Course Structure: Proficiency Certificate in Counselling Skills

Counselling Skills I

There are 8 lessons:

1  Learning specific skills:

• What is Counselling
• Perceptions of Counselling
• Differences between Counsellors, Psychotherapists, Clinical Psychologists and Psychiatrists
• Counselling Theories
• Empathy
• Transferrence
• Directiveness, non directiveness
• Behavioural Therapies
• Systematic Desensitisation
• Positive Reinforcement and Extinction
• Goals of Psychoanalytical Approach
• Defense Mechanisms (Repression, Displacement, Rationalisation, Projection, Reaction Formulation, Intellectualisation, Denial, Sublimation)
• Use of Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy
• Psychoanalytic Techniques
• Analytic Framework
• Free Associations
• Interpretation
• Dream Analysis
• Resistance & Transferance
• Humaniustic Therapy
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of Therapies and Counsellors
• Case Studies
• Methods of Learning
• Micro Skills
• Triads
• Modelling
• Online and Telephone Counselling
• Telemental Health
• Clinical Considerations

2  Listening & bonding:

• Scope of Listening and Bonding
• Meeting and greeting
• Creating a Safe Environment
• Location
• Time and Duration of Sessions
• Privacy in Telephone and online counselling
• Showing warmth on the phone
• The contract
• Helping the client relax
• Listening with intent
• Minimal Responses
• Non Verbal Behaviour
• Use of Voice
• Use of Silense
• Case Studies
• Active Listening
• Dealing with Silent Phone Calls

3  Reflection:

• Non Directive Counselling
• Paraphrasing
• Feelings
• Reflection of Feeling
• Client Responses to Reflection of Feelings
• Reflection of Content and Feeling
• Case Studies

4  Questioning:

• Open & Closed Questions
• Other types of Questions (Linear, Information seeking, Strategic, Reflectivew, Clarification, etc)
• Questions to Avoid
• Goals of Questioning
• Identification
• Assessment
• Intervention
• Case Studies

5  Interview techniques:

• Summarising
• Application
• Confrontation
• Reframing
• Case Studies
• Perspective
• Summary

6  Changing beliefs and normalising:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Changing Self-Destructive Beliefs
• Irrational Beliefs
• Normalising
• Case Studies
• Designing a Questionnaire

7  Finding solutions:

• Moving Forward
• Choices (Reviewing, Creating, Making choices)
• Facilitating Actions
• Gestalt Awareness Circle
• Psychological Blocks
• Case Study

8  Ending the counselling:

• Terminating the session
• Closure
• Further Meetings
• Dependency
• Confronting Dependency
• Chronic Callers
• Terminating Silent Phone Calls
• Silent Endings
• Case Study
• Other Services

Counselling Skills II

There are 8 lessons:

1  The Counselling Session:

• How micro-skills come together

2  Focus on the Present:

• Present experiences
• Feedback;
• Transference
• Projection
• Resistance

3  Telephone Counselling:

• Non-visual contact
• Preparation
• Initial contact
• Use of micro-skills
• Overall process
• Debriefing
• Types of problem callers

4  Dealing with Crises:

• Defining crisis
• Types of crisis
• Dangers of crisis
• Counsellor’s responses and intervention
• Post-traumatic stress

5  Problem-Solving Techniques I:

• Aggression
• Expressing anger
• Encouraging change
• Role-play
• Externalising anger

6  Problem-Solving Techniques II:

• Depression
• Blocked anger
• Referral practice
• Chronic depression
• Setting goals
• Promoting action

7  Problem-Solving Techniques III:

• Grief and Loss – loss of relationships
• Children and grief
• Stages of grief 

8  Problem-Solving Techniques IV:

• Suicide – ethics; reasons for suicide
• Perceived risk
• Counselling strategies
• Alternative approach

Learning Goals: Proficiency Certificate in Counselling Skills

1. Explain the processes involved in the training of counsellors in micro skills.
2. Explain how to commence the counselling process and evaluation of non-verbal responses and minimal responses.
3. Discuss both content and feeling, and their appropriateness to the counselling process.
4. Demonstrate different questioning techniques and to understand risks involved with some types of questioning.
5. Demonstrate how to use various micro-skills including summarising, confrontation, and re-framing.
6. Demonstrate self-destructive beliefs and show methods of challenging them, including normalising.
7. Explain how counselling a client can improve their psychological well-being through making choices, overcoming psychological blocks and facilitating actions.
8. Demonstrate effective ways of terminating a counselling session and to explain ways of addressing dependency.
9. Demonstrate the application of micro skills to different stages of the counselling process.
10. Role-play the dynamics of the counselling process including such phenomenon as present experiences, feedback, transference, counter-transference, projection and resistance.
11. Demonstrate telephone counselling techniques.
12. Develop appropriate responses to crises, both emotional and practical.
13. Show ways of encouraging the client to deal with aggression.
14. Demonstrate different ways of encouraging the client to cope with depression.
15. Discuss strategies for dealing with grief.
16. Develop different strategies of helping suicidal clients.

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:
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 alslo 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.

Her 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

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.

General

Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning?
A. Here at ADL, our students are our priority – we treat everyone as a unique individual.

Q. Do I need to buy text books?
A. No, as each module has been written by highly qualified industry professionals. The content of the material is presented in such a way that text books are not required. However, if you require additional reading your tutor will be able to supply a list.

Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby, move house, etc)
A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.

Q. Is there an age limit?
A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however, have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.

Q. Are your courses up-to date?
A. Our courses are revised and updated on a rotation system.

Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy?
A. Yes. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.

Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students?
A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.

Enrolment

Q. When can I enrol/start?
A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.

Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world?
A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.

Q. How long do I have to complete the course?
A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you.

Q. Completing a 100 hour module – how long will it take?
A. For some students a 100 hour module will take approximately to 3- 6 months to complete. Others take less time and some even longer.

Assessment

Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.

Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do?
A. You may elect to undertake a Project (set by your tutor) instead of sitting the exam. Projects are completed from your home and can usually take a couple of weeks to complete.

Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work?
A. Yes –

Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.

Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.

Qualifications

Q. What qualification will I receive?
A. For individual modules, you would be awarded a Certificate endorsed by TQUK (Training Qualifications, UK), providing you complete all assignments and the exam. If you just want to complete only the assignments and not sit for the exam or finish a Project, then a Letter of Achievement would be awarded. For more details on qualifications available please click here.

Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification?
A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.

Q. What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript?
A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.

Tutors

Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.

Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.

Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.

This course is ideal if you work in or wish to work in:

• Counselling
• Psychotherapy
• Psychology
• Health Professions
• Teaching
• Caring Roles
• Life Coaching Roles