Certificate in Skilled Helper Counselling and Coaching Skills

The Egan Skilled Helper Model is one of the most popular and practical models of counselling skills, guidance or coaching and is taught at many colleges and used in many formal and informal counselling settings including the workplace and voluntary helping. This model provides you with a framework for navigating through a counselling or helping session or series of sessions and helps you to refine your skills at interacting with clients most effectively.

The model consists of 3 steps or stages, further subdivided into elements that make learning and practice easier.

The first stage concerns the present, and is the phase where the client’s story or situation is outlined. This process may be straightforward or may be confusing or emotional, needing help and clarification. The helper then encourages the client to look at the beliefs and perspectives built into the story. The client is helped to focus on the central aspect of the situation or where a change can take place to greatest effect.

The second stage examines what is possible and in this phase the client starts to build visions or goals related to the preferred outcome.

The third stage consists of developing strategies to reach the preferred goal and turning them into plans of action.

The structure of the Skilled Helper model is very similar to some models of coaching and can be adapted for use by life and personal coaches. It complements many other models of counselling, talking therapy and coaching.

Two textbooks are used for the course. One provides the theory and the other is a workbook which takes students through simulated case studies and practised examples of the skills involved.

Students of this certificate course gain familiarity with the model and practice selected workbook exercises, giving details of fictitious clients, to hone important communication and counselling skills. Detailed feedback on the exercises is given by the course tutor (the amount of feedback necessary will be inversely proportional to how well the student has assimilated the necessary skills).

The fee for UK students includes the textbooks. Students outside the UK will need to buy the textbooks from an online bookstore (approx. cost GBP 60 plus postage)

Due to the nature of the worksheets, student assignments for this course must be returned by post only.