Introductory Counselling Skills

Certificate

Course Details

Course Code	SG_PCOUN_E06
Level	6
Duration	2 years
Credits	60
Method of Delivery	Blended
Campus Locations	Sligo
Mode of Delivery	Part Time

How to Apply

Course Overview

Students on the Certificate in Introductory Counselling Skills develop knowledge and practical skills in counselling, mental health, and personal development.

This training helps them to perform more effectively as helpers in a variety of caring and pastoral roles and it prepares them to pursue further training in counselling and psychotherapy.

It is suitable for people working in many diverse front-facing, support, or interpersonal contexts. Examples include administration, childcare, community work, construction, creative arts, education, frontline roles, healthcare, hospitality, management, media, nursing, pastoral roles, health and beauty industry, caring work, and sport.

The programme meets the learning needs of workers and volunteers in these fields, in a flexible and accessible manner. It enhances the provision of care by developing practitioner skills and knowledge in counselling and mental health, and by deepening practitioner self-awareness and reflectiveness.

The programme is delivered through a blend of face-to-face and online learning classes and activities, which suits part-time participants.

The ethos of the Course Team is Humanistic. We value each learner’s life experience, and we provide opportunities that will enable students to develop their potential, in a climate of acceptance, and openness. Our lectures are informed by scientific research in psychology and counselling, and our practical workshops offer experiential learning, creative practices, digital technologies, simulations, and experiential exercises. Using innovative, interactive, and engaging activities we acknowledge, respect, and support diversity in learning and personal development.

Programme Structure

Our course is part time and runs for 4 semesters over 2 years. These semesters run from September to December and from February to May of each year. It is delivered through Blended Learning meaning that some of the teaching happens online and some of it happens face to face.

You will study 8 modules in total, covering practical counselling skills, psychology, counselling theory, and personal development including Mindfulness. In addition, all students need to undertake some personal therapy as a course requirement. This is arranged externally by the learner and at their own expense.

You will have access to a dedicated online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Moodle where you will find resources such as lecture notes, schedules, videos, reading material, recordings of lectures, and a class chat forum. You may also wish to buy some textbooks, or these can be borrowed from the Yeats Library or sourced second hand at affordable prices. Your lecturers will also provide you with lots of web-based resources to support your learning.

Here are two books we use in Year One, for example:

– Basic Counselling Skills: A Helper’s Manual by Richard Nelson-Jones

– Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World [With CD] by Mark Williams

Key skills that you can expect to acquire on this course:

Foundation level counselling skills like empathic attunement and active listening.
Self-awareness, reflexiveness, and Mindfulness.
Communication skills
Understanding of human psychology
Academic writing and critical thinking skills
Information technology (IT) skills
Practical organisational and study skills

On successful completion of Year One, students may choose to exit with a Certificate in Foundational Counselling Skills (30 ECTS).

Course Details

Year 1

Semester	Module Details	Credits	Mandatory / Elective
1	Personal Development A: Mindfulness and Self Awareness This module will provide learners with a variety of experiential personal development workshops designed to promote self awareness appropriate to foundation level counselling and helping roles. A specific feature of the module will be a focus on creative methods to facilitate self awareness e.g. mindfulness. Learners also complete a minimum of six personal therapy sessions externally, with an accredited counsellor or psychotherapist, as a form of structured personal development work to support their learning in this module. Learning Outcomes 1. Demonstrate capacity for self reflection through engagement with personal therapy. 2. Evaluate their experience of structured personal development activities ie workshops. 3. Describe and discuss their experience of self reflection. 4. Identify areas for future personal development. 5. Discuss the application of personal growth to real world contexts.	10	Mandatory
1	Introduction to Counselling Theories In this module, learners will be given an overview of the history and evolution of counselling into a profession that is underpinned by a broad range of theoretical models. Learners will be introduced to the three main schools of counselling; psychodynamic, cognitive‑behavioural and humanistic. Two counselling models, the person centred approach and cognitive behaviour therapy, will be studied in more detail. Learning Outcomes 1. Demonstrate a broad knowledge of the history of mental illness and its treatment. 2. Explore the application of the three main schools of counselling in practice. 3. Describe the key assumptions of person centred therapy. 4. Examine Cognitive Behavioural Therapy	05	Mandatory
2	Counselling Skills 1: Foundational Helping Skills This module provides a foundation level training in basic counselling skills that are suitable for use in a variety of helping roles. Learners will gain an understanding of the helping relationship and will develop skills in active listening and other basic responses as well as developing an awareness of the self. The foundational counselling skills will be conceptualised within the Relating Understanding Change (RUC) model (Nelson-Jones, 2015). Through experiential learning and reflection learners will develop personal qualities, capacity for empathy, and the appropriate skills and techniques required to develop a working alliance, while understanding the role of professional context (BACP, 2020). Learning Outcomes 1. Demonstrate a capacity for counselling related interpersonal engagement in a classroom setting eg active listening. 2. Describe foundational helping skills and their predicted outcomes. 3. Demonstrate foundational helping skills, reflecting an understanding of their importance, in simulated practice scenarios with peers. 4. Transfer and apply theoretical knowledge of counselling skills to nontherapeutic real world helping situations. 5. Identify the scope (benefits and limitations) of interpersonal work with clients in counselling and other helping contexts. 6. Reflect critically on strengths and areas for further development in their counselling skill set in order to improve.	10	Mandatory
2	Introductory Psychology for Counselling In this module, learners will be introduced to theories, concepts and the language of psychology. How we think, learn, explain our own behaviour and that of others will be explored in this programme. Psychological research methods and the path of human development, milestones, landmarks and significance of relationships will also be examined. Learners will gain a basic understanding of the application of psychological theory to counselling practice. Learning Outcomes 1. Identify the major psychological changes (cognitive, social and emotional) that take place across the lifespan and examine the contribution of significant developmental theorists. 2. Outline theories of attachment and have an understanding of its importance to both child development and later life choices and behaviours. 3. Examine ‘learning theory’ and how the principles of learning can be used to understand and manage behaviour. 4. Application of psychological research methods	05	Mandatory

Year 2

Semester	Module Details	Credits	Mandatory / Elective
1	Counselling Skills 2: Foundational Action Oriented Skills Building on the relationship building and active listening skills developed in Year One, learners are introduced to basic action oriented counselling skills appropriate to a variety of helping roles. The focus of this experiential skills training module is understanding change in others and in oneself through the study and application of conceptual and practice based frameworks such as the Stages of Change model (Prochaska & DiClementes, 1983) and Motivational Interviewing (Miller & Rollnick, 2013). Recognising the autonomy of the client or help seeker, learners will consider how to respond to empathic opportunities with counselling skills that support change. Contextual aspects relating to role, referrals, support, and supervision are explored. Learning Outcomes 1. Describe basic action oriented skills and their predicted outcomes. 2. Demonstrate the ability to use foundational action oriented skills in a simulated setting with peers. 3. Demonstrate the ability to conduct elementary client assessment and plan basic interventions in simulated practice. 4. Critically consider the benefits and limitations of action oriented intervention. 5. Identify strengths and areas for further development in their counselling skillsetrecognising the role that support and supervision plays in learning and development.	10	Mandatory
1	Mental Health and Wellness In this module, learners will be introduced to factors impacting on mental health and mental illness. We will explore how different health models have sought to explain and treat mental illness. Some of the most common psychological disorders will be examined taking into account typical causes, maintaining and protection factors and treatments. In addition, the learner will study aspects from positive psychology which aim to identify behaviours and attitudes known to enhance mental wellbeing. Learners will gain a basic understanding of some typical psychological problems seen in counselling. Learning Outcomes 1. Understand some of the main models of health 2. Explain major disorders of mental health 3. Recognise some of the behaviours and practises known to contribute to positive mental health. 4. Examine the influence of technology on our sense of wellbeing.	05	Mandatory
2	Professional Studies for Counselling This module addresses elementary professional and ethical issues related to the use of introductory counselling skills in helping roles, for example, the impacts of technology, diversity, or multiculturalism on counselling. This will take place within a broader exploration of best practice in the counselling profession within which the learner will examine the limitations and responsibilities of the novice helper. The learner will have the opportunity to consider their suitability for a career in counselling and to identify possible further learning and/or career paths. Learning Outcomes 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the application of the basic philosophical concepts underpinning ethics tohelping work. 2. Recognise ethical contexts and situations which are governed by codes of ethics and legislative requirements pertaining to practice. 3. Engage in appropriate structured reflection in relation to continuous professional development. 4. Access and comprehend at a foundational level, field specific research literature.	05	Mandatory
2	Personal Development B: Group and Personal Process Work In this experiential module, participants will learn about elementary group processes and engage in groupwork in a supportive and facilitated environment. The emphasis will be to build capacity for insight through structured reflective practice, individually and with peers. The group will provide a space to explore, and be supported with, ongoing work/ role issues. The use of creative facilitation methods will provide a space for participants to explore and reflect on a range of identity positions (e.g. health, ethnic, racial, poverty, cultural etc.) in ways that are accessible to all participants. Students will draw on these creative methods to design and create a mechanism for communicating this information in an attractive and intelligible way, that can be easily modified in accordance with the changing resource landscape and communication technology. Learning Outcomes 1. Participate in creative and reflective exercises in a group context. 2. Engage effectively in the group appreciative of the need for understandings of heterogeneity and professional support. 3. Transfer and apply theoretical knowledge of group processes to personal experiences in the group. 4. Give and receive feedback in accessible and culturally sensitive ways appreciative of power dynamics. 5. Critically reflect on health, ethnic, racial, poverty and cultural discourses. 6. Critically reflect on practice to identify areas of competence and limitation, in order to develop.	10	Mandatory

Recommended Study Hours per week

There are weekly online lectures in addition to the on campus workshops. Online classes usually take place on Wednesdays between 6pm and 9pm (this includes a 30 minute break) – covering 2 modules each evening. Outside of scheduled classes students typically spend 2 to 3 hours each week studying and completing assignments.

Examination and Assessment

Assessment includes a variety of continuous assessment activities including essays, reflective writing, demonstrations, e-portfolio, group activities etc.

On-Campus Attendance Requirement

There are 6 workshop days at the Sligo campus per semester. These are in 3 blocks of 2 days (Friday and Saturday) approximately once a month. All applicants should bear in mind that attendance in person in Sligo for these practical workshops is extremely important to complete practical assignments and to achieve the programme’s learning outcomes.
Note: Check programme Examination and Assessment requirements, as they may involve examinations to be taken on campus.

Progression

Graduates of this course will have begun on a pathway to a career in counselling/psychotherapy whereby a Level 6 Certificate is considered to be a stepping stone qualification and is an advantage when applying for a degree or masters professional training course in this field.

For those who wish to progress in this field, ATU Sligo has a cooperation agreement in place with the Institute of Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy (IICP). Specifically, graduates of the Certificate in Introductory Counselling Skills at ATU Sligo are eligible to apply for a place in 2nd year of the IICP Honours Degree under Recognition of Prior Learning, subject to successful completion of ATU Sligo full award and a successful interview with IICP.

Download a prospectus

Undergraduate Prospectus Online, Flexible & Professional Development Prospectus

Entry Requirements

We particularly welcome mature applicants and those who can demonstrate relevant prior learning, life experience, and/or practical understanding. The entry requirements include:

Minimum age of 21 at time of registration
Successful interview at which applicants must demonstrate appropriate work, educational, and helper/ care experience
Two written character references
Leaving Certificate or equivalent
Garda Vetting (This is completed following registration on the course)

Please Note: In line with best practice in counselling skills training, we will endeavour to avoid assigning participants or staff with close personal/ professional relationships to the same training group. If this situation arises we will work hard to accommodate candidates but may not always be able to progress their application.

Fees

Total Fees EU: €3,000

Further information on fees

Careers

The knowledge and skills developed by graduates of this certificate course will be of value in roles in a range of areas including community development, disability, educational, family support, healthcare, lifelong learning, older persons, social care, youth work, and other volunteering, pastoral care, and support settings.

Graduates have gained employment in roles such as special needs assistant, mental health advocate, and social care positions.

This Certificate in Introductory Counselling Skills is not a professional qualification in Counselling and graduates are not qualified to practice as professional counsellors.

However on completion, many of our graduates have successfully applied to progress onto professional counselling courses thereby achieving the qualifications to work as therapists in areas such as; private practice, health care, social services, schools, third level institutions, and community organisations.

Further Information

Who Should Apply?

This programme is suitable for people working in many diverse front-facing, support, or interpersonal contexts. Examples include administration, childcare, community work, construction, creative arts, education, frontline roles, healthcare, hospitality, management, media, nursing, pastoral roles, health and beauty industry, caring work, and sport.

As a part-time and blended (online + in-person) programme, this course is suitable for distance learners that can commit to attending the on-campus residential workshops mentioned above.