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FAMILY COUNSELLING BPS213

Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification
Statement of Attainment

Why Study Family Counselling?

The study of family counselling is useful for anyone wishing to -

  • Understand family dynamics, communication, family conflicts and mental health issues.
  • Develop skills and knowledge to support families experiencing difficulties.

 

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Who Is This Course Suitable For?

The course is suitable for people who –

  • Want to work with families.
  • Wish to expand their existing knowledge and skills in regard to family counselling.

For example, support workers, social workers, parents, foster carers, youth workers, counsellors, teachers and others.

This course is suitable for professional/career development, CPD or personal interest.

 What Will You Learn In This Course?

During the course, you will learn more about –

  • Family dynamics
  • How to analyse and facilitate solutions to problems that emerge in modern families.
  • The theories and principles of family counselling by distance learning.
  • Different family structures
  • Family history and assessments
  • Identifying problems
  • Counselling
  • Different approaches to family counselling and much more.

 

COURSE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT

The 10 lessons in the course are as follows:

Lesson 1. Nature And Scope of Families

  • Different Types of Families.
  • Traditional Family Structures.
  • Family Systems.
  • Cultural Variations.
  • Family Lifecycles.

Lesson 2. Family Dynamics

  • Crises.
  • Changing Cultures (immigrant families).
  • Evolving Structures (Religion, new siblings, departing siblings, changing parents, incoming grandparents).
  • Breakdowns.
  • Merging Two Families.
  • Abuse.
  • Violence.
  • Death.
  • Illness.
  • Changing Income (loss of job etc.).
  • Disintegration and Reintegration.

Lesson 3. History

  • How are dynamics different and similar today to in the past?
  • How did we cope with family problems in the past in different places, cultures etc.
  • What can we learn from this?
  • How can we draw strength from knowing all this is not new?

Lesson 4. Identifying Problems

  • Patterns.
  • Critical Incidents.
  • Long Standing Incidents.
  • Common Problems for Families.
  • Common Problems for Couples.

Lesson 5. Support Structures

  • What Support Services Might Be Accessed.
  • Extended Family.
  • Community Services.
  • Social Networks.
  • Religion.
  • Types Of Counselling, - individual, Group Work etc (incl. problems with Group Work) etc.

Lesson 6. Approaches to Family Therapy I

  • Goals Of Family Counselling.
  • Alderian Family Therapy.
  • Transgenerational Family Therapy.
  • Human Validation Process Model.
  • Experiential Family Therapy.

Lesson 7. Approaches to Family Therapy II

  • Structural Family Therapy.
  • Strategic Family Therapy.
  • Social Constructionist Family Therapy.
  • An Integrated Approach.
  • Synopsis of Approaches To Family Therapy.

Lesson 8. Conducting Initial Interviews/Sessions

  • Carrying Out An Assessment.

Lesson 9. Considering Solutions

  • Multicultural Family Therapy.
  • Sexual Abuse.

Lesson 10. Problem Based Learning Project

  • Consider a situation establish and consider alternative strategies. Select a strategy.

Each lesson is completed with in an assignment which students are to submit to the school. This will be marked by the school's tutors and returned to the student with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

COURSE AIMS

  • Describe family diversity in terms of a variety of factors including structure and function.
  • Explain the interactions and motivations at work in different families.
  • Describe how we have dealt with family problems in the past; then evaluate the results of these past strategies, and learn from those results.
  • Determine precisely what problems exist in a family; and evaluate the relative significance of those different problems.
  • Identify and compare support options that may be available to a family with problems.
  • Understand what is meant by a family systems approach to counselling and describe different theoretical perspectives.
  • Describe further theoretical approaches to family therapy and understand the usefulness of an integrated approach.
  • Plan the initial interview for a couple or for a family, in need of counselling.
  • Identify optional approaches for counselling a family or couple with problems.
  • Plan a program of counselling and if relevant, other strategies, to address a family or couple in crisis.

During the course, you will cover topics, such as - WHAT IS A NORMAL FAMILY?

There is no such thing as “normal.”  We all have different ideas regarding relationships. In some cultures, the nuclear family (two parents, two children) is often held up as the norm, whilst in other countries the extended family is more regular. But very few people will actually have the “normal” family.

When we look at normality in terms of mental health, one of the ideas of what is normal is that it is statistically frequent. If we look at families and statistical frequency, we see differences within families. For example, research from the Office for National Statistics in the UK found that -

There were 18.2 million families in the UK.

  • 12.3 million of those were a married couple with/without children.
  • 2.9 million families were opposite sex co-habiting couples.
  • 1.9 million children lived with opposite sex co-habiting couples.
  • 1.9 million lone parents had dependent children.

Of 26.4 million households in the UK.

  • 29% of these had only one person.
  • 20% had four or more people.
  • The fastest growing type of household was that with two or more families, but this only represented 1% of all households.

Relationships in our families are not the only types of relationships we have, but often they are the most sustainable relationships; and when family relationships break down, they often have a deeper and wider impact than other types of relationships.

What Are the Advantages of Studying Psychology With ACS Distance Education?

  • You can start at any time to suit you.
  • The courses are self-paced.
  • You can study when and where suits you. They are flexible to fit in around you and your lifestyle.
  • It is not just a course, it is a package of learning that includes – course notes, tutor feedback, self-assessment tests, research tasks and assignments.
  • Our tutors are all experts in their field, with years of experience in psychology and counselling.
  • They are also keen and enthusiastic about their subject and enjoy working with students to improve their knowledge and skills.
  • Courses are also updated regularly to meet the demands of the changing needs for knowledge and to keep our courses up to date.

What Next?

THIS COURSE CAN HELP YOU BETTER UNDERSTAND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS.

  • Understand the things that can go wrong with family relationships.
  • Learn and identify appropriate solutions to problems within families.

To help families in the modern world, we need a great understanding of the difficulties they face.

  • If you are interested in helping families to cope with their difficulties, this course will give you a great starting point into understanding family counselling practice and theory.
  • A useful qualification to learn more about family dynamics and improve your job and career prospects. Useful for CPD purposes.

You can enrol today by clicking the “Enrol Now” button above.

Or

Click here to Contact a Psychology Tutor.

Or Request a Prospectus Here.
Courses can be started anytime from anywhere in the world!

Meet some of our academics

Tracey Jones (psychology)B.Sc. (Hons) (Psychology), M.Soc.Sc (social work), DipSW (social work), PGCE (Education), PGD (Learning Disability Studies) Tracey began studying psychology in 1990. She has a wide range of experience within the psychology and social work field, particularly working with people with learning disabilities. She is also qualified as a teacher and now teaches psychology and social work related subjects. She has been a book reviewer for the British Journal of Social Work and has also written many textbooks, blogs, articles and ebooks on psychology, writing, sociology, child development and more. She has had also several short stories published.
Jacinda Cole B.Sc.,M.Psych.Psychologist, Educator, Author, Psychotherapist. B.Sc., Psych.Cert., M. Psych. Cert.Garden Design, MACA. Jacinda has over 25 years of experience in psychology, in both Australia and England. She has co-authored several psychology text books and many courses including diploma and degree level courses in psychology and counselling. Jacinda joined ACS in 2001.
Jade SciasciaBiologist, Business Coordinator, Government Environmental Dept, Secondary School teacher (Biology); Recruitment Consultant, Senior Supervisor in Youth Welfare, Horse Riding Instructor (part-completed) and Boarding Kennel Manager. Jade has a B.Sc.Biol, Dip.Professional Education, Cert IV TESOL, Cert Food Hygiene.


Check out our eBooks

Counselling HandbookA book for both students, as well as volunteers who may be involved in helping people with problems. This is a starting point for understanding counselling, and a reference for developing counselling skills. The book contains seven chapters: 1. Where can counselling be used 2. How to see behind the mask 3. Emotions and attitudes 4. How to communicate better when all you have is words 5. Theory versus practice 6. Diffusing difficult situations 7. Golden rules or tips
How Children ThinkAnyone who has ever tried to make a child do anything (clean up their mess, desist from throwing mud, stop drawing on the walls) knows that children think differently to adults. This book attempts to provide the skills and knowledge to develop a greater understanding of children.
How to be a Life CoachLife coaching is a relatively new profession - although coaches have been around for a long time in the guise of trainers, instructors, managers and tutors for various professions and disciplines. Life coaching is not easily defined, but it is a type of mentoring which focuses on helping individuals to achieve what they would like to achieve and thereby to lead more fulfilling lives. Unlike other forms of coaching, it takes place outside of the workplace and is concerned with all aspects of a person’s life.
The Environment of PlayFull of inspiring colour images of playgrounds around the world, this book is ideal for designers, park managers, schools and parents! First published in the USA in 1982. Used in the past as a university text (in landscaping and education degrees). Completely revised in 2012. Full of inspiring colour images of playgrounds around the world, this book is ideal for designers, park managers, schools and parents! Play is the most important and effective method of learning for adults as well as children. It can be active or passive, planned or spontaneous. If you want to learn about the relationship between PLAY and the ENVIRONMENT, this is the ebook for you.