Post Qualifying Diploma in Counselling Children and Adolescents

OVERVIEW

The Diploma will offer some creative and experiential approaches which could be used as part of the healing intervention for children and adolescents in counselling, and looks to offer some useful ideas or ways of thinking that might add to your work with young people.

We will look at the working knowledge of young people's developmental tasks; why relationships matter. We will explore the attachment styles of young people and how they help to formulate their internal working models. We will explore the law that surrounds young people and our work with them. .

The Diploma will seek to harness your creative talents and look at the different models of therapy that can inform working with young people. We will work with experiential components such as the creative use of fairy stories Psychodrama. The enchantment of the Magic shop and the journey of guided Imagery, working with dreams, and Dramatherapy. Music and Art therapy and Sandtray work.

Included in this Diploma is the importance of impact of Youth culture its drawbacks it's shared learnt meanings and its ability to offer a sense of belonging We will discuss some of the problems that face young people including bullying, race equality, isolation, drinking and drugs. In addition we will explore the potential that peer counselling has to offer young people around bullying, and look closely at its ability to support young people outside formal interventions.

The Child and Adolescent Diploma seeks always to assist the counsellor to use their special and unique qualities looking deeper into different therapeutic approaches which may, in turn, help to build a stronger sense of client/counsellor relationship.

COURSE CONTENT

• The differing attachment styles of young people and how attachment or the lack of it helps to formulate their internal working models.
• Young people's relationships and how they impact upon their lives.
• Counselling young people and the law. The Children Act.
• Models of Counselling
• Creative interventions: The use of Sand Play, Psychodrama, Dramatherapy. Music and Art therapy.
• Working with Dreams and Guided Imagery and the creative use of Fairy Tales.
• The influence Youth culture has on young people.
• Peer group counselling
• Working within schools and private practice.
• Bereavement/Sexual Abuse/School Phobia/Bullying

COURSE AIMS

• Explore the differing attachment styles of young people.
• Identify the basics of attachment theory and research.
• Understand the relevance of attachment theory.
• Understand some of the behaviours of young people that result from poor attachment.
• Examine issues of confidentiality, understanding the importance of the Law counselling Young People and the Children Act.
• Consider and experience a wide range of creative interventions for working with children and ageappropriateness of a variety of interventions
• Explore and critically evaluate a range of strategies for counselling children in relation to the specific issues
• Analyse and critically evaluate different models of therapy and their use when working with young people
• Explore and identify youth concerns, issues, needs and sub-cultures
• Examine issues, which are likely to affect children and analyse the implications of how they are likely to experience them.
• Examine working within schools and private practice and explore the importance of knowing the contents of professional codes of conduct and the purposes and limitations of the ethical and legal issues in private practice and school counselling.
• Consider issues concerned with counselling young people such as bereavement, bullying, abuse, and divorce and school phobia Conflicts at home. Depression Self-harm. Aggressive behaviour at school. Exclusion. Low self-image. Anger management. Struggles to communicate.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

• An ability to understand differing styles attachment and the impact on a young person's life.
• An ability to reference their work against the current legislation
• An ability to show competence in at least two models of counselling
• An awareness of the effectiveness of different approaches for different personality styles
• An ability to understand different cultural and social contexts that affect the child's view of the world
• An ability to make what they are doing comprehensible to both the child and anyone else who might require information as to the rationale for a particular approach and set of interventions
• An ability to reference their work against working in schools and private practice.
• An ability to address issues of bereavement and loss in ways that are sympathetic to the age and stage of the child
• An ability to work confidently and competently with compassions, in helping children deal with bullying, abuse and fractured relationships
• An ability to call on a range of creative interventions in the service of the client