Counselling Skills Level 3 Proficiency Certificate - Parts 1 And 2

There are 8 lessons:

1 Learning specific skills:

• What is Counselling
• Perceptions of Counselling
• Differences between Counsellors, Psychotherapists, Clinical Psychologists and Psychiatrists
• Counselling Theories
• Empathy
• Transferrence
• Directiveness, non directiveness
• Behavioural Therapies
• Systematic Desensitisation
• Positive Reinforcement and Extinction
• Goals of Psychoanalytical Approach
• Defense Mechanisms (Repression, Displacement, Rationalisation, Projection, Reaction Formulation, Intellectualisation, Denial, Sublimation)
• Use of Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy
• Psychoanalytic Techniques
• Analytic Framework
• Free Associations
• Interpretation
• Dream Analysis
• Resistance & Transferance
• Humaniustic Therapy
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of Therapies and Counsellors
• Case Studies
• Methods of Learning
• Micro Skills
• Triads
• Modelling
• Online and Telephone Counselling
• Telemental Health
• Clinical Considerations

2 Listening & bonding:

• Scope of Listening and Bonding
• Meeting and greeting
• Creating a Safe Environment
• Location
• Time and Duration of Sessions
• Privacy in Telephone and online counselling
• Showing warmth on the phone
• The contract
• Helping the client relax
• Listening with intent
• Minimal Responses
• Non Verbal Behaviour
• Use of Voice
• Use of Silense
• Case Studies
• Active Listening
• Dealing with Silent Phone Calls

3 Reflection:

• Non Directive Counselling
• Paraphrasing
• Feelings
• Reflection of Feeling
• Client Responses to Reflection of Feelings
• Reflection of Content and Feeling
• Case Studies

4 Questioning:

• Open & Closed Questions
• Other types of Questions (Linear, Information seeking, Strategic, Reflectivew, Clarification, etc)
• Questions to Avoid
• Goals of Questioning
• Identification
• Assessment
• Intervention
• Case Studies

5 Interview techniques:

• Summarising
• Application
• Confrontation
• Reframing
• Case Studies
• Perspective
• Summary

6 Changing beliefs and normalising:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Changing Self-Destructive Beliefs
• Irrational Beliefs
• Normalising
• Case Studies
• Designing a Questionnaire

7 Finding solutions:

• Moving Forward
• Choices (Reviewing, Creating, Making choices)
• Facilitating Actions
• Gestalt Awareness Circle
• Psychological Blocks
• Case Study

8 Ending the counselling:

• Terminating the session
• Closure
• Further Meetings
• Dependency
• Confronting Dependency
• Chronic Callers
• Terminating Silent Phone Calls
• Silent Endings
• Case Study
• Other Services

There are 8 lessons:

1 The Counselling Session:

• How micro-skills come together

2 Focus on the Present:

• Present experiences
• Feedback;
• Transference
• Projection
• Resistance

3 Telephone Counselling:

• Non-visual contact
• Preparation
• Initial contact
• Use of micro-skills
• Overall process
• Debriefing
• Types of problem callers

4 Dealing with Crises:

• Defining crisis
• Types of crisis
• Dangers of crisis
• Counsellor's responses and intervention
• Post-traumatic stress

5 Problem-Solving Techniques I:

• Aggression
• Expressing anger
• Encouraging change
• Role-play
• Externalising anger

6 Problem-Solving Techniques II:

• Depression
• Blocked anger
• Referral practice
• Chronic depression
• Setting goals
• Promoting action

7 Problem-Solving Techniques III:

• Grief and Loss - loss of relationships
• Children and grief
• Stages of grief

8 Problem-Solving Techniques IV:

• Suicide - ethics; reasons for suicide
• Perceived risk
• Counselling strategies
• Alternative approach

Licentiate, Speech and Language Therapy, UK, Diploma in Advanced Counselling Skills.

Iona has been a clinician and manager of health services for fifteen years, and a trainer for UK-based medical charities, focusing on psychosocial issues, mental health disorders, and also the promotion of communication skills for people in helping roles. She tutors and facilitates groups via workshops and teleconferences, and now specialises in Sight Loss. As a freelance writer, she contributes regular feature articles for magazines, has written five published books, as well as published courses relating to personal development and counselling skills.

Iona has alslo written published books, courses and articles across a wide range of subjects, mostly in the areas of health, counselling, psychology, crafts and wildlife.

She has drawn experience from clinical and managerial experience within the NHS as well as medical and humanitarian subjects. She has been a regular feature writer and expert panel member of a national magazine for six years.

Her books include: A Guide to Living with Alzheimer's Disease (and associated dementias), The Psychology of Facial Disfigurement; a Guide for Health and Social Care Professionals, When a Medical Skin Condition Affects the Way you Look; A Guide to Managing Your Future, Facing Disfigurement with Confidence, Cross Stitch: A Guide to Creativity and Success for Beginners.

Courses written include: Mental Health and Social Work, Counselling Skills, Understanding and Responding to Substance Misuse, Journalling for Personal Development, Guided Imagery, Stress Management.

Current work includes: Tutor: Courses associated with Creative Writing, Counselling Skills, Psychology, Holistic Therapy, Certified Hypnotherapist and Hypnotension Practitioner.

Facilitator of Teleconference Groups: Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

Trainer (Skills for Seeing): Macular Society

Reviewer of Books/Information: Macmillan Cancer Support

Fundraiser: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Embroidery/Art Groups Facilitator, Board Member

Website Manager: The Strathcarron Project, Coordinator (Delaware & Tennessee) Human Writes