Course Fee: $459 (Canadian currency)
This practical, informative and stimulating course will introduce the student to essential counselling theories, qualities, techniques and skills. It will help you better understand the counselling process, and will help you to develop a relationship with clients that is helpful, therapeutic and meaningful.
In addition to developing effective listening skills, you will learn how to use basic counselling microskills to convey empathy, and to support, the client. These will also assist with the exploration process so the client is able to better understand, and effectively deal with, the challenges of life. The college teaches and uses Egan’s The Skilled Helper Model.
There is no prior knowledge or experience required to embark on this rewarding certificate course. You are free to commence at a time that suits your schedule – and then continue at your pace for a period of six months. Full tutor support is provided for this course.
SYLLABUS
Module 1: Introduction to Counselling Skills
Topics Studied
• What is counselling?
• The therapeutic relationship
• The therapeutic process
• The shadow side of counselling
• The counsellor’s emotional world
• The Johari Window
• Using non-verbal skills to manage aggression
• Counselling skills practice
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Describe the essential qualities in a therapeutic relationship
• Communicate effective understanding
• Appraise their emotional world
Module 2: Exploring Effective Listening Skills
Topics Studied
• Developing effective listening skills
• Uderstanding and applying active listening
• The use of questions in counselling
• Poor listening
• Faulty listening
• Developing appropriate responding skills
• Reflective skills practice
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Describe what is meant by active listening
• Illustrate what is meant by poor and faulty listening
• Analyse effective responding skills
Module 3: Acquiring and Using Microskills
Topics Studied
• Reflection
• Paraphrasing
• Summarising
• Challenging
• Confronting
• Immediacy
• Appropriate counsellor self-disclosure
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Employ reflecting, paraphrasing and summarising
• Justify the use of challenging and confronting
• Assess the use of immediacy and appropriate counsellor self-disclosure
Module 4: Introducing Egan’s The Skilled Helper Model
Topics Studied
• Introducing Egan’s The Skilled Helper Model
• Stage 1: The present scenario
• Stage 2: The preferred scenario
• Stage 3: Strategies and skills
• The shadow side of the skilled helper model
• Focus on the counsellor
• Brushing up on communication skills: Effective listening
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Connect Stages 1,2 & 3 of Egan’s The Skilled Helper Model
• Predict the influence of the shadow side of Egan’s The Skilled Helper Model
• Examine the skill of tuning into, or attending to, the client
Module 5: Applying Egan’s The Skilled Helper Model
Topics Studied
• Reviewing the counselling relationship
• Solution-focused helping
• Facilitating perseverance in the client
• Reviewing Egan’s The Skilled Helper Model
• Applying Egan’s The Skilled Helper Model
• Some final thoughts on Egan’s The Skilled Helper Model
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Relate Egan’s the Skilled Helper Model to a Solution-Focused Approach
• Produce guidelines to facilitate perseverance in the client
• Illustrate how to effectively use Egan’s The Skilled Helper Model
Module 6: Ethics in Counselling
Topics Studied
• Ethical framework for good practice in counselling
• Ethical principles for good practice in counselling
• Essential counsellor personal moral qualities
• Providing a good standard of practice and care
• The role of counselling supervision
• Brushing up on key counselling skills: Confronting prejudice
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Defend the ethical principles associated with good practice
• Describe the personal moral qualities associated with good practice
• Critique what is meant by a good standard of practice and care in counselling
Suggested textbook for the course (to be purchased by the student)
Egan, G. (2018). The skilled helper: A problem management and opportunity development approach to helping (11th Ed.). Brooks Cole/ Thomson: London.