Counselling Skills v Counselling & Psychotherapy Course

[thriller]

Hi There,

I'm currently considering doing a Foundation course in Counselling.

In my own innocent little mind I have narrowed down my possible course choices down to:

1: NUI Certificate in Counselling Skills offered through NUI Maynooth
2: Foundation Certificate in Counselling & Psychotherapy offered through PCI college. Both courses are one hundred hours in length.

There appears to be a lot of 'Personal Development' areas on both courses which is obviously important.

If I like and adapt to whichever course I decide to undertake I would consider looking into a career in the general counselling area though at this stage I work in a totally different sector.

Therefore would it matter what course I decide to do?

The brochure for the Maynooth course states "It is important to emphasise that this is not a therapeutic course. It does not offer a professional qualification in counselling. The course will be of special interest to those who are involved (paid or unpaid) in working with people, especially those in the caring professions"

I have applied to do volunteering for a number of different organisations and am awaiting on responses from those.

Any advice on a good Foundation Counselling course or advice on trying to change career into the general Counselling area would be most appreciated.

Many Thanks.

[hotspur]

The NUI Maynooth one looks fine, however it is probably helpful to do a foundation course in an institute which you think you would like to do the further diploma / degree / masters in as both you and the staff can then better judge the fit.

As for where you might want to train here is a list of links to check out of both accreditation bodies and courses, but it doesn't include most of the university postgraduate ones.

http://www.irish-counselling.ie/inde...aining-courses
http://www.tivoliinstitute.com/profe...006_dublin.asp
http://www.pcicollege.ie/
http://www.dctc.ie/indexTraining1.htm
http://www.psychotherapy-ireland.com/
http://www.iccp.ie/
http://www.iappcare.com/
http://www.turningpoint.ie/tp_training_prof08.htm
http://www.independentcolleges.ie/fa...y_level_9.html
http://www.mqi.ie/story_more.php?id=96&pp=37
http://www.medicine.tcd.ie/psychiatr...psychotherapy/
http://www.libertiescollege.ie/pages...ity%20Care.htm
http://irishgestaltcentre.com/index.php?id=diploma
http://www.ncii.ie/course_list.htm

[thriller]

Thanks Hotspur, I appreciate your advice and the list of appropriate links.
PCI looks like a good option however I wonder if there are plans to have their diploma courses validated by the IACP?

Many Thanks.

[dumbblonde122]

Hi there,

I am in my final year of a Degree in Counselling with NCII.

They started with their foundation certificate, then Diploma and finally the Degree. You are better off doing a Foundation Course, from personal experience and like the prvious poster said, if you were thinking of continung your studies, then it would be more beneficial to stay in the same institiute as what you learn in year 2 may be too advanced in another institute.

Best of Luck withit!

[hotspur]

Originally Posted by thriller

Thanks Hotspur, I appreciate your advice and the list of appropriate links.
PCI looks like a good option however I wonder if there are plans to have their diploma courses validated by the IACP?

Many Thanks.

PCI has always had their diploma validated by the IACP. I was told by a trainer elsewhere about 2 months ago that they had lost their IACP accreditation and mentioned it here whereupon someone studying there said they then contacted the IACP and I think was told the accreditation period was up for renewal.

Judging by the number of therapists who have trained in PCI and their courses I find it hard to imagine they could lose their IACP accreditation for long. Best thing is to contact both the IACP and PCI about the matter.

[lucyluo]

The whole recognition for counselling is confusing!
Do u not have to have a psychology acredited degree before doing professional (MA) counselling course to a work as a actual counsellor??

or what do you have to have?

Psychotherapy is something else to look into to work one to one.

Childline and samaritans are great volunteer opportunities and provide intense communication courses before you are allowed to begin.

[Odysseus]

Originally Posted by lucyluo

The whole recognition for counselling is confusing!
Do u not have to have a psychology acredited degree before doing professional (MA) counselling course to a work as a actual counsellor??

or what do you have to have?

Psychotherapy is something else to look into to work one to one.

Childline and samaritans are great volunteer opportunities and provide intense communication courses before you are allowed to begin.

Short answer no. Working as a counsellor or psychotherapist does not require any psychology qualification.

What you need is a different matter, that is dependent on the professional body you belong to.

Counselling and psychotherapy are different to counselling psychology which requires the route you described above.

[alanjfinn]

You should ideally possess a great deal of Empathy and Understanding which you can only get "in the field" as it were,practical experience,and a very open mind which I find to be in short supply nowadays.

[djhunter30]

Reading this, I've also expressed an interest in a B.A Ordinary Degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy in Athlone IT. What is the general consensus on persuing such a course and the career prospects. I'm also interested in a Masters in Health Psychology in NUIG, any opinions!

[Peacemaker]

Hi Thriller
You probably don't need suggestions at this stage re foundation course, but there is an excellent course called Fein-Mheas, which is run in UL. Other ones you mention, Maynooth and PCI, are good courses too from what I hear. A good amount of personal development is what I would look for.