A 12-week part-time evening course
The person-centred approach to counselling trusts that it is the client who knows themselves best and that the counsellor’s task is not to advise or guide the client but rather to enable the client to make contact with their own inner experiencing and so find their own solutions to their problems.
Person-centred counselling skills can help us improve our personal and professional relationships through developing our ability to listen and respond to others effectively, and through increasing our self-awareness.
About the course
Based largely on the work of Carl Rogers (the founder of person-centred counselling), this course introduces you to the key aspects of the person-centred approach, including the conditions necessary for therapeutic change, the significance of the counselling relationship and the importance of self-awareness.
We explore what it means to be non-directive and introduce you to a range of foundational person-centred counselling skills. We also look at the importance of counselling ethics in shaping our practice, including issues relating to power and difference. And finally, we touch on the spiritual dimension of person-centred counselling as well as the necessity for self-care as a counsellor.
Who is this course for?
The course is open to anyone who has an interest in working with people and in finding out about the theory and practice of person-centred counselling. You do not need any previous experience of using listening or counselling skills.
If you are interested in training as a counsellor, this course acts as a suitable introductory level course which will enable you to progress on to Advanced Certificate level counselling training.
And if you have attended Network’s other evening course “Being There” (our introduction to listening and counselling skills) and are looking for another short course to develop the skills and theory you learned there, then ‘A Way of Being’ may well be for you.
What form will the sessions take?
The course runs over 12 evenings, from 6.30 to 9.30pm, and will be held at Network’s premises at Elm Park, Filton. You will have the opportunity to:
- Increase your understanding of person-centred counselling theory through weekly seminars and discussions.
- Practise and develop a range of person-centred counselling skills in small experiential groups.
- Expand your self-awareness, not only through the course as a whole but also through working on short exercises designed to gently extend and challenge your self-understanding and self-acceptance.
What additional work will I be asked to do?
You are asked to keep a personal learning journal throughout the course in order to encourage you to reflect on your learning experiences. You are also required to do a small amount of preparatory reading before each session.
In addition, you have the opportunity to complete three short written assignments – an essay and a personal development profile (both 1,000 words) and a brief self-assessment of your counselling skills. You may choose not to complete the written work, in which case you will be awarded an Attendance Certificate instead of the full Course Certificate.
Please note:
As part of the counselling course training, as well as learning counselling skills and theory you will be invited to reflect upon your own life. This can feel personal and revealing. We are looking for you to be reasonably emotionally robust. We suggest you consider the impact that significant life experiences (such as a close personal bereavement, mental health issues, personal illness or recovering from addiction) have had on your life, and how these may impact you whilst on a counselling/listening course. If necessary, we encourage you to join the training when time to rebalance has passed and you feel ready for the course.
How much does the course cost?
Course fee: £250 per person.
Concession: £220 to those in receipt of benefits.
The fee can be paid either in one lump sum or in three monthly instalments. Payments can be made by electronic bank transfer or cheque.
Cancellation policy: If a confirmed booking cancelled up to 14 days prior to the start of the course a refund of the full amount (minus deposit of £25) will be made. After 14 days prior to the start of the course the full fee remains payable. If the course is cancelled by Network at any point, all fees will be refunded.
How do I book?
Please download the applciation form (link below) and send your completed form to the Training Co-ordinator at the address on the booking form, or by email to:
Once your application has been accepted, a place will be held provisionally for you and we will send you details about how to pay. Your place will be secured and confirmed on receipt of payment.
Download an application form here: AWOB 19B Application Form
Introduction
If you are involved in any form of helping relationship – for example, nursing, teaching, support work, youth work or pastoral care – and want to develop your listening and communication skills, this course is for you. It is also a suitable introductory course for those who are considering training as counsellors.
The course is open to anyone who has an interest in working with people. You do not need any previous experience of listening to or supporting others. It is, however, important to recognise that a small part of the content of this course is Christian in its perspective and that in addition to covering the same ground that any good listening skills course would address, we also include topics that will be particularly relevant for those working in a pastoral context.
Good listening lies at the heart of any effective helping relationship and this course will enable you to identify and develop the skills you already have as well as to acquire new ones. You will explore the personal qualities needed to be a good listener, you will learn about the importance of listening to yourself as well as to others and you will be invited to embark on a gently challenging journey of self-discovery.
You will be introduced to a range of basic listening skills and will also have the opportunity to explore some of the difficulties and sensitive issues you may encounter as a listener, such as maintaining confidentiality, holding appropriate boundaries and dealing with people’s defences.
What form will the sessions take?
This is a 12-week training course that will take place on Wednesday evenings from 8th January to 1st April 2020, with a half term break on 19th February.
Each session will last for two and a half hours – from 6.30pm to 9.00pm – and will begin with a theoretical seminar (involving short teaching sessions, small group discussions and skills demonstrations). This will be followed by a short coffee break, and then a listening skills practice session in small groups led by a facilitator. Here you will have the opportunity of listening to each other in order to practise and develop the skills you are learning.
What additional work will I be asked to do?
You are asked to keep a personal learning journal throughout the course in order to encourage you to reflect on your learning experiences. You are also required to do a small amount of preparatory reading before each session.
In addition, you have the opportunity to complete three short written assignments – an essay and a personal development profile (both 1,000 words) and a brief self-assessment of your listening skills. All participants will receive an Attendance Certificate, but If you choose not to complete any or all of the written work, this will be reflected in the accompanying transcript.
How much does the course cost?
Course fee: £225 per person
The fee can be paid in one lump sum or in three instalments. Payments may be made by electronic bank transfer or by cheque (payable to “Network Counselling & Training Ltd”).
If the cost is a prohibitive factor for you, please contact the Head of Training (training@network.org.uk) to enquire about grants available.
Download a flyer here: Being There 20A – A5 Flyer
Download a booking form here: Being There 20A booking form
04 11 2019
The Impact of Childhood Complexity
This workshop explores how key issues in child and adolescent development impact on the individuals long term life course. It explores normative development in order to identify how ruptures within this process influence development and predict the complexities that adults may face in later life. This includes what makes children / young people prone to problems, such as neglect and trauma, and considers how therapeutic processes can address these concerns in later life. Drawing on robust and compelling research throughout, this workshop will offer participants a deep understanding of developmental complexity. It will also help practitioners identify sub-groups of complexity and offer rapid symptom management strategies to support clients through a longer journey of change.
By the end of the workshop participants will have had opportunities to:
- Understand the impact of interruptions to the normative life course;
- Identify the long term trajectories of those affective by trauma and neglect;
- Map key neural systems that drive change;
- Provide a range of practical interventions to reduce symptoms.
Our facilitator is Phil Harris, who has worked in the drug misuse field for over 28 years as a practitioner, trainer and manager. His extensive experience includes working, and managing teams, in frontline drug and alcohol services, street homeless day centres and mental health services. He is a visiting lecturer at Bristol University Social Policy Unit, and was advisor to the US BICEP programme, as well as to the World Health Organisation in the Balkans region. He has written over 20 scholarly articles on effective practice and has published five books on substance misuse, treatment effectiveness, family and young people with complex needs. He has also designed county-wide and residential treatment programmes for young people. Currently he is also the Lead for Psychological Interventions for a large mental health service managing complex cases, personality disorder, dual diagnosis and suicide prevention teams. Visit www.philharris.online for more information.
Refreshments
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided during the day. Please bring your own lunch. There are a number of convenience stores and food outlets in the neighbourhood, and we have kitchen facilities on site.
Cancellation Policy
Please note that we require a minimum of seven days’ notice of cancellation before the day of the workshop, otherwise the full fee will be payable. No part of the fee can be refunded for non-attendance on the day.
To book a place go to The Little Box Office or download a booking form from here:
CPD 20A Childhood Complexity – Booking Form
Download a flyer from here:
