The CPT Advanced Diploma in Counselling Practice ( 450 g.l.h.) (NCPS Accredited)

SYLLABUS:

UNIT 1: FOUNDATION UNIT CORE THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO COUNSELLING & PSYCHOTHERAPY (90 HOURS)

Person-centred/Humanistic Counselling

• Maslow- hierarchy of human needs
• Carl Rogers and the person-centred approach
• Contemporary developments and theorists of the humanistic approach.
• Therapeutic alliance
• Congruence/Incongruence
• Psychological contact
• The Counselling Process Model
• Empathy / Advanced Empathy
• Humanistic Existential view of the human condition
• Self-actualisation
• Core Conditions
• Conditions of worth
• Unconditional Positive Regard
• True self/Ideal Self
• Working with levels of competence
• Self-Awareness
• Phenomenology and Existentialism

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

• Personality theory of Aaron Beck
• Faulty thinking and maladaptive interpretations
• Albert Ellis and REBT
• The ABCDE Framework
• Behaviour and Cognitive Restructuring
• Contemporary Developments and CBT theory
• Language and terminology in CBT
• Conditioning
• Irrational Beliefs – Debating/Disputing Irrational Beliefs
• Setting homework and other CBT techniques
• Goals/target
• Structuring endings and contracting
• Referring Ethically

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

• Freud and Freud’s model of the mind
• Id, Ego, Super Ego
• Functions of the Ego
• Psychosexual stages of development
• Defence Mechanisms
• Transference/Countertransference
• Making interpretations
• Resistance and bringing to awareness
• Strengths and weaknesses of psych.D counselling
• Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development
• Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious
• Melanie Klein’s Projective Identification and Splitting
• Winnicott – the nursing triad
• Triangle of Insight
• The hidden self and unfulfilled self
• Risks in relation to competence
• Margaret Mahler, Bowlby and Ainsworth
• Attachment theory
• Psychoanalytic Theory
• Object Relations Theory
• Social Learning Theory

Unit Assessment:

• 12 (min) Reflective Journal (800 words per learning day)
• Written Assignment 1: Essay (2,500 – 3,000 words)
• Practical Skills Role Play (Formal assessment in Therapist, Client and Observer Roles)

UNIT: APPLICATION OF COUNSELLING THEORY (OPTION UNIT)(40 HOURS)  

(APPLICATION OF CHOICE OF PERSON CENTRED COUNSELLING, PSYCHODYNAMIC COUNSELLING, OR COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL COUNSELLING)

Unit Assessment: 

• 4 Learning Journals (800 words applying core theory to practice)

UNIT SUPERVISION SKILLS (50 HOURS) (OPTION UNIT)

• Models of Supervision:

o Hawkins and Shohet – formative, normative, restorative)

o Inskipp and Proctor

o Kadushin

o Carroll

• Supervision as a developmental model
• Key issues model
• Training model
• Case material for supervision
• Skills for presenting material in supervision
• Model specific supervision (Psych D, CBT, PC, ST)
• Purposes of supervision
• Tasks of Supervision
• Review challenges to ethical practice when presenting case material in supervision (individual and group)

• Confidentiality [especially in regard to suicidal client, drug trafficking, terrorism]

• Dual Relationships
• Contracting –
• Mental Health Act
• Develop an action plan from 3 recent supervision sessions
• Responsibility of client work
• Responsibilities of supervisor ; responsibilities of supervisee
• Ethical Framework for Supervision
• Health and Safety in regard to aggressive or violent clients: risk assessment, anger in the therapy room, de-escalation

• Health and Safety in the counselling premises/ working in high risk areas

Unit Assessment:

• 3 Reflective Journals
• Action Plan
• Professional Development Plan

UNIT: APPROACHES TO BRIEF THERAPY (50 HOURS) (OPTION UNIT)

• Clarify the term brief therapy
• Key components of models of brief therapy

o Depth Orientated

o Transference Focused

o Solution Focused

o Strategic Focused

• Key ideas that the major schools of counselling and psychotherapy hold in relation to brief therapy

• Counselling skills for brief therapy
• Key challenges to ethical practice when working in a time-limited way
• Key risks to the:(a) counsellor (b) clients
• Self-awareness in working with brief therapy

Unit Assessment:

• 3 Reflective Journals
• Presentation
• Practical Role-play Assessment (Observer, Therapist, Client roles)

UNIT: APPROACHES TO COUPLES COUNSELLING (50 HRS) (OPTION UNIT)

• Clarify the term couples counselling
• Key components of models of couples therapy
• Key ideas that the major schools of counselling and psychotherapy hold in relation to couples counselling

• Counselling skills for couples counselling
• Assess the use and application of counselling skills for couples counselling
• Key challenges to ethical practice when working with couples
• Assess potential key risks to the:(a) counsellor (b) clients
• Self-awareness in working with couples

Unit Assessment:

• 3 Reflective Journals
• Practical skills role-play assessment

UNIT: COUNSELLING IN CONTEXT FOUNDATION UNIT 2 (50 HOURS)

• Trans-cultural perspectives in counselling practice
• Identity, culture and ethnicity
• Counselling in healthcare settings
• Educational counselling
• Gender counselling
• Sexual orientation counselling
• Anti-discrimination practice
• Counselling in the workplace
• Bereavement and grief counselling
• Counselling in the voluntary sector
• Counselling victims of major disasters
• Economic, social and political issues
• Group counselling
• Counselling the elderly
• Drugs and substance abuse
• Ethical dilemmas inherent in the practice of counselling within a multiplicity of contextual settings
• Health and Safety

Unit Assessment:

• 3 Reflective Journals
• Written Assignment
• Presentation & Discussion Group

UNIT: INTEGRATING THEORY AND PRACTICE FOUNDATION UNIT 3 CORE THEORY MODEL: E.G. SCHEMA THERAPY (60 HOURS)

• Summarise key concepts of Core theory (Schema Therapy)
• Contributions of the different theorists associated with Schema Therapy
• Self-awareness in relation to Schema Therapy
• Describe & evaluate the interventions of Schema Therapy
• The key strengths, challenges to & limitations of Schema Therapy
• Skills required to establish the counselling relationship within Schema Therapy
• Evaluate the skills required for evaluating and concluding the counselling relationship within Schema Therapy

Unit Assessment:

• 4 Reflective Journals
• 2 Structured Writing Assignment

UNIT: EVALUATING COUNSELLING PRACTICE FOUNDATION UNIT 4 (50 HOURS)

• Research methods
• Process recording
• Conducting a meaningful enquiry into candidates’ own counselling practice, through work-based learning
• Outcomes evaluations – process, self-report, value of outcomes to imp
• Reflecting on practice
• UK and EU business systems, procedures
• UK and EU requirements for counselling practices and practitioners

Unit Assessment:

• 3 Reflective Journals
• Written Assignment

UNIT: THERAPEUTIC PRACTICE FOUNDATION UNIT 5) (50) HOURS)

• Ethical considerations and decision-making
• Healthy & Safety issues
• Client contracting
• Legal issues e.g. record-keeping, data protection
• Role of Supervision & Ethical Practice
• Supervisor – Counsellor working alliance
• Contribution & effectiveness of supervision with regard to counsellors’ & clients’ needs.

• How development of self-awareness contributes to the effectiveness of the therapeutic relationship & process

Unit Assessment:

• 3 Reflective Journals
• Written Assignment

UNIT: COUNSELLING PRACTICUM FOUNDATION UNIT 6 (50 HOURS)

• Working within legal & ethical requirements as a counselling practitioner
• Knowledge & understanding of a professional ethical framework & its application to counselling practice

• Respond effectively to complex client issues & ethical dilemmas
• Professional issues for the candidate in regard to counselling placement
• Potential areas of conflict between the candidate & counselling placement
• Effects of using supervision on own practice

Unit Assessment:

• 4 Reflective Journals
• Written Assignment

To be Completed during 100 client hour placement.

• Supervision log
• 2 Supervisor’s Reports at 3 months & final at 100 client hours
• Study of Supervised Practice (to be completed as a result of 100 hours of counselling placement)

Notes:

Total number of guided learning hours = 450 hours

This course is delivered over two years.

Additionally, the counselling placement = 100 client hours

Download a revised list of the dates for 2024-2025 here

Download the above syllabus here