CPCAB Certificate in Counselling Skills (Level 2)

Who is the course for?

This unit/qualification is for candidates who:

• Want to become competent in the use of counselling skills to help others – either in a voluntary or an employed situation
• Who want to take the first step in training to be a counsellor

About CPCAB:

CPCAB (The Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body) is a UK awarding body that is managed by professional counsellors, trainers and supervisors. Now in their 18th year of operation, they are the only awarding body in Europe to specialise in the field of counselling. They are one of the largest awarding bodies in this field. All CPCAB qualifications have been updated and revised in 2010 to reflect the most recent research findings on the effectiveness of counselling and to anticipate the proposed requirements of statutory regulation.

What will I study?

Students will study the following subjects (based on the learning outcomes of the CPCAB):

• Use counselling skills ethically & safely
  • Use counselling skills within an ethical framework
  • Work within personal limits of ability
  • Enable the helpee to find additional sources of support where appropriate
• Establish and sustain the boundaries of the helping role
  • Establish boundaries as a helper in a particular setting and within the limits of time available
  • Establish the nature and limits of confidentiality for helping work
  • Maintain the boundaries of the helping role throughout the session
  • End the helping interaction appropriately
• Work empathically as a helper
  • Define empathy
  • Identify and explore differences between self and others
  • Explore and challenge personal issues, fears and prejudices
  • Communicate empathic understanding
• Focus on the helpee’s needs and concerns
  • Enable the helpee to identify and focus on their concerns
  • Identify own feelings in order to set them aside and focus on the helpee
  • Work with the helpee to meet their objectives
• Use self-awareness in helping work
  • Describe how reflecting on own personality increases self-awareness
  • Describe how reflecting on own personal history increases self-awareness
  • Describe how reflecting on own patterns of relating increases self-awareness
  • Use self-awareness to inform helping work
• Use a range of counselling skills to facilitate the helping interaction
  • Demonstrate appropriate use of a range of listening and responding skills to facilitate the helping interaction
  • Demonstrate appropriate use of questions
  • Demonstrate sensitivity in timing responses and staying with silence
• Use feedback and reflection to enhance counselling skills
  • Use reflection and feedback to assess personal progress and identify learning needs
  • Use feedback skills to provide constructive feedback to other learners

Assessment:
This qualification is assessed via student portfolio and one externally assessed written paper, the assessed paper is a written report which will be done following watching a CPCAB DVD and is undertaken under exam conditions.

How will the course be delivered?

The course will be delived in the University Centre on the main campus in Blackburn

Course Entry Criteria

This qualification is not suitable for those who are currently in a state of severe emotional difficulty or severe psychological confusion as the course involves personal disclosure and personal development activities. An informal chat with the course leader is required before any candidate will be accepted onto the course.

Please note that this course will not teach candidates how to be counsellors, but it will give them counselling skills that are useful in a variety of roles (and may help them to decide whether or not they want to train as a counsellor). Roles might include key working, care assistant, support worker or teaching assistant. Areas of work could include mental health, the homeless, substance misuse, education and health and social care.

Participants must be over the age of 18 (as stipulated by CPCAB)

The college operates a no refunds policy as detailed below. Cancellations and transfer requests are subject to the following conditions:

• More than 4 weeks notice – no charge
• 4 weeks notice – 30% of the cost
• 2-3 weeks notice – 50% of the cost
• 1-2 weeks notice – 75% of the cost
• Less than 1 weeks notice – 100% of the cost

All cancellations must be made in writing and are subject to a £10 administration charge. The full fee’s policy is available on request.

What will I get at the end of the course?

Certificate in Counselling Skills accredited by CPCAB at Level 2

What can I do next?

This Level II Introduction to Counselling Skills course is the beginning of a pathway leading to one of two recently established Foundation Degrees – Counselling with Brief Interventions and Counselling with Coaching and Mentoring. Direct progression from this course would be to the Level III Certificate in Counselling Skills (thereafter moving through to one of the Foundation Degrees). Following completion of Level III, the next stage would be CPCAB’s Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. The course leader will advise each student personally as to their best educational route.

How much does it cost?

The course fee for enrolment onto this course is £650.00 (inclusive of CPCAB registration fees).

(Prices subject to change)