Course at a glance
Introduction
Families are ideally a great source of love, security and support, but sometimes, relationships within families can become strained and this is where family counselling comes in. Family counselling can be very helpful when family members are experiencing problems, or when parents and children are going through a separation or divorce.
Two important developments within family counselling during the past 60 years has been the systemic formulation and integrative practices which links the theory and practical aspects. In addition to the counselling approaches you will be studying, you will look at various working models and theories specific to this field will be explored, as well as the following concepts: meta-communication, genograms, triangulation, open and closed systems, reframing, solution focused counselling, goal setting and reflective practice.
Specific attention will be given to psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural and person-centred approaches, which will give students a fuller working knowledge and understanding of advanced counselling skills. In specialist counselling fields, these advanced skills are necessary in order to be able to recognise and deal with the complex range of client needs, together with being able to understand the origins of these particular emotions and possible physiological factors.
This Level 3 Diploma course is designed to follow on from and complement a basic or introductory counselling skills course. Reappraisal of basic counselling skills and core knowledge will be covered, together with a detailed examination of the five approaches or theories of counselling.
Upon completion of each unit in the course the student will be provided with an assignment, based upon short questions and answers or essay questions, to test the understanding of the course presented. This will enable the tutor to offer guidance and feedback to show how well the student has understood the content of each unit. The assignments don’t count toward the final grade as the course will be assessed by online examination.
Benefits of the Course:
Students will expect to derive the following benefits from the diploma course:
- To develop an empathy and coherence for the centric study of family counselling and its contextualisation as a specialist group therapy.
- To treat the subject as a professional discipline, providing the academic knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate for specialist study.
- To teach students an enquiring, reflective and critical approach to the study of family therapies through the discipline of counselling.
- To encourage students to reflect on their own professional practice, the norms, perceptions, values and opinions in the light of their study
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Entry Requirements
All students must be 16 years of age and above to enrol onto our Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma course.
Level 3 Diploma courses require a minimum prior learning to GCSE standard in order that students can manage their studies and the assumed knowledge within course content.
Course Hours
Approximately 20 hours per unit.
Assessment
Optional coursework and final examination.
Enrolment
Please note that you can enrol on this course at anytime.
Course Length
1 Year.
Endorsed By
Students at the college have the option to choose the awarding body of their course.
This course has been endorsed by :
Accord : https://accord.ac/
This course awarding body are recognised for their high-quality, non-regulated provision and training programmes. This course is not an accredited qualification. Your training provider will be able to advise you on any further recognition, for example progression routes into further and/or higher education. For further information please visit Accord website.
Course Content
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Unit 1: Re-appraisal, Approaches & Theories of Counselling
In this unit, the student has the opportunity to review their knowledge of counselling theories that are, the foundations for family counselling practice. In particular, consideration will be given to the concept “family cycle” which will draw on the psychological approaches of: Freud, Rogers, Skinner, Ellis, Jung and Egan. These approaches are fundamental in understanding the psychology of the practice good counselling.
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Unit 2: The Psycho-dynamic Approach Relevant to Family Counselling
This unit examines the psychodynamic approach and its usefulness in family counselling. This approach may have special significance in the context of various family attachments and potential issues that may arise. The process of change from Freud’s original theories to the more social and relationship based approaches of the psychodynamic therapies is identified and explained.
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Unit 3: The Cognitive Behavioural Approach to Family Counselling
The unit helps the student to re-explore cognitive behavioural therapy an approach that is a frequently applied in counselling. In doing so, the application of this approach to a variety of family presenting circumstances: relationships, dynamics and reasons for therapy, will be carefully explored.
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Unit 4: The Person-centred Approach
This unit helps the student re-explore person-centred therapy an approach that is a crucial foundation for family counselling. We will specifically consider the work of Maslow; Piaget and Fraud. The wider application and conceptualisation of this approach in a variety of family presenting circumstances, is explored.
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Unit 5: Ethics, Consent, Counsellor Responsibilities and Historical Background
This unit will enable the student to explore some of the many practical aspects of ethical good practice. What are ethical responsibilities; boundaries and limitations? Consent and informed consent; signposting and closure.
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Unit 6: Main Concepts
Having explored the foundations for good counselling and practice; this unit now focuses on the concepts that define the family: – shape, size, dynamic, life cycle, evolving nature and future. All of which, impact on the very nature of family counselling.
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Unit 7: Processes in Family Counselling (Part: 1)
Building on the former units, this unit, focuses on the ‘how to’ aspects of good practice in family counselling. It will explore: good assessment techniques, session planning, group dynamics; problem solving/solutions; construction of interventions, monitoring of interventions and good outcomes.
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Unit 8: Process in Family Counselling (Part: 2)
This unit continues the themes in unit 7. In doing so; the focus move towards: reasoning for interventions strategies; hypothesising of potential outcomes; the crucial tool of the feedback loop – other professional involvement and case conferencing and disclosure issues.
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Unit 9: Focus on Specific Problems (Part: 1).
In this unit we concentrate of specific problems that are the reasons for the referral or self-referral for therapy. These are: family dynamics; psychological disorder, alcoholism, illnesses. How these have been flagged up by the sessions and how they are approached and how they can be resolved or better managed.
Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma Unit 10: Focus on Specific Problems (Part: 2).
With the completion of this unit, students gain understanding of issues surrounding abuse and its different connotations within the family. The role of the counsellor in this context is explained. Relationship difficulties between parents and children are explored, along with the challenges of child alcohol and other substance misuse.
Progression
This Level 3 Family Counselling Diploma can be used to gain entry to a Level 4+5 Diploma or higher.
You can view a lit of our Level 4+5 Diplomas here: Accredited level 4+5 Diplomas
