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Course Title

Higher Professional Diploma in Counselling

Who is the course for?

The course is for those who wish to train as Professional Counsellors and the core counselling model taught on the course is the Person-Centred Approach. Therefore, the course is designed for those who wish to become Person-Centred Practitioners on qualification. However, candidates will also become familiar with the theory and skills used in 2 other counselling models; Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (an approach which is favoured by NHS employers) and The Existential Approach.

The course is an Entire Package

The fee for the course offers you an entire package which includes:

• 30 hours of Personal Counselling during your 1st year with a Qualified Counsellor; confidential and external to the course
• The opportunity to work in our ‘in house’ Counselling Community Agency as a Volunteer Counsellor.
• External Supervision during the course with a qualified and experienced Supervisor, which will ensure coverage of your practice to BACP requirements.
• The annual compulsory Residential Weekend.
• With tutor support, the opportunity to apply to present your Group Research Project at the Annual BACP Research Conference (sub-groups of our students successfully applied to present at the conference in both 2006 and 2007; an additional bonus to their CVs).
• BACP Course Accreditation, which makes BACP Practitioner Accreditation an easier process and assures you of the quality of our training.
• Annual Quality Assurance Inspection by Lewisham College.
• Professional development opportunities while on the course through our Study Buddy Scheme.
• Ongoing career and professional development opportunities with us on qualification.

Entry Requirements

• You will need to be at least 21 years of age.
• You must have oral and written Level 4 English communication skills.
• You must hold a BTEC National Diploma in Counselling Skills or its equivalent.
• Internal Applicants: Must have tutor recommendation to progress and complete both an Internal Progression Form and an Initial Assessment Form which must be submitted with your Internal Progression Form.
• External Applicants: Must complete both an Application Form and an Initial Assessment Form which must be submitted with your Application Form and you are required to attend an interview with one of the HPD tutors.
• Successful applicants must be willing to attend a group Induction & Enrolment Day which is held in July before the start of the course in September.
• Late Applications: These will be considered in some circumstances.

Course Description

This course engages you in a vigorous experiential and self-explorative learning process and you must be willing to commit yourself fully to the personal, professional, theoretical understanding and academic developmental process. The course is highly life changing and enhancing but such transition can be difficult and emotionally painful.
The course will equip you with the skills, insight, knowledge, attitudes and self-awareness required to become an effective and ethical practitioner who can support clients with a wide range of difficulties and issues and who are often vulnerable and may be facing a life crisis. There is a very strong transcultural and transracial dimension present throughout the duration of the course which will enable you to work with diversity and with clients from all walks of life.

The Units of the Course

The Course consists of 12 Units, which are:

• Counselling Theory
• Counselling Skills (Counts as 2 Units)
• Personal Development
• Professional Development
• Supervision
• Client Work
• The Person-Centred Approach (The Course Core Model and Unit of
  Practice)
• Existential Counselling (Unit of study not practice)
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (Unit of study not practice)
• Counselling and Mental Health Issues
• Counselling Research

Experiential Diversity Training

“A specific and embedded aspect of our counsellor training which focuses on the intra and interpersonal experiential exploration of the obvious/known and/or the latent or ‘unconscious’ fears, prejudices, stereotypical views and beliefs we hold in relation to human diversity; which participating individuals (including tutors) may have inherited or absorbed from significant others, society itself or from any other distorted life experience. This training also explores the impact of belonging to either an ‘oppressed’ or an ‘oppressor group’ and how we can minimise the impact of such ‘isms’ within our psychotherapeutic practice through the development of conscious awareness and personal and interpersonal honesty and open discourse.” (Chris Brown, 2009)

Assessment Methods

Assessment is continuous throughout the course and you build an extensive portfolio of evidence which includes case studies, essays, client and supervision logs, video recordings, a group research project and personal and professional development work.

Awarding Body

City & Guilds
The Course is also accredited by the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP).

When does the course run?

The 1st year of the course starts at the beginning of every academic year in September.

This year 2010/11 the course starts on Monday September 13th.

The course runs for 2 years and you will study for 450 course hours over this period; but you will also need to study for 15 additional hours at home per week which includes a number of practice hours in a Training Placement within a counselling Agency.
There is also an annual compulsory Residential Weekend which focuses on your personal self-awareness development.

What does the course cost?

Year 1: £3260 (£3200.00 + Annual Registration Fee of £60.00)
Payable by a deposit of £1060 followed by 10 payments of £220 from 1st October - 1st July

Year 2: £3060 (£3000.00 + Annual Registration Fee of £60.00)
Payable by a deposit of £860 followed by 10 payments of £220 from 1st October - 1st July

The Registration Fee provides you with access to all College facilities and student services such as the Reference Library and the Lending Library.

There are no concessions on counselling courses but a payment plan can be arranged to spread the cost of the course.

Progression Opportunities

You will be a Qualified Professional Counsellor on successful completion of the course and will be able to work as a Counselling Practitioner, and will provide access to further training and qualifications.