Adolescence is a time between being a child and being an adult.  Over this time, there are many physical and psychological changes (eg. in relation to sexuality, physiology, emotions, moral perception, self-esteem, etc).  Adolescence can be difficult both for the adolescent, and for people interacting with them (family, friends, professionals etc). morally during the adolescent period. Adolescence and the idea of teenagers is a relatively new concept. Prior to education for all, people were adults or children. However, since the 1950s, the idea of a teenager has developed. 

This course offers opportunity to understand these changes, and consider options for dealing with the adolescent, whether as a professional, or even simply as a friend or parent.

In understanding animal behaviour, we extend our basis for understanding human behaviour, and as such, the course may also be valuable for anyone studying general psychology.                   Comment from a student:  ".. well written and explained, any queries i had were answered quickly, and the staff to be very friendly and helpful..... invaluable. I am a little sad it is near the end as i have enjoyed the whole course"   S. Crosbie Ross

Understand Biopsychology

What is Biopsychology?

This is the study of how the anatomical and physiological characteristics of a person affects their psychology.
The "state of mind" is affected by physical characteristics.
At different stages in a child's development (adult also), aspects of the bodies physical nature will change, and the nature of a person's psychology will also change in response to those changes. Injuries, illnesses, or abnormal physical development can all have affects upon a person's psychology as well.

Who needs to understand Biopsychology?
Anyone who deals with people will enhance their understanding of the people they deal with through an understanding of biopsychology.
People involved in welfare services, counselling and child services (eg. Teachers, Youth Leaders etc) in particular can find a greater understanding of this subject to be very useful)Develop your ability to comprehend the way in which a person’s state of mind influences their physical body; and the way in which their physical body affects their state of mind.

Graduate Comment: "I thoroughly enjoyed the course and found ACS to be wonderful in all aspects"  D. Kenyon, ACS Biopsychology student

This course builds on the foundation of Biopsychology I to give you a deeper understanding of the influence of biology, in particular, the influence of the brain, on human behaviour.

Excessive stress for an extended period at first will cause unpleasant feelings, but in due course, it can cause physical damage to the body, fatigue, and in extreme situations, ultimately death. Excessive stress that causes physical damage has been called dystress (by Syle). The Greek prefix “dys” means bad. Dystress literally means “bad stress”. Some stress is both inevitable, and in some respects, desirable. Dystress (or distress), however, is not desirable.

There are damaging effects to the human body caused by constant stress. Changes in the physiological processes that alter resistance to disease (e.g. blood chemistry changes) and pathological changes (e.g. organ system break down and ulcers) are both manifestations of stress. The body’s defence mechanisms may be affected both directly and indirectly (by promoting behaviours that weaken these mechanisms or that lead to exposure to pathogens).

Modern humans with their new technology, do less physical work, stimulate themselves when tired (television, food, alcohol), and eat when they are not hungry, etc. This actually goes against all natural feelings "signals from the brain". Humans are actually depriving themselves, and this is a major psychosocial cause of stress. Another psychosocial cause of stress is "adaption" overload where people are being faced by constant or rapid change whether it be social, cultural, technological, etc.

This certificate is designed for people working with children or teenagers; or interested in a pursuing a career of working with youth.

Many mothers would no doubt like to know exactly what maternal actions and attitudes willelicit a healthy degree of attachment in their children. Psychologists know that the failure to develop a healthy attachment to the caregiver can lead to all sorts of problems; amongst others it can lead to cognitive deficiencies, delinquency and anti social behaviour

The type of relationship we develop as an infant can continue to affect our relationships in the future. Many of the most successful psychotherapists base their methods of counselling on this belief. People become stuck in the same pattern of relating to others. Often this pattern was established in very early childhood, before our conscious memory.

It is designed to provide a foundation for understanding the mind of a child and the way it changes and develops as they grow toward adolescence and eventually adulthood

A foundation certificate, aimed at people working or looking to work in care or health care services. This course can also be used as a first step toward our Diploma in Counselling and Psychology. 

What is Counselling?

Many people go through times when they find their lives overwhelming or distressing. This may be due to bereavement, illness, family crisis, relationship breakdown and so on. They may find it hard to cope or not have the resources to deal with the problem. Counselling can help them to retain their self-sufficiency, build better relationships and help them to make and act on their choices. Before moving on to specific skills, it is important to just repeat what counselling is.

Counselling means different things to different people. It is not a get well quick option, offering quick answers, but is asking the person to engage in a process and an exploration. There are many definitions of counselling. A simple version is that counselling is a working relationship where the client is helped to manage what is happening in their life and to explore their life. It is a form of psychological or talking therapy that offers people the ability to change how they live and feel. The aim of counselling is to provide the client with a more satisfying experience of life. Everyone has different needs, so counselling can be concerned with many different aspects of a person’s life.

A life coach can become a confidante, helping the client determine what is important, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and ascertain where they want to be in six months, a year, ten years. Life coaching involves assisting the client set personal and professional goals and establishing a workable strategy to attain them within a given time frame. For clients, a life coach can provide a life-changing experience, an invaluable opportunity to take control over their lives and fulfil their dreams.

This Certificate is designed for people who already have some relevant knowledge, but need to broaden the scope and depth of their knowledge in order to be able to provide more holistic support to clients in helping them develop a better state of wellbeing and balance in their lives.

You may or may not be a graduate of another course at certificate, diploma or even degree level; or this may be your first formal qualification.

Childhood is a time of rapid change. Anyone who has seen children grow and develop will have observed how much they change and the many changes that do occur. The Child Psychology course looks to develop an understanding of  how children think, and how their psychology changes as they develop. This course will be of value to anyone who works OR lives with children (e.g. parents, play leaders, teachers, etc).

Temperament - Nature or Nurture

Most adults have witnessed the considerable differences in temperament between different new born babies. Some babies seem to cry or become irritable at the slightest provocation, causing many sleepless nights for parents. Others seem much more amiable, always smiling and hardly ever crying. Many mothers tell you that they have raised both types. Is this evidence of an inborn hereditary personality trait; or is it merely coincidence?

Maternal Behaviour and Attachment Formation

Many mothers would no doubt like to know exactly what maternal actions and attitudes will elicit a healthy degree of attachment in their children. Psychologists know that the failure to develop a healthy attachment to the caregiver can lead to all sorts of problems; amongst others it can lead to cognitive deficiencies, delinquency and anti social behaviour

The type of relationship we develop as an infant can continue to affect our relationships in the future. Many of the most successful psychotherapists base their methods of counselling on this belief. People become stuck in the same pattern of relating to others. Often this pattern was established in very early childhood, before our conscious memory.

These are just two areas that are studied within the course.

Conflict is destructive when it:

• diverts energy away from important work or other issues (consider, much scientific and social progress has been made during war times. This is not to say that war is good, but that conflict can encourage progressive thought and action)
• destroys morale
• polarises groups
• deepens differences in values
• produces violence

Conflict is constructive when it:

•  opens up and clarifies important issues and helps solve them
•  increases involvement of individuals in important issues
•  makes communication more authentic
•  releases pent-up emotion, stress or anxiety
•  helps build group cohesiveness
•  helps individual growth, provided there is reflection on the conflict

Many people use counselling skills in their daily lives. However, sometimes it may be inappropriate for people to use their usual methods of support. They may not want to discuss their problems with a friend or family member. They may feel that the person is too close, that they don’t want them to know their confidential problems or the person they would usually confide in might be part of the problem. Counsellors are trained to be effective helpers in difficult or sensitive situations. They should be independent, neutral and professional, as well as respecting our privacy. Counselling can help people to clarify their problems, identify changes they would like to make, get a fresh perspective, consider other options and look at the impact that life events have made on their emotional wellbeing.

Develop an understanding of the basic practical skills used in counselling and how to apply these skills to the counselling process. Completion of this course will equip to conduct a counselling session.  Pre-requisite    "Introduction to Psychology"

Develop your understanding of most of the major theoretical approaches to counselling and their application to the counselling process. The course does not adopt a particular stance but provides an overview and awareness of different types of therapy.  

Course Aim: "Explain the key principles and applications of differeht theoretical approaches to counselling and psychotherapy, including the theories of Freud, Erikson, Adler, Ellis, Rogers, Beck, and others".     Pre-requisite: Introduction to Psychology

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.

This course is an exceptionally solid foundation for a career in counselling.

• 1500 hours, 15 modules including practical component
• Prepares the student for real-life counselling situations.
• Exceptional tutors (Experienced and highly qualified psychologists and counsellors from the UK and Australia)
• An internationally endorsed qualification, recognised formally by the Australian Counselling Association.
• Provides 50% credit toward our degree level program click for details

Before we submerge ourselves in the theories of development and learning, it is perhaps a good idea to try and explain what educational psychology is. From a literal standpoint, we could argue that the study of learners, learning and teaching, is all subsumed under the heading ‘educational psychology’. For those who wish to adopt the principles of educational psychology in an educational setting, this definition can be expanded to include the knowledge, wisdom and everyday theory that every teacher requires in order to resolve the dilemmas that occur teaching on a daily basis.

Although there are no hard and fast rules to becoming a good teacher, good teaching practice can be learnt. Teachers need to engage in critical thinking if they are to keep abreast of teaching. That is they need to be systematically identifying problems, exploring the evidence, and finding the answer. In addition, those teachers who are constantly checking their teaching practices and attending seminars on the latest principles will make more effective teachers.

Whatever your reason for studying educational psychology, it is necessary to understand the basic principles which underlie the theories involved. This course will give you a good insight into the theories and practice of Educational Psychology.  Why do we remember some things and not others? How can a person's behaviour be influenced? (or can't it). This course will benefit:

• teachers, training officers, anyone working in education
• welfare workers, counsellors, recreation officers 
• supervisors and managers
• parents and anyone else dealing with children

What is grief, why is it usually healthy and normal, and how can you help someone suffering grief?

Everyone suffers grief at some stage; and for some helping others deal with grief can be a significant part of their job.

Grief is either uncomplicated – “normal” grief or complicated. This is the reaction of a loved one to loss. Some grieving individuals may display symptoms that are characteristic of a Major Depressive Episode eg. Sadness, insomnia, poor appetite, weight loss. The bereaved person may think the depressed mood is “normal”, but others may seek professional help for the attendant symptoms, such as insomnia. The duration and expression of “normal” bereavement varies among different cultural groups.

This course provides a sound basis for understandsing and working with grief, as a counsellor or in any other capacity where such an understanding is required.

What is psychology ? You might not be sure about what exactly psychology is. Psychology is a science. It is the study of human and animal behaviour. Some say the study of mind or the brain. Whilst others consider it to be the study of personality. Psychology considers what motivates people to do what they do.

BUT IT’S ALL COMMON SENSE ISN’T IT?

Many people argue that psychology is just common sense. Many people will say things like someone behaves like this because of that – we are all “armchair psychologists”. But how do we know that what we are saying is correct? This is the starting point that psychologists use when studying human behaviour. An example of common sense being not so ‘common’ is the murder of Kitty Genovese. She was stabbed to death in the middle of a busy residential area of New York. Thirty-eight witnesses saw the attack and none of them did anything to intervene, not even to phone the police. Why? The common sense answer might be that they thought someone else had or would intervene, or that the witnesses didn’t care.

Darley and Latane (1968) carried out research into why the witnesses did nothing. They arranged for students to discuss personal problems over an intercom. Only one actual student was involved the others were confederates (i.e. working with the researchers, pretending to be students). During the conversations, a confederate would appear to have an epileptic seizure. If the real student thought that five other people were also listening to this person have a seizure, it took them three times as long to react as if they thought there were only two people in the discussion. This suggests that in emergency situations, if we think lots of other people are involved, we may be less likely to do anything – we think someone else will. This is called bystander apathy.

This course will develop your ability to analyse aspects of a persons psychological state and apply derived knowledge to motivate that person. This provides a solid introduction/foundation for further studies of psychology covering such things as the nature and scope of psychology, neurological and environmental effects on behaviour, personality, consciousness, perception, needs, drives and motivation.

Life coaching is a rewarding and fulfilling career.  This course will teach you how to help others. Support them to lose weight, be promoted, find a new career, resolve difficult problems. It will enable people in health, fitness, counselling, social work and other professions to help others set and achieve life goals. Develop your skills in setting and achieving goals, not only for yourself but for those who seek your assistance. Some students who have prior experience or training in a related field such as health, fitness, counselling, social work, psychology or naturopathy. 

ACS is now an organisational member (OMAC) of the Association for Coaching (UK)

Parents act as role models for their children when they take them shopping (coshopping).  During coshopping children learn about budgeting, pricing, selecting products as well as more complex skills such as understanding value for money. Children can also exert influence on their parents during coshopping and this is of particular interest to marketeers. Teenage children may act as role models for their parents at times, particularly over the purchase of products that did not exist during their parents’ youth. Also, adult children will often have an important influence on their aged parents’ consumer behaviour. It can be seen that socialisation is a complex process and it is further complicated by the fact that children and teenagers are a potent buying force in their own right.

Why do people buy?

How can you capture the buyer's attention, and influence their choices?

Understanding these things can be the difference between success and failure in business.

Find about all this and more with this course!

This is an invaluable course for anyone working in marketing, sales or running their own small business.  It is also of interest to anyone who wishes to pursue a career within market psychology.

When people of diverse cultural backgrounds interact the result may be either positive or negative.  

Awareness of cultural differences is essential to the success of any multi cultural relationship. Whether business, political or personal; the first step toward success is to understand the way the other person thinks.

This course will be valuable for anyone needing to understand the psychology of different cultures and the interaction between persons from different cultural backgrounds. 

How is a person’s psychology is affected by anatomical and physiological characteristics of their nervous system?

The nervous system allows humans to adapt to changes. Changes can occur inside (e.g. too little oxygen while running) or outside (e.g. the anticipation of food or the chill of a winter wind). The nervous system will perceive the change and will take actions to adjust to it. The nervous system is rather like the look-out on a river boat - it monitors conditions and gives warnings when something unusual or dangerous is ahead. Once the warning is received, the body is able to take steps to avoid or correct the situation. The nervous system has to be highly complex to be able to perform such sophisticated services.

Until the late 1800’s, scientists did not know if the nervous system was made up vast networks of connected nerve cells, or whether the cells were separate. We now know that they are, and that they carry out their enormous task of keeping the body alive and functioning, and our minds working, by means of chains of action. The human brain is estimated to have around 100 billion nerve cells working to help create apparently seamless and integrated action, thought, and body function. To understand how they interact, we must learn about their individual structure and behaviours.

This course provides a different perspective on psychology; with insights into how many psychological  disorders can be more to do with the physical condition of a person than purely their experiences, attitudes, genetics or learning experiences.

It is a fascinating study for anyone interested in either psychology or human biology; and a useful course for anyone working in areas related to health or psychology

.

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.

Supervision

*is a formal arrangement for professionals to work regularly with someone who is experienced in counselling and supervision.

*is a process to maintain adequate standards of professionalism and a method of consultancy to widen the horizons of an experienced practitioner.

*is a means of passing on skills, attitudes and knowledge to newer members of a profession.

*ensures that clients receive adequate support whilst a trainee is training.

The supervisor’s task is to work together with the supervisee to ensure and develop the efficiency of the supervisee/client relationship. The method by which this takes place is one where the supervisor overseas the supervisee through critically observing and monitoring the supervisees actions and behaviour. The supervisor offers critically constructive feedback and guidance throughout this process.

In brief, a supervisor’s role is to ensure accountability, conduct training, and offer professional support.

Develop your skills in supervising other professionals and your awareness of what to expect when undergoing supervision yourself.

Learn to determine why and when to use psychological assessment, and develop an understanding of the different types of assessment available (eg. Behavioural Assessment, Wechsler Inteligence and Memory Scales, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, etc).

Psychological tests assess and evaluate information that is given to the examiner by the client. This information is in the form of answers to interview questions or as answers on paper—or on a computer—to specific questions. Ultimately, a test’s accuracy depends on how carefully and seriously the client answers the questions they are asked.

What is a psychological assessment?

A psychological assessment is when a skilled psychologist uses the techniques and tools of psychology to learn general or specific facts about another person, either to information others how they function or to predict their behaviour and functioning in the future.

Mahoney and Ward (1976) stated that assessments –

* Often use tests

* Typically, do not follow defined procedures or steps

* Contribute to a decision making process to some problem, often be redefining a problem, breaking the problem down into smaller pieces or highlighting parts of a problem

* Requires that the examiner considers, evaluates and integrates the data

* Is less inflexible and routine

* Is individualised

* Produces results that cannot be solely evaluated on psychometric grounds

Assessment is usually for the point of diagnosis or classification. That is, placing a person into a loosely or strictly defined category of people. This allows us to understand what they are like in general and assess the presence of other relevant characteristics based on people similar to them.

The study of psychology is fascinating. This course covers a variety of interesting topics, such as Abnormal Psychology, Group psychology and much more. 

This course is a useful foundation course if you are planning to work towards a career in psychology and/or counselling.  It will develop your ability to analyse psychological conditions, and apply that knowledge in counselling, or advisory situations. Or you might just want to take the course because you are interested in psychology and counselling.

So what else is covered in the course? We also covers stress. Stress is a major factor affecting our mental and physical health today.

“How to recognise stress

It is important to recognize whether you or someone you know or a client is under stress. Often, even if we are under the influence of a stressful condition and our body reacts to it internally as well as externally, we fail to realize the symptoms of our stress. This also happens when the causes of stress are there long enough for us to get used to them. The body may try to tell us that it is stressed or that something is wrong, through symptoms such as:

· heart palpitations

· dizzy spells

· tight and sore muscles or

· various body pains and conditions

· blurry vision

· inability to eat or over-eating

· loss of interest in usual activities

· unexpected emotional reactions and more…

It is important to remain attentive to such symptoms and to have a stress management system in place to counter the adverse affects of stress.” (taken from our Psychology and Counselling Course)

“Drugs” is a word used by the medical profession to refer to medicines that can cure or arrest disease or alleviate symptoms, ease pain or provide other benefits. Powerful drugs may have side effects, but commonly used drugs with less potential to harm can be sold over the counter. More powerful drugs often require a medical practitioner’s prescription. Another definition of drugs is those substances upon which a person may become dependent. These range from mild stimulants eg. Caffeine, to powerful drugs that alter mood and behaviour. The term “drug” is therefore any substance which is psychoactive – that is, mind altering. It can cover -

• Legal drugs (eg tobacco, alcohol)
• Illegal drugs (eg ecstasy, amphetamines)

Medicinal drugs, (eg insulin, paracetamol, ventol).

Psychopharmacology is the study of the effects on the mind and body of pharmacological substances - drugs.  This course will help you develop your skills in understanding the effects of legal, illegal and prescribed drugs on the mind body and behaviour.

There are many and varied reasons why relationships breakdown and irreconcilable differences is one of them. This occurs when two people differ in their beliefs and values and neither are willing to accept that the other person holds a different viewpoint. While agreeing to disagree would be a type of win-win in this situation, the way in which the difference is communicated and hence managed is often destructive. For example, one may continue to force the other to accept their position, through verbal attacks, or may give the ‘silent treatment’, not speaking to the other. When communication subsides into physical, verbal or emotional abuse (name calling, personal attacks, hitting, yelling, punching, pushing, verbal tirades, destroying personal items), the relationship is most often irretrievable. In fact, research has shown that once a poor or destructive communication cycle is established, it is rare that a reversal can take place as quite often, respect and trust is diminished to very low levels, and may take years of learning new skills to rebuild.

When communication is stifled, a ‘roadblock’ occurs that creates a brick wall to effective communication. One of the first signs that this has occurred is:

* the inability to listen to the other person (thinking about what you will say next rather than listening, wanting to push your point).

* a feeling of being overwhelmed (wanting to attack, run away, cry or feeling ‘frozen’).

* the third sign of a breakdown in communication is the inability to think rationally about what to do next (not knowing what to say or how to respond).

This course will enable you to develop your understanding of the role communication plays in creating, maintaining or destroying relationships, and your ability to assist others to improve their relationships communications.

Man is a social animal, and as such, it is very important to understand the psychology of how we interact with each other, or act as a group rather than as an individual.

Social psychology is concerned with studying the way people interact within groups. Given that most people work with other people, social interaction is natural at work. Some of this is informal, such as conversations with colleagues. Other contacts are more formal, such as the interaction of a working group carrying out a specific task in an organisation.

Social psychology can also involve interactions in other groups as well (e.g. social, clubs, societies, associations, churches, families, etc); though the main focus of this lesson should be interactions in a work situation.

Work groups are different in that they are compulsory groups, and the individual does not have much opportunity to choose whether to participate or not in the group.

Individuals differ from each other in many ways -physically, mentally, and psychologically -but just as individuals differ so within a group. They differ according to the physical work which the group is performing as a whole, or according to the mentality and psychological make up of the members. A group can be called a collection of people, but no two collections of people are the same. The differences between some groups may be very large (e.g. the difference between a temporary group and a permanent highly organised group.

State of mind can be just as important as physical ability when playing sport. Everone from amateurs to professionals can not only perform better, but also benefit more psychologically from participation in sport if they understand the mind better. Develop your skills and understanding of psychological principles for use in sports. This is a course for athletes, coaches, personal trainers, etc; right down to amateurs wanting to improve their game.

Sports psychology is the study of the interaction between a person’s psychology and their participation in sport. Singer (1978) defined it as “the science of psychology applied to sport”. Whilst the field of psychology is relatively young, sports psychology is even younger. The field of sports psychology has much to offer, carrying out useful research that can be made available to athletes and coaches.

In professional or competitive sport, this study is important because:

· A person’s psychology or state of mind can have a significant effect upon their sporting performance.

· The selection of competitors for elite sport is influenced by an assessment of their individual psychology, as well as other factors such as recent performance and fitness.

Sports psychologists provide two major types of services –

· Counselling – in areas that affect the athlete.

· Strategies that enhance performance.

In order to promote greater participation in sport, it is valuable to understand the psychology of the broader community; and in this way, determine those things that will motivate greater sporting participation.

When we encounter the term stress in magazines and books, it often really refers to ‘excess stress’. This can in fact be misleading, because the human being is always in a state of stress (arousal). Extreme stress conditions, psychologists say, are detrimental to human health but in moderation stress is normal and, in many cases, proves useful. Stress, nonetheless, is synonymous with negative conditions.

We use the term ‘distress’ to indicate negative stress, which can lead to harmful effects, such as being fired from ones job. The term ‘eustress’ is used to refer to positive arousal which provides a healthy challenge, such as being promoted in one’s job.

The level of stress differs from one individual to another. Certain individuals experience a higher degree of stress than others (e.g. a job promotion may cause eustress for most people but for some it could cause distress). The level of stress also changes over time - you might be experiencing less stress now than you did a year ago.

With proper self awareness and management techniques stress levels can be lowered, perceptions altered and responses improved. In this course we deal with physical problems related to stress, how to achieve easy living, dealing with drugs, developing self esteem, relaxation, diet and much more. This course is equally relevant for self improvement, or professional development (for any allied health professionals such as counsellors, life coaches, fitness instructors or nutrition consultants).