Psychology Courses

"Understand more about abnormal psychology. A useful course for anyone interested in the human mind."

Why are some people different?

Want to learn about schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, mania, childhood disorders?  Why not take this course? Understanding abnormal behaviour is the first step toward dealing with it, both for professionals as well as friends, relatives and aquaintances This course can be of value to anyone who wants to understand more about common psychological disorders, their causes and treatment.

"A must for parents or workers working with adolescents! Learn more about this particular area of development."

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. 

COURSE AIM Develop your understanding of the developmental changes that occur during adolescence.

This course builds on the certificate in psychology to give the student a broader scope. It involves an additional two study modules plus 100 hours of industry experience. This course may be used as a stepping stone to our Associate Diploma in Psychology or our Associate Diploma in Psychology and Counselling. It may also be useful for those wishing to go on to study to degree level or for those working in related fields that require an understanding of psychology.

"Understand the care and counselling of older people – for anyone who cares for older people professionally and personally."

This course aims to develop your understanding of the ageing process, and your ability to help others cope more effectively with their grief. It is designed to be useful for counselling and other care professions or anyone involved with elderly people in any other way, formally or informally.

Understand a wide variety of behaviours shown by animals.

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  

"Gain indepth knowledge into the field of psychology."

This course offers a unique broad based foundation in theoretical psychology, at the same time as developing a variety of practical skills that will be useful in the workplace. Graduates are not psychologists (A psychologist needs higher university qualifications), but they will have a capacity to apply psychology in real life situations (eg. as a manager, a counsellor, teacher, social worker, youth worker, a marketer or a consultant). Graduates do however gain 50% credit standing toward our degree (click here to see degree)

"Find out how our anatomy and physiology affects the way we think and behave."

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.

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.

"Work with others helping them to make one of the most important decisions in their lives – their career choice."

This course will develop your understanding of factors affecting career choices and planning, and your ability to help others plan and achieve career goals. The course is aimed at students who have prior experience or training in a related field such as counselling or social work, but will benefit anyone in their own career planning and development. 

"For anyone working with children or teenagers."

 This 600 hour certificate is designed for people working with children or teenagers; or interested in a pursuing a career of working with youth. It gives you a greater insight into the development of children throughout their childhood and into adolescence. Also covering careers counselling, developmental psychology and more.

"Train to be a life coach and help others. A more indepth certificate course to equip the life coach with essential skills."

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. 

"A useful course for anyone interested in working in psychology or for their own personal knowledge"

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.

This course is aimed at those who wish to gain a good insight into psychology. It is useful as a first step to further study, as an employment aid for those working in related fields, as a social tool for those wishing to understand more about the behaviour of themselves and others around them, or simply to broaden one’ s horizons. Psychology is a fascinating subject area that pervades our everyday lives. This course introduces the student to many well-documented psychological phenomena which will hopefully inspire them to want to know more.

 "Learn more about the psychology and development of children."

 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).

Learn ways to deal with conflict

This course will provide you with a range of conflict management techniques. You will gain an understanding of conflict and how we can work to avoid conflict.  Learn a wide variety of things, through a combination of reading, interacting with tutors, undertaking research, practical tasks, etc. Develop your ability to manage conflict situations, as a counsellor, manager, supervisor, or simply a concerned person.

Develop an improved understanding of counselling skills and their use in a crisis situation.

Already have some counselling skills, but would like to be able to improve on them? Want to learn more counselling skills? Improve your counselling abilities? This may be the course for you.  Counselling Skills II covers telephone counselling, online courselling, techniques for dealing with crisis situations and much more.  Learn to demonstrate how micro-skills can be combined in the counselling process. Learn about the grief process, how we can support clients, the ethical issues of counselling and much more.   Pre-requisite: Introduction to Psychology

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. 

"An indepth study of the theory of counselling techniques."

Develop your understanding 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.

Learn about the different types of therapy that can be used to help clients. If you are a counsellor or want to be one, this is an indispensible part of your training or professional development.

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

"Interested in learning about the psychology of crime?  This is the course for you!"

Suitable for anyone who works within criminal justice, such as police, social workers, court workers, solicitors, lawyers, probation workers or anyone with an interest in the psychology of crime.

"Learn more about the strategies and methods of supporting people after a crisis."

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.

This course is aimed at people working with people of any age in a counselling, supporting, or teaching capacity, who will benefit from understanding how physiological and psychological changes over the lifespan affect human behaviour. Parents and carers will gain greater insight into issues that present particular challenges at different stages of the life span, especially from adolescence to old age.

This course also sets the theoretical framework for studying our Child Psychology course, and other courses that may be offered down the line, such as Adolescent Psychology and Psychology of Aging.

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)
• ACS has been approved by the Complimentary Medicine Association (UK) as satisfying expertise in the area of Counselling
• Accredited internationally by IARC
• Provides 50% credit toward our degree level program click for details

"Learn the underlying principles of educational psychology."

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:

Student Comment: My tutor is very positive and encouraging. The entire staff of ACS has been incredibly helpful and kind. Yvonne (Canada)

"Develop a better understanding of family Dynamics, and a capacity to analyze and facilitate solutions to problems that emerge in modern families."

An essential course for anyone working with the grieving

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 understanding and working with grief, as a counsellor or in any other capacity where such an understanding is required.

"Learn how psychology can be useful in the workplace."

Industrial Psychology is now a major field.  More and more companies make use of psychologists to ensure that their staff are motivated, that the workplace is suitable for optimum performance and so  on.  Learn about the way people think in the workplace. This course is also suitable for people who are interested in developing their management skills - become a better manager. Learn more about staff and how to get the best out of them. Psychometric testing, intelligence testing and its use within the work place.  This course also helps develop knowledge and skills for anyone involved in workplace situations, such as managers, supervisors, small business owners, union representatives, etc.

 "A fascinating start to your studies in psychology."

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.

This course is a useful qualification for anyone interested in the human mind – teachers, social workers, counselors, health workers, doctors and many others, or .. just for interest and to learn more about the way we think.

"Start a new career as a Life Coach!"

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. 

This course is now recognised by the Association for Coaching (UK)! ACS is now the only Distance Education Organisation to have a course recognised by the AC.  For more information on the Association for Coaching, visit www.associationforcoaching.com

"A valuable course for anyone involved in marketing."

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.

"Understand other cultures and diversity."

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. 

"A fascinating insight into the field of neuropsychology."

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

Learn appropriate practices and procedures in the counselling profession.

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.

"Understand supervision skills."

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

"Gain more indepth knowledge of the field of psychology with this proficiency award."

Psychology is a wide and diverse field of study. This "specialised Qualification" enables you to specialise in a certain area of psychology. There is a set syllabus consisting generally of 30 lessons that relate to a particular specialist theme.

A Proficiency Award allows you to study subjects in a highly specialised area. You select and study three short courses of your own choice, which relate to each other (eg. Three counselling or three courses related to human development and education). In addition, you must complete 200 hrs of approved work experience before receiving the award. Approval of course structure must be obtained before enrolling.

"Learn about psychological assessment."

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.

Learn more about the study of abnormal psychology, stress and counselling.

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.

"Learn more about psychology and drugs."

 “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.

"An essential course for anyone involved in relationships and communication counseling or similar fields."

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.

"Social psychology gives a fascinating insight into the mind of humans within a social setting."

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.

"Learn how to motivate sports people using psychological techniques"

State of mind can be just as important as physical ability when playing sport. Everyone from amateurs to professionals cannot 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.

"An important course for anyone involved in supporting other people when they are stressed."

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.