Home Study Professional Counselling Practice Course
A valuable course for people interested in pursuing a career in counselling or wishing to set up their own practice.
Course Duration: 100 hours
Course Structure
The course is divided into seven lessons as follows:
Understanding Counselling:
The client-counsellor relationship
Effective counselling
Counselling the counsellor
Counsellor’s values
Multicultural counselling
Ethics & Confidentiality:
Needs
A code of ethics
Informed consent
Right to privacy
Legal requirements
Use of psychometric tests
Ethics and multiple relationships
Keeping records.
Understanding the Self:
Self-awareness
Self-monitoring
Self-concept
Social Perception
Attribution theory
Implicit personality theory
Relationships
Social exchange
Love and intimacy.
Personality:
What is a healthy personality?
Trait approach
Psychodynamic approach
Humanistic approach
Social learning and cognitive approaches.
Emotions & Behaviour:
What are emotions?
Emotions and Counselling
Effect on communication
Aspects of emotions
Emotional expression and counselling.
Supervision:
Why supervision?
Working with others
Quantity and effectiveness of supervision
Personal counselling
Dependency
Types of supervision.
Referral Practice:
Counselling v mental health issues
Secondary care counsellors
Abnormal psychology
Anxiety
Depression
Schizophrenia
Personality disorders
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
Explain why a counsellor needs to be open to personal growth.
Discuss personal qualities that are beneficial to a counsellor.
Discuss how the counselling of a counsellor can be of benefit to their personal effectiveness’
Describe how a counsellor’s own values can impose on the counselling process’
Outline the importance of an ongoing education and an awareness of other cultures.
Demonstrate an awareness of other useful counselling qualities.
Discuss the importance of having a ‘code of ethics’ in counselling.
Describe what is meant by ‘informed consent’.
Discuss the extent to which the client has a ‘right to privacy’.
Understand when and how psychometric tests may be used.
Describe how to keep client records.
Discuss how the counsellor’s own sense of self-awareness can affect the counselling process.
Describe how self-perception can influence identity, roles and self-actualisation.
Define schemas, scripts, and attributions and their influence on social-perception.
Discuss the effect of attractiveness, closeness and similarity on relationships.
Discuss the effect of different levels of self-disclosure on the counselling relationship.
Describe symptoms of relationship breakdown.
Define a ‘healthy personality’.
Discuss the effect of nature and nurture on personality.
Describe the use of 2 different personality tests.
Compare and contrast 2 different approaches to personality and their application to the counselling process.
Discuss what is meant by emotions.
Describe the effect of emotions on communications.
Define different aspects of emotions including: physiology, cognition and behaviour.
Demonstrate ways in which emotional expression can affect the counselling process.
Discuss different methods of supervision of counsellors.
Describe how dependency can evolve in the counselling process.
Discuss the importance of upgrading skills and ongoing supervision.
Outline methods of observation used in supervision.
Discuss the counsellor’s responsibility to the client.
Explain what might be considered as abnormal.
Define symptoms of commonly encountered disorders
It is assumed that students will have some previous experience of psychology, particularly our Introduction to Psychology course - details of which can be found at -
http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Psychology/INTRODUCTION-TO-PSYCHOLOGY-BPS101-359.aspx
Perhaps you already have some psychological knowledge, then an introduction to counselling might be useful. We offer a range of psychology and counselling courses, the following may be of particular interest -
Certificate in Counselling - http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Psychology/CERTIFICATE-IN-COUNSELLING-Care-Professionals-VPS005-611.aspx
Counselling Skills I is another useful qualification for the trainee counsellor - http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Psychology/COUNSELLING-SKILLS-l-BPS109-475.aspx
If you're not sure whether a career in counselling and psychology is for you, you can obtain further information from visiting our careers guide at -
http://www.thecareersguide.com/articles.aspx?category=14
Or maybe you might consider a career in life coaching. Visit http://www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/Health-Fitness-and-Recreation/CERTIFICATE-IN-LIFE-COACHING-564.aspx
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.”
Distance Learning Counselling Practice Course
Learn appropriate practices and procedures in the counselling profession.
Study professional practice in counselling in your own home in your own time.
Study at your own pace.
Learn from the experts – our tutors!
Understand the underlying theories and practices in counselling.
Do you work in counselling? Are you thinking of setting up your own professional practice? This is the course for you. It will help you to develop your understanding of appropriate practices and procedures within the counselling profession. Students will also gain knowledge of the self, personality and emotions and their effect on the counselling process as well as being introduced to some of the most common disorders. It also covers personal growth, psychometric testing, referral procedures and more.....
Pre-requisites: It is assumed anyone undertaking this course will already have a basic grounding in psychology and counselling, at least equivalent to the “Introduction to Psychology” course offered through this school.
