Authentic Counselling Training

Diploma in Counselling

Course Information: September 2004 to July 2006

[Under construction: 23 August 2004]

This document in all parts is copyright © Peter Hughes from the date of construction given above. Please feel free to make use of it for solely personal purposes. However, should you wish to use it for teaching, training, commercial or other purposes, you are required to ask me first.

Counselling Theory

What is written below is accurately indicative, rather than precise or exhaustive.

1. Overview of theoretical approaches

a) History of therapeutic approaches

b) Considering what is required to examine a theoretical approach (e.g. Susan Gilmore; Windy Dryden's comparison charts, etc.)

c) Freudian psychoanalysis: theory, strengths and weaknesses

d) Reactions to Freud

i) Psychoanalytical (Jung, Klein, Winnicott, Erickson, Jacobs)

ii) Behaviourist

iii) Humanistic

iv) Cognitive

e) Critiques and criticisms of therapy (Geoffrey Masson, Windy Dryden)

2. Examining humanistic approaches

a) The philosophical roots of humanistic therapy

b) The range of humanistic approaches (theory and practice), drawing from the work of John Rowan, John McLeod, Windy Dryden and Richard Nelson-Jones

c) The ethical values of the humanistic approach

d) Positioning person-centredness within the humanistic tradition

i) Historically

ii) Geographically

iii) Theoretically

3. Examining person-centred theory and practice

a) Carl Rogers, with detailed reference to the following core texts:

  • Client Centred Therapy
  • On Becoming a Person
  • A Way of Being

b) The British context, with detailed reference to the following authors:

  • Frank Lake
  • Dave Mearns
  • Brian Thorne

c) Development of Person Centredness, with detailed reference to the following authors:

  • Jerry Bozarth
  • ?? Kirschenbaum
  • Natalie Rogers

4. Reference to other counselling models

a) Gestalt (Frederick Perls, Petruschka Clarkson)

b) Transactional analysis (Eric Berne)

c) Cognitive behavioural (Windy Dryden), rational emotive (Albert Ellis), multi-modal (Arnold Lazarus)

d) Psychodynamic (Michael Jacobs)

e) Object-relations

f) Psychosynthesis (Roberto Assagioli, Pierro Ferrucci, Diana Whitmore)

g) Sub-personalities (John Rowan)

h) Personal construct (Kelly)

i) Integrative eclecticism (Gerard Egan, Sue Culley)

j) Brief counselling approaches

k) Solution focused (de Shazer)

l) Substance abuse models (Miller, Prochaska & Diclemente)

m) The use of metaphor, imagery, objects and artwork

5. Managing the counselling relationship

a) Who is the person of:

i) the client?

ii) the counsellor?

b) Management of a counselling session

i) the physical environment

ii) contracting

iii) time-keeping

iv) recording sessions and record-keeping

c) Development of the counselling relationship

i) What is considered significant by different approaches

ii) The middle phase

iii) Stuckness

iv) Concluding and terminating a counselling relationship

d) Issues of counselling in independent practice

e) Issues of counselling within organisations

i) voluntary organisations

ii) GP practices

iii) student counselling

iv) employee counselling and counselling in the workplace

f) Counselling supervision, with detailed reference to the following authors and practitioners:

i) Brigid Proctor and Francesca Inskipp

ii) Michael Carroll

iii) Steve Page and Val Woskett

iv) Peter Hawkins and Robin Shoet

h) Counsellor reflexivity

i) Further training

j) Counselling for counsellors

6. Topic-related material

a) Dying and bereavement

b) Suicide and self-harm

c) Counselling ethics and legal issues

d) Counselling in the context of mental health issues:

i) Depression - different models and approaches

ii) Eating disorders - different models and approaches

iii) Identity and personality disorders

iv) Counselling and assessment / diagnosis

v) The interface between counselling and the mental health services

vi) Counselling and medication

e) Counselling and substance abuse (alcohol, drugs and tobacco)

f) Counselling and sexuality, sexual orientation and sexual identity

g) Counselling and abuse (sexual, physical, emotional and religious)

h) Counselling, trauma and debriefing

i) Counselling across cultures (ethnic, class, age, gender)

j) Organisations involved with counselling

k) BAC counsellor accreditation

l) Job opportunities in counselling

Diploma in Counselling: counselling theory

Diploma in Counselling: personal development / self-understanding

Diploma in Counselling: counselling practice

  p.g.h@btinternet.com 

This document in all parts is copyright © Peter Hughes from the date of construction given above. Please feel free to make use of them for solely personal purposes. However, should you wish to use them for teaching, training, commercial or other purposes, you are required to ask me first.