Counselling Skills: AQA Certificate Level 3 Evening/Saturday

Course Summary:

The AQA Level 3 Certificate is designed to be delivered by experienced counsellor trainers and is wholly intended to comply with current BACP guidelines on moral and ethical practice. Therefore the AQA Level 3 Certificate is suitable for any individual whose qualification goal is to achieve professional status in counselling. It is also appropriate for candidates in work roles where counselling skills are needed: for example, nursing, teaching, social work, working in voluntary organisations etc.

Course Details:

This qualification provides:

broad based grounding in the three core theories of Counselling
insight into the effects of one of the core theories on each stage of the counselling process
understanding of how the counselling process affects the counsellor and to know how to protect themselves
proficiency in conducting counselling interviews with clients

The main objective of this award is that on completion candidates will:

Acquire a comprehensive ability in both Counselling Skills and Theory.
Be able to apply this comprehensive knowledge of theory to counselling skills practice.
Be able to identify and pursue further career development in their own professional field or personally.

Aims and Objectives.

In this specification the core unit addresses all three main core models, candidates will learn the key concepts of each and also compare and contrast the effects of different core theories on the counselling process. On completion of this the candidate is able to make an informed choice of core theoretical orientation for his or her own progression to counselling competency.
At NESCOT, the full certificate is comprised of the core unit, and 2 further units of study as follows:
Unit 1. Psychodynamic Theory

Aims and Objectives.
The purpose of this unit is to provide the candidate with a comprehensive understanding of Psychodynamic Theory and concepts. The first part of the unit focuses on key theorists and concepts. When the candidate is sufficiently familiar with the approach, they are engaged in applying theory to practice, through experiential work and the exploration of role-plays and case studies. The purpose is to achieve a degree of competence in the arena of Psychodynamic counselling. The unit is designed to equip candidates with the necessary language and understanding and will serve as a foundation for candidates wishing to study Psychodynamic Theory in greater depth and those seeking placements with a Psychodynamic orientation. It will also enhance their appreciation of the Humanistic School of Counselling.
The aim is to integrate these three main strands:

Freud
Object Relations
Existential Phenomenological approach into sound counselling theory and practice.

Unit 2. Theories of Loss and Grief

Aims and Objectives.

This unit will provide candidates with knowledge of some of the key theories relevant to working with loss and grief. The unit also seeks to link the theories to the different models/schools of counselling.
The aims of the unit are to:

investigate and develop the work of loss and grief theorists, and compare the models used in loss and grief counselling
develop insight and understanding into the ways that grief is manifested in the ‘grieving processes
practise counselling skills which may be relevant to different contexts of loss and grief.

Teaching and learning strategies:

This will consist of a variety of lectures, group exercises/discussions, role play/skills practice and occasional student presentations.

Assessment

The core unit only:
Learning and Reflective Journal of coursework content. (Journal entries up to 800 words) (Internally Assessed)
An essay of 2000- 2500 words which will compare the different theoretical approaches and how they effect the outcome of the counselling process (Internally Assessed)

Practical role-play assessment of a complete counselling interview. (Internally Assessed)
A two hour externally assessed examination of a case study scenario set by AQA. (Externally Assessed by AQA)

Assessment

Unit 1 and unit 2.

Learning and Reflective Journal of coursework content. (Journal entries up to 800 words) (Internally Assessed)
An essay of 2000- 2500 words which will compare the different theoretical approaches and how they effect the outcome of the counselling process (Internally Assessed)
Practical role-play assessment of a complete counselling interview. (Internally Assessed)

Career Progression:

Psychodynamic Diploma/BA at NESCOT (subject to interview). Entry to Professional counselling training at other colleges.