Home Study Crisis Counselling Course
"Learn more about the strategies and methods of supporting people after a crisis." I have done several counselling courses in the past and the coaching course fitted in well with the learning experiences I had encountered previously. The reading material was detailed and interesting and the feedback was detailed and constructive.
- Sarah, Life Coaching
Crises happens to everyone, and intervention can take many forms, from family helping and support strategies to professional counselling strategies aimed at helping the individual cope with crisis in ways that reduce the negative psychological, physiological and behavioural effects of trauma on that person and his or her environment.
The purpose of crisis counselling is to deal with the person’s current status by dealing with a crisis. Chronic exposure to stress or trauma can lead to mental illness. Therefore, it is important that counsellors have the skills and knowledge to help clients cope with their current stressors and trauma. Crisis counselling is not intended to provide psychotherapy or similar, but offers a short-term intervention to helps clients receive assistance, resources, stabilisation and support.
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.
Duration: 100 hours
Course Content
This course comprises of the following nine lessons:
- Understanding methods of crisis intervention
What constitutes a crisis and methods of crisis intervention?
- Ethical, professional and legal issues
Current ethical, professional and legal implications of crisis intervention.
- Dangers of crises and effective intervention
Dangers posed by crisis to the individual, the counsellor, and those around them. Determining effective modes of intervention.
- Developmental Crises
Recognising and comprehending crises from a developmental perspective.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
Symptoms, treatment options and possible outcomes of post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Violence and sexual assault
Effects of violence and sexual assault on the individual, and possible modes of intervention.
- Crisis and drug addiction
Determining the relationship between crises and drug dependence.
- Family crises
Major issues raises in family crises and appropriate methods of intervention.
- Crises and cultural issues
Cultural influences on crisis situations. What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS COURSE
Some of the activities that you will undertake as part of this course are:
- Role play a critical incident debriefing session
- Familiarise yourself with the Australian Counselling Association Code of Conduct
- Interview a counsellor from a community mental health service in your area
- View films, read or listen to stories (where possible) about personal or family crises
- Discuss post-traumatic stress disorder with a community mental health worker
- Explore physical, emotional, cognitive and social responses to sexual assault or violence
- Examine the relationship between trauma and drugs
- Interview or observe people from other cultures to identify cultural and sub-cultural responses to crises
- Explore how sub-cultural groups may require different counselling approaches
- Consider various methods of crisis intervention.
An Extract From the Course –
CASE STUDY - Law Enforcement Personnel and CISD
When we phone the emergency services, we expect to be taken seriously and our call handled competently. We expect the police to rush to our burgled home, the fire service to rush to put out the fire the ambulance to save our loved one and so on. We take these services for granted, because of the workers who perform these services.
However, these emergency service staff are routinely exposure to traumatic events and daily pressures that require them to have a certain attitude, temperament and training. Without this, they couldn’t do their jobs effectively. Sometimes the stress may become too much and the toughness they need to do their jobs can impede them seeking help for themselves.
Police officers are often reluctant to talk to outsiders and may not wish to show “weakness” to their peers or other emergency service staff or the public. Police officers may typically work alone or with a single partner, whereas the fire service or paramedics may have more of a team mentality.
Police officers deal frequently with the most violent and predatory members of society. Their job requires them to put their lives on the line and face things that the rest of us only see on our televisions or in our newspapers. They are also frequently criticised by the media, the public, judicial system and so on.
Sometimes the stresses become too much. They may experience a traumatic event, such as a homicide, violent crime against a child, brush with death, death of a partner, death of an innocent civilian, a large scale crime or so on. This can result in PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). The symptoms of this will be discussed in a later lesson.
For others, there may be no single trauma, but the cumulative effect of routine stresses. In America, two-thirds of officers involved in shootings suffer moderate or severe problems. About 70% leave the force within seven years of the incident. Police are more likely to be admitted to hospital than the general population. Twice as many officers die by suicide than those killed in the line of duty.
CISD is used within the law enforcement service. The structure usually consists of one or more mental health professionals and one or more peer debriefers (fellow officers who have trained in CISD themselves). A typical debriefing will usually take place 24 – 72 hours after a critical incident and may involve a single meeting lasting two to three hours.
You might also be interested in having a look at some of our other psychology courses - http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Psychology/CERTIFICATE-IN-COUNSELLING-Care-Professionals-VPS005-611.aspx Certificate in Counselling
http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Psychology/ABNORMAL-PSYCHOLOGY-BPS307-509.aspx Abnormal psychology
http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Psychology/COUNSELLING-SKILLS-II-BPS110-458.aspx Counselling Skills II
http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Psychology/COUNSELLING-SKILLS-l-BPS109-475.aspx Counselling Skills I
http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Psychology/COUNSELLING-TECHNIQUES-BPS206-467.aspx Counselling Techniques
http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Psychology/ADOLESCENT-PSYCHOLOGY-BPS211-583.aspx Adolescent psychology
If you would like to see our range of psychology books, please visit - http://www.acsbookshop.com/books_productcategory.aspx?id=14
For more information on the range of careers available in psychology, have a look at - http://www.thecareersguide.com/articles.aspx?category=14
We have some interesting articles on psychology and counseling at - http://www.acs.edu.au/psychol/
What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
More Information on ACS Distance Education and our courses
Who are our tutors?
Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.
Sample Course Notes
Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.
What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Enrolment” box above, then “Learning Methods.”
How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.
Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”
What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.
I don’t think this is the right course for me.
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.
You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.
If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk
Recognition and Accreditation
For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.
Who is ACS Distance Education?
If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”
