Counselling Theory for Practice: An Introduction

What will I learn?

People study Counselling Theory for a wide variety of reasons:

• Personal growth and development
• Professional people-skills enhancement and development
• Preparing for a career as a Professional Therapeutic Counsellor

Our Level 5 and Level 6 Counselling courses can enhance job applications for those that want to apply to work with people, or with the public, or for those who wish to develop skills and knowledge, and an understanding of how to best support people in a variety of settings (both personally and professionally), while also enhancing opportunities for career development and progression for those already in a working environment.   

This SCQF level 6 Counselling Theory for Practice: an Introduction course at a higher level has been designed for individuals who have some previous knowledge and experience of studying Counselling or Psychology at SCQF level 5 or above, and are aiming to develop their Counselling knowledge and skills further while gaining an understanding of the main Theoretical Schools of Counselling, and then perhaps progress towards the HNC Counselling course, and then on to the HND Diploma Counselling course or the COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills course. 

This level 6 course will introduce you to the main Theoretical Schools of Counselling and to the historical development of each while investigating these Psychodynamic, Humanistic and Cognitive Behavioural Schools of Counselling and the role of the reflective Counsellor using each approach.  This course will also introduce you to the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling.   As this is an SCQF level 6 introductory Unit to Counselling Theory, it provides underpinning basic knowledge of the Counselling theories, however, it does not, in any way, permit those who have achieved it to refer to themselves as qualified Counsellors.

What will I learn?

• You will learn about the Psychodynamic School of Counselling.
• You will learn about the Cognitive Behavioural School of Counselling.
• You will learn about the Humanistic School of Counselling.
• You will also learn to insightfully reflect, and honestly describe, your own personal understanding and skills development, and effectively apply a range of Counselling theory to practice

This course is an SCQF level 6 SQA unit with assessments attached to it.  At the end of this course, successful students can apply for the SCQF level 7 HNC in Counselling course of study, towards the SCQF level 8 HND Counselling (BACP Diploma) or the SCQF level 8 COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills.

For those who are interested in becoming a Registered BACP Counsellor, the general route is over 3 years:

• Year 1 - SCQF level 5 Counselling: An Introduction (PT Evening over 12 weeks), followed by the SCQF level 6 Counselling Theory for Practice: an Introduction (PT Evening over 24 weeks)
• Year 2 - SCQF level 7 HNC Counselling (FT Day over 1 year or PT Evening over 2 years)
• Year 3 - SCQF level 8 HND Counselling (BACP Diploma) (leads to a Registration opportunity, as a professional Registered Counsellor, with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) (FT Day over 1 year – so the HNC is essentially the first year of the 2 year Diploma)