Certificate In Counselling Skills
Certificate In Counselling Skills course with author and tutor Laurel Alexander
HOW THE CERTIFICATE IN COUNSELLING SKILLS IS DELIVERED
The Certificate is offered through blended learning whereby you can start your course at any time of the year. The mode of delivery is by supported distance learning and supervised practice at times to suit. Features of blended learning:
- start your course anytime
- 1:1 tuition throughout your course
- complete the course fast-track or take up to 2 years
- access your course 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week
- self-directed learning opportunities where you learn at your own pace (with full tutor support)
- course content can be modified to include bespoke needs
- have your skills development hours when you want (weekday or weekends)
- practice your counselling skills (under supervision) with a range of volunteer clients
- opportunity to develop self-confidence with quality feedback and challenge
- work with a study-buddy
WHO THE COURSE IS FOR
This course is suitable for anyone who wants to use counselling skills as part of their work.

COURSE ACCREDITATION
National Council of Psychotherapists (NCP)
The Certificate in Counselling Skills will provide you with a professional qualification and is independently accredited by the National Council of Psychotherapists (NCP). The NCP is one of the longest established and prestigious societies of its type in the UK and enjoys an international reputation.
Student membership is included in your fee when you are accepted onto the Certificate and following successful completion of the course, you are eligible for full NCP membership.
Stage One
Pre-course reading:
- Basic Counselling Skills by Richard Nelson-Jones
Stage Two
Supervised skill development
This stage involves 30 hours of supervised skills development in Brighton, Sussex which you can have whenever you choose, weekdays or weekends, during the day or evening. You will be under supervision while working with volunteer clients using counselling skills. You will be:
- developing the use of positive body language
- developing attention and interest skills
- building rapport
- using exploration and understanding skills
- improving client motivation
- utilizing change management
- using action skills
- improving a client’s self-talk
Stage Three: Supported distance learning
You can complete Stage three and four consecutively.
Supported distance learning
The supported distance learning is designed to give you the underpinning knowledge you need in order to practice using counselling skills. Based on the pre-course reading and your own self-directed study, you complete assignments from the workbook. Completed work is passed onto your tutor for marking and comment and returned to you. Workbook modules:
Module 1: Defining Counselling Skills: Working within a counselling Code of Ethics - Counselling approaches - Core conditions of counselling - Core skills for counselling
Module 2: Showing Attention and Interest: Verbal and non-verbal language
Module 3: Building Rapport: Definitions of rapport - Matching and mirroring - Developing trust - Using empathy - Being authentic - Self disclosure
Module 4: Exploration Skills: Attention giving - Active listening - Creating space - Managing silence - Effective questioning - Permissions to talk - Structuring the beginning, middle and end of a session
Module 5: Understanding Skills: Paraphrasing - Reflecting feelings - Understanding the client’s internal frame of reference - Offering challenge and feedback - Managing resistance -
Module 6: Understanding Motivation: Basic motivational drives - High reward/low pain motivation - High pain/low reward motivation - Uncovering beliefs which affect motivation - Challenging and changing beliefs to affect motivation
Module 7: Understanding Change Management: Stages and management of change: Perceived threat - Doubt to reality - Discomfort - Choice - Positive perspective - Understanding - Integration
Module 8: Action Skills: Negotiating tasks - Goal setting - Creative thinking - Problem solving - Action planning - Evaluation
Module 9: Improving a Client’s Self-Talk: Cognitive reframing
Module 10: Coaching a Skill: How to demonstrate - How to role-play - How to rehearse
Module 11: Using Imagery: How imagery can be used - The importance of relaxation in relation to imagery - Different imagery techniques - How to prepare a client for imagery work - How to guide a client through using imagery
Module 12: Endings: Ending the process - Making referrals - Supervision
You are required to keep a learning journal throughout the course. This records your personal and professional learning experiences related to the Diploma. While your journal working is not formally assessed, it is looked at as a guide to your developmental processes.
Stage Four: Case studies and log
Case studies
You need to complete six case studies, each having six sessions. Each case study will include one assessed tele-coaching session. You complete all case studies in your own time and location, under remote or face-to-face supervision from Laurel.
Log
You will be asked to keep a log amounting to 80 hours of contact time with clients using counselling skills.
Stage Five: CPD evaluation
ASSESSMENT
You will be assessed:
- during your face to face skills development
- during telephone coaching sessions
- through regular supervision
- via assignments
POST QUALIFICATION SUPPORT
|


