Certificate of Counselling Psychology

Unit 1 – Introduction to Counselling

• Introduction to counselling
• What is counselling?
• The counselling role
• The purpose of counselling
• Effective counselling skills
• Personal qualities of an effective counsellor
• Self awareness and counselling
• Developing self awareness
• Values and beliefts
• Balancing personal values
• Understanding yourself
• Counselling misconceptions
• Ethical responsibilities
• Confidentiality in counselling
• Professional boundaries
• Legal considerations

Unit 2 – Counselling Approaches and Theories

• Counselling approaches and models
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
• Person-Centred Therapy (PCT)
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Gestalt Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
• Existential Therapy
• Narrative Therapy
• Family Systems Therapy
• Reality Therapy
• Interpersonal Therapy
• Mindfulness Based CBT
• Emptional-Focused Therapy (EFT)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Trauma-Focused Therapy
• Integrative Therapy
• Choosing the right counselling techniques

Unit 3 – Building a Therapeutic Relationship

• Introduction to the Therapeutic relationships
• Building a strong therapeutic relationship
• Empathy
• Unconditional postive regard
• Authenticity
• Building trust and rapport
• Managing resistance
• Handling difficult conversations
• Counselling relationship challenges

Unit 4 – Practical Counselling Skills

• Communication skills in counselling
• Active listening
• Verbal and non-verbal communication
• Attending skills
• Responding skills
• Reflection of feelings
• Overcoming barriers to communication
• Role playing
• Stucturing a counselling session
• The counselling process

Unit 5 – Mental Health and Wellbeing

• Mental health conditions and concerns
• Generalised Anxiety, Social Anxiety, and Phobias
• Depressive disorders and Bipolar
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Schizophrenia
• Psychotic disorders
• Counselling as a holistic approach
• Referrals

Unit 6 – Working With Diverse Clients

• Cultural awareness
• Cultural identity
• Cultural barriers to therapy
• Supporting diverse clients
• Adapting therapeutic approaches
• Cultural competence
• Practical strategies to support diverse clients
• Understanding bias in counselling
• Addressing bias and personal assumptions

Unit 7 – Crisis Intervention and Trauma Support

• Understanding crisis intervention
• Trauma support in counselling
• Trauma informed care
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Trauma
• Somatic Therapy
• Emotional support
• Supporting clients in distress
• Managing emotional impact

Unit 8 – Self-Care for Counsellors

• Stress management
• Stress management strategies
• Creating a self-care plan
• Preventing burnout
• Preventing compassion fatigue
• Emotional resilience
• Supervision and peer support