Diploma In Counselling

A: There are no statutory regulations that govern the use term of counsellor and so in theory anyone can set themself up in practice. Of course the IoC would never suggest such a thing and would always be advocating ethical and professional practice. Depending on the role you wish to carry out within the counselling sector, you need to consider what qualification and practice assessment is appropriate: for example to work within the NHS as a specialist counsellor, you would require a post-graduate qualifcation in a counselling model and membership of the BACP which demands 450 hours of supervised practice by an approved BACP supervisor. On the other hand, if you wish to work in the voluntary sector, then our academically and professionally approved courses (see link to the National Counselling Society on our professional affiliation's page)  allied to their own supervised practice may be sufficient for you to eventually be considered for a counselling post in the organisation. There are many routes in the world of counselling and the IoC will be here to offer individual career guidance that will give you objective and independent advice that will ensure you make the right decsion for your career aspirations.

A: The Diploma in Counselling is a first step in building the knowledge and techniques ultimately required to develop a successful career as a counsellor. It is delivered on a modular basis with module 1 acting as a solid foundation giving you an appreciation of different counselling models but focusing on the favoured model of the Institute - The Person Centred Approach as explained by Gerard Egan in "The Skilled Helper." The Diploma in Counselling is professionally accredited by the National Counselling Society at practitioner level. This is the highest level that this Society accredits a course. 

The further three modules focus on specific areas of counselling such as Grief and Bereavement, Couples and Families and Crisis and Trauma. Each of these areas can have very differing demands for the individual and the counsellor needs to have a depth of knowledge which supports helping the client in the best way. Some counsellors chose to specialise in one or more of these areas.  

The activities and assignments you are asked to submit to your Tutor for assessment and feedback will allow you to analyse the information in your workbooks thus enhancing your understanding. 

For greater detail on counselling as a career please review our FAQ section within our website. 

A: 

The Diploma in Counselling assumes no knowledge and begins with Module 1 which is a foundation course which offers the student a general understanding of counselling and an appreciation of the different counselling models. The other modules look at different aspects of counselling such as grief and bereavement, couples and families and crisis and trauma.