Overview

Our FdA Counselling course provides professional training and equips you with a sound theoretical framework and the practitioner skills required to work safely and effectively as a counsellor. The programme adopts a personal-centred approach with aspects of psychodynamic and cognitive behaviour therapy explored as comparative approaches.

You are required to undertake a minimum of 100 hours of supervised clinical practice with a recognised counselling agency, and undertake a minimum of 20 hours (10 hours in each year) of personal therapy. You are expected to attend two mandatory weekend workshops each year, for which there is a fee.

This is an award of Teesside University delivered in partnership with Redcar and Cleveland College, Stockton Riverside College and Darlington College. Days and times to be confirmed.

Course details

The program consists of core modules, personal and professional development, and work-based practice.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

This module is an introduction to the principles and practices of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) as applied to practice in counseling settings. The module formulates mental distress and disturbances within the CBT framework and draws on current evidence-based practice through reference to the NICE guidelines. You explore the psychological formulation and intervention skills of CBT practice.

An important feature of the module is the emphasis on collaborative working with clients.

Counseling Skills Practise

This module develops your counseling skills to prepare and support you for external supervised work experience with a counseling agency and to continually develop your counseling skills and personal qualities.

Developing Skills for Professional Practise

This module develops your knowledge and understanding of the BACP Ethical Framework for good practice in counseling and psychotherapy, which outlines the values, principles, and personal moral qualities which underpin ethical practice. You then begin to practice counseling skills working with peers to develop a professional framework for practice.

Foundation of Personal and Professional Practise

This module introduces you to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy so you are better informed when you have to make important decisions that can affect the possibility of achieving your career goals.

In addition, you are introduced to personal development planning and a range of study and transferable skills that are relevant to your foundation degree program.

Personal and Professional Development

This module develops your personal understanding of self in relation to the core theoretical model.

It provides an unstructured group similar to Rogerian encounter groups, which promote congruent communication, empathic understanding, and acceptance of self and others.

You learn to manage and cope with situations that vary in complexity and predictability and develop the personal moral qualities inherent in the BACP ethical framework, including:
- humility (the ability to assess accurately ones’ own strengths and weaknesses)
- resilience (the capacity to work with clients' concerns without being personally diminished)
- integrity (commitment to being moral in dealing with others)
- sincerity (a personal commitment to consistency between what is professed and what is done).

Person-centred Theory and Practise

You develop your knowledge, understanding, and application of a core theoretical model – the person-centered approach developed by Carl R Rogers and part of the Humanistic School of Therapy.
You focus on the qualities of the therapeutic relationship as the primary vehicle for therapeutic change and the key concepts of Rogers’ theory of personality and practice with particular emphasis on the self-concept, organismic self, ‘necessary and sufficient conditions, the therapeutic process, ethical practice, and professional issues.

How you learn

Modules are taught through a combination of lectures and seminars. In lectures, specific information is delivered to larger groups while, in the smaller seminar groups, you can explore issues in more depth supported by independent study.

There will be two mandatory weekend workshops for each year of the course, which will cost students £30 per weekend (provisional) and is payable upon enrolment. The dates of these weekends will be confirmed during induction week.

How you are assessed

A wide variety of assessment methods is used on the course. These include written assignments, essays, case studies, group work, and individual presentations and portfolios.

Career opportunities

Your employability skills will be directly addressed through the professionally related curriculum of the program in relation to the requirements of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and through the professional reflection aspect of assignments.

This course will allow you to consolidate learning in practical counseling techniques, informed by the theory of counseling practice. We hope that you will be able to develop skills and training and add to the knowledge and skills base in order to develop as professionals. Graduates will also be encouraged to work towards accreditation with the BACP.