Advanced Certificate in Counselling Skills(AQA) Psychodynamic Unit (Starts again Sept 2010)

Vocational qualification

In Cambridge

Price on request

Description

  • Type

    Vocational qualification

  • Location

    Cambridge

This course forms part of the AQA Advanced Certificate in Counselling (Level 3) and is also available as a stand-alone course for experienced counsellors who may wish to develop their practice underpinned by a psychodynamic theory base. For students still in training, this course is part of the transition from using counselling skills informally at intermediate level to completion of the.

Facilities

Location

Start date

Cambridge (Cambridgeshire )
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Cambridgeshire, CB2 8PE

Start date

On request

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Course programme


Advanced Certificate in Counselling Skills(AQA) Psychodynamic Unit (Starts again Sept 2010)

Your Course
This course forms part of the AQA Advanced Certificate in Counselling (Level 3) and is also available as a stand-alone course for experienced counsellors who may wish to develop their practice underpinned by a psychodynamic theory base.
For students still in training, this course is part of the transition from using counselling skills informally at intermediate level to completion of the Advanced Certificate, in preparation for working within a placement as a trainee counsellor during an Advanced Diploma* course. We therefore require you to have successfully achieved an Intermediate Certificate in Counselling (AQA VRQ Level 2) or its equivalent.
This course is designed to increase your understanding of the role and responsibilities of the counsellor within an ethical framework as defined by the BACP. You therefore need to demonstrate your potential at this level by returning the Personal Review/Entry application form. You will not be able to enrol until this form has been processed. New students will also be invited to a short interview ? either in person or by telephone, as will previous students who either chose to, or were advised to delay their training by their tutor. NB: previous students will have already completed a Personal Review/Entry application form, but must complete an up-to-date one. Students completing the Advanced Certificate this summer have already completed this form.
The course explores the Psychodynamic approach to counselling in depth. This will allow you to start the process of deciding which approach you wish to follow for an Advanced Diploma in Counselling* once the Advanced Certificate has been completed successfully.
The course will continue to develop your counselling and observational skills and help you to make connections between the theory, practice and your own experience through discussion, presentations, counselling skills practice and a Process group, which combined with the Saturday Workshops, provides an opportunity to explore the personal meaning of becoming a practising counsellor.
*Currently Hills Road does not run an Advanced Diploma course, but options for progression are considered as appropriate.
Who is the Course for?
This course is aimed at those wanting to work towards a qualification as a counsellor ? or those already qualified, although it could prove useful to those who regularly use counselling skills as part of their work.
This course operates within the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy as provided by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
To successfully complete the Advanced Certificate in Counselling, students must complete this Unit, as well as the Person-Centred Unit (to be offered in Spring 2009) and the Core Unit (running concurrently to this course and to be offered again in September 2009).
Learning Outcomes
The course provides an opportunity to:
· Consider the therapeutic process as it is defined and worked with by practitioners from the Psychodynamic approach.
· Apply theoretical understanding of the Psychodynamic approach to the establishment, development and ending of a therapeutic relationship.
· Examine and apply the Psychodynamic approach in some depth.
· Recognise the challenges of working within a therapeutic relationship using the Psychodynamic approach; and the impact of counselling interventions upon potential clients.
· Develop a deeper understanding of the legal, ethical and contractual issues of counselling as defined in the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy (2002)
· Deepen your understanding of the necessity to ensure the health and safety of both counsellor and client.
· Explore working with cultural diversity and difference.
Assessment
Assessment is by a Course Journal and an essay or structured writing. Your attendance must be above 80% to count towards your Certificate and you must pass this course in full, as well as Unit 1 (Core) and 3 (Humanistic) to be awarded your Certificate.
Please note: Because of the nature of this course and the group dynamics we do not admit students after the second week of the course. Please ensure that you have been offered a place; fully enrolled including making payments; and read the Student Guidance Sheet before the course begins.
Core Reading Bond T. Standards and Ethics for Counselling in Action, Sage BACP (2002) Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling D?Ardenne, P & Mahtani, Psychodynamic Counselling in Action, Sage A, & Jacobs, M
Learning Outcomes
please see above
Your Tutor
Your tutors are drawn from a team of suitably qualified and experienced counsellors and tutors. If you require more information then please ask for the Your Team information sheet.
STUDENT GUIDANCE Course Procedures and Requirements Intermediate Certificate in Counselling Skills course and the Core Unit of the Advanced Certificate course
This guidance should be attached to the Further Details Sheet for your course and is intended to help you successfully complete your course, and meet the assessment requirements of the Awarding Body. Further guidance will be given when your course commences. Please ensure that you have read and understood all the course information before enrolling.
STUDENT COMMITMENT
Students are responsible for their own learning which means allocating sufficient time and priority to the course. Generally you will need to allocate an equivalent amount of time. For example if your course is 2? hours per week then up to an additional 2? hours per week is likely to be required. The course level determines the tasks, but it might include allocating time for reading, writing Journals, practising skills, or preparing presentations.
Please note that the January start Intermediate Certificate in Counselling Skills (year 1) course is condensed into 2 terms so you will need to allocate additional weekly time for this course, as some of the Saturdays are equivalent to 2 evening sessions. Saturday Workshops require one additional entry in your Journal. Please refer to the Further Details Sheet for guidance on what is required for your course or speak to your Tutor. In January, only the evening course will be available.
As the length and requirements of subsequent courses will increase, you will need to allocate more time as your training progresses. You should ensure that you have read all the course information and student guidance provided and asked for clarification if required.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
Applications are welcome from all sections of the adult population (19 years and over). Difference and diversity, and the importance of a non-discriminatory approach and how these are important to counselling activity will be explored in the courses.
Note however: the course will be conducted in English and students will be expected to practise their skills and submit all their written work in the English language.
Students with learning support needs (e.g. dyslexia) are required to contact the Adult Education office (and Exams office if attending an assessed course) for further information about provision and accessibility, and to register any special requirements at enrolment. The College attempts to provide access to all facilities on site and to meet individual need wherever possible.
OFFER OF A PLACE AND SELECTION CRITERIA
Please ensure that you have fully enrolled, paid the course fees and received a letter confirming your place. Please contact the Adult Education office if you haven?t received the letter of confirmation. Students turning up on the night without completing the above cannot be admitted, as places are limited and there is often a waiting list. 1. Introduction to Counselling Skills/Intermediate Certificate in Counselling Skills
The above courses are open access and do not require you to have had prior training or experience before enrolling. However you should ensure that the training is personally appropriate for you (see below). Tutors are also available on Information and Enrolment Evenings for students requiring further guidance about personal suitability and course requirements, content and structure. Students wishing to proceed from the Introductory course to the Intermediate Certificate will be asked to complete a brief evaluation to assess their readiness to continue, as will new students. A Counselling Skills Taster - Beginners is also offered each term for students who are unsure. 2. Advanced Certificate in Counselling
All students wishing to enter the above course must meet the Entry Criteria & Requirements to ensure their suitability and readiness to undertake this level of training. A place is not automatically offered to existing students who pass their current course. After Results Day those students recommended for progression will receive a letter of confirmation from the college.
All new students, including APEL (see below) must seek guidance from the Counselling Co-ordinator, c/o the Adult Education office, after receiving the above course and entry information. Attendance at an Entry Workshop in June is also required. The closing date for receipt of applications is 1 August of each year so please allow sufficient time.
3. Accreditation of Prior Experience and Learning (APEL)
This applies to the Advanced Certificate course only for new students who have not accumulated sufficient formally assessed counselling training but who can demonstrate appropriate levels of practical experience and understanding gained via other means. It also applies to new students who have attended a course other than an AQA (Awarding Body) assessed course.
This will incur an additional exam fee by AQA for assessment components covered by APEL. Please allow sufficient time to gather evidence to support your application and for it to be processed as each situation must be individually assessed.
ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY Timetables are given out at the start of the course and the Saturday Workshop dates are also listed on the Further Details Sheet to enable students to plan and allocate time to their learning. You are expected to attend every session wherever possible as failure to do so may make it difficult for you to meet the course and assessment requirements. In addition the course is very interactive and any absence may impact upon others? experience. Students whose attendance is below 80% will not receive their award.
Everyone is expected to attend all the Practical Skills Assessment sessions and any assessment that is externally assessed by the Awarding Body. Please note that the externally assessed component is during the daytime. If you miss or fail this, you will not be able to re-sit unless you are enrolled upon an appropriate course at the College. This will incur an additional exam fee by the Awarding Body and may prevent you from progressing on to the next stage at the beginning of the next academic year.
RECOMMENDED READING Suggested texts are listed on the Further Details Sheet and your tutor may recommend additional or alternative texts. Your Tutor will provide a copy of the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP (2002) or it can be downloaded from the BACP web-site (see below). It is not necessary to buy all the books as they may be available from the College Library or obtained via your own local library. Some booksellers stock second-hand or reduced price books. Amazon is also a good source to purchase books ? either new or second hand.
For further guidance, please refer to the Using the College Library information sheet distributed at the beginning of your course. It is important that if you select additional or alternative texts, that they are appropriate to the academic level and content of the course you are attending.
YOUR AWARDING BODY
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) have validated your Awarding Body to externally verify courses and award qualifications for counselling skills and professional counselling training as part of the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) Framework. Your course has been allocated an academic level on the NVQ Framework, which will be recognised nationally.
You are therefore strongly advised to keep course information as portfolio evidence of your learning.
It also offers flexibility for students who may wish to use these courses as a route into other professional or vocational occupations. Please contact the Counselling Co-ordinator for further guidance.
ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES AND DEADLINES
The assessment dates, procedures and criteria are determined by the Awarding Body and are designed to meet a national standard. Your Tutor assesses the internally assessed components and the Awarding Body assesses the externally assessed component. Results are graded as Pass or Refer. All coursework submission and assessment dates are given out at the beginning of the course. All assessment procedures and components must be successfully completed within the lifetime of the course.
Your Tutors appreciate that at times there are sudden or challenging events in your life, which may make it difficult for you to meet the course requirements, in which case it may be important to consider, before you enrol, whether this is the best course for you or the best time to continue with your training.
FEEDBACK, GUIDANCE AND RESULTS
Throughout your course you will be given written and verbal feedback about your progress and guidance as to how to meet the assessment criteria and course requirements. By the end of the course your Tutor should be able to tell you informally whether you have successfully met the internally assessed components; however this is always subject to confirmation by the External Verifier allocated by the Awarding Body. The Awarding Body issues your award if you have passed all the internally and externally assessed components.
EMOTIONAL MATURITY AND COMMITMENT
As personal awareness underpins counselling activity and training, evidence of the following attributes or the potential for developing them, appropriate to the level of training, will be required from all students. Please also refer to the Course Entry Criteria.
· A capacity to integrate well with individuals and the group
· A willingness to actively participate in both large and small group activities
· A capacity to form a helping or therapeutic relationship
· The confidence and commitment to reflect and comment upon aspects of own written and practical work and to consider any feedback/guidance given
· A commitment to take responsibility for own learning and to meet the course and assessment requirements.
· A willingness to manage personal issues and a potential for personal change
· A willingness to explore personal values and motivations.
The courses are not however primarily designed for personal growth or for processing personal issues although they do provide an opportunity to develop skills, understanding and self-awareness to enable and to relate to others more effectively.
ETHICAL FRAMEWORK AND CONFIDENTIALITY
At the beginning of the course time will be given for students to explore and create an agreement about confidentiality and ways of working among the group members. For this reason we do not accept students after the course has started. Your Tutor will see all of your written work and the Internal and External Verifiers may sample some of your work to ensure consistency in the assessment of student work. The confidentiality of your written work will be maintained and not shared with other students.
The Training Programme and Tutors operate in accordance with the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy, of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP), or the codes of conduct of an equivalent professional body.
SELF-DISCLOSURE AND MANAGING PERSONAL ISSUES
Any self-disclosure of personal material must be appropriate to the requirements of the course and relevant to the course content and experience. The training is not designed for students to process personal issues or act as a substitute for other more appropriate means to aid personal growth. Its aim is to provide opportunities for personal development in relation to acquiring skills, understanding and expertise to enable and relate to others. In the group discussion you are expected to speak on behalf of yourself and not others.
You should try not to become involved in any personal material which you are unable to deal with or contain during the course. You should maintain a boundary between material suitable for discussion within the training group and material that is better taken to your own counselling or therapy. It is not appropriate to use other students or Tutors to primarily process personal issues that are impacting upon your learning or commitment to the course.
Personal counselling is not compulsory; however it is strongly recommended throughout your training. Please speak to your Tutor if you require guidance about appropriate sources of help.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
If you have any queries about any of the above points then please come to an Information or Enrolment Evening where Tutors will be available or ask to speak to a Tutor (via the Adult Education office).
Students who successfully complete the College?s Intermediate Certificate in Counselling Skills and the Advanced Certificate in Counselling courses will acquire a minimum of 290 training hours. The College has a progression route arrangement with the Cambridge University and an independent training provider for those students wishing to progress onto an Advanced Diploma course which will in total, provide in excess of 450 training hours which is the current BACP training requirement for individual accreditation purposes.
Please note that each of the above two providers have an entry procedure for the Advanced Diploma, as a place is not automatically offered to students who pass the Intermediate and Advanced Certificate courses. This is standard procedure. Further information about the Advanced Diploma is given during the Advanced Certificate course.
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy BACP House 15, St John?s Business Park
Lutterworth Leicestershire LE17 4HB

/>Updated June 2009
Day and time: Wednesday
Start date:
Number of sessions:
Tuition fees: £
Method of payment: Fees for short courses (10 weeks or less) to be paid in full at enrolment and for long courses (12 weeks or more) fees of 50% can be paid at enrolment plus 50% as a cheque. Course places cannot be reserved without receipt of both payments.
Half term:
Please note that there are no classes during half term Monday 15th - Friday 19th February 2010 unless otherwise stated.

Advanced Certificate in Counselling Skills(AQA) Psychodynamic Unit (Starts again Sept 2010)

Price on request