroidery/Art Groups Facilitator, Board Member
Website Manager: The Strathcarron Project, Coordinator (Delaware & Tennessee) Human Writes.
Assessment
Assessment is based on a combination of completing all assignments and sitting for a final short one and a half hour exam, in your own location.
If you don’t cope well with exams then you may elect to undertake a project instead. This is a popular option.
In addition, most modules have a Set Task at the end of each lesson placed before the assignment. This is an opportunity to undertake practical work to help you acquire knowledge and skills and practical experience. This ADL feature is an added bonus not found at most online schools. Set Tasks are not required for assessment.
Some courses also have optional Self-Tests which are available on our online learning platform. These are not available by correspondence or by USB, and do not form part of your overall grade.
How our courses work
- Choose Your Learning Method
You choose how you would like to receive your course material, i.e., Online, USB or Correspondence. The choice is yours. You may also work on online or offline. - Tutor Allocation
Every student is assigned their own dedicated tutor who is an expert in their subject area. They provide as much or as little individual contact as you require. You can contact your tutor whenever you need – your hours are not limited. - Feedback and Assignments
Tutor Feedback is an essential component in helping you understand the subject matter. Tutor feedback is given in the form of notes written on the assignment. We encourage you to contact your Tutor where help with clarification and understanding of course material may be required.
Your assignments are located at the end of each lesson. You submit them for marking whenever you are ready. There is no time limit. - Set Tasks and Self-Tests
Most modules have a Set Task at the end of each lesson before for the assignment. This is where you get the opportunity to undertake practical work to help you acquire knowledge, skills and practical experience. Many modules also have short Self-Tests. - Exams
Once all assignments have been completed you may then elect to sit for a one and half hour exam in your own location. If you prefer not to take the exam you do have the option to undertake a project instead.
Once the exam or project part of the course is completed, your Certificate is then processed. Please allow approximately 4 weeks for this. - Design Your Own Qualification
ADL offers students the flexibility to self-design their own qualification – bundling together a combination of 100-hour modules into a qualification higher than a certificate.
Career Options
What's Included
What your tuition fees include
- All Course Material via Online, USB or Correspondence
- Assignments Marked
- Professional Tutor Feedback
- Set Tasks - Practical Exercises to help you develop skills
- Self-Tests – multiple choice questions at the end of lessons in most modules
- Unlimited Personal Tutor Support – via our student classroom
- Committed and Friendly Admin Support – vital to your success
- ADL Ebook where relevant
- All ADL Exam or Project fees (exception RHS exams)
- Qualification Certificate
- Official Transcript with assignment grades
- Student Manual
Plus FREE
- Academic Writing course (optional - 10 hours only)
- Critical Thinking course (optional - 10 hours only)
- Job Seekers Careers Guide
- Study Tips on How To Study Better
- Career Counselling by ADL Staff
- CV Writing Help, Tips and Advice