Understanding Counselling

The Institute of Counselling was founded in 1985 as a Christian based, not for profit independent educational body. It is committed to promoting pastoral care throughout the services it provides.

The Aims of the Institute of Counselling are:

The Institute provides a wide range of counselling and related courses. Students enrol with assurance and confidence on our quality courses, which are fully backed by the experience and resources of the Institute of Counselling.

In its early years the Institute offered only courses in Clinical and Pastoral Counselling, within a pastoral context. Since 1985, over 18,000 students from the UK and overseas have enrolled on these courses.

In recent years, has also produced a selection of further courses which follow the clinical person-centred approach developed by Carl Rogers and others.

The Institute is committed to providing counselling skills training to all who will benefit from the courses. On this basis a non-discriminatory policy is operated with regard to students' background, culture, ethnic origin, gender, age or creed.

Understanding Counselling

Understanding Counselling is a foundation level Open Learning course. For anyone having no prior counselling experience it is an ideal introduction to the basics of counselling.

The course is divided into five easy to follow sections giving clear insights into the basics of counselling and interpersonal skills.

The sections are:

1. Relationship Skills

2. Communication

3. Body Language

4. Gerard Egan's 3 Stage Model

5. Person Centred Counselling

The course is illustrated for clarity and is accompanied by a training video (VHS) and an audio cassette. The first four sections each include a Self Test Assignment and section 5 ends with one Tutor marked Assignment.