What to expect from my counselling course?

LollieB

I've just been accepted for a foundation course in psychotherapy and counselling course and I'm really excited about it. I'm hoping to continue on after this course to eventually get my degree & become an accredited therapist. I have personal experience of attending therapy and my therapist has been very supportive & informative on the industry, accrediting bodies etc.

My question is though- what can I expect from the course itself, particularly in relation to the counselling skills and personal development modules? I understand that there is a lot of group work involved and self reflection but how does this happen in the classroom? How personal do students get when speaking about issues? I'm guessing there is a lot of role play work.

I'm asking this because I've suddenly developed a bout of nerves about the whole thing! Any info or advice would be great & I apologise if this has been asked before (from what I could see, most of the thread focused on which courses to choose).

Thank you!

sadie9

Foundation courses will cover theory of basic empathy and listening skills and maybe look at values and ethics, how we judge people, etc. It is likely there will be role plays. How real or relevant to yourself you make these is up to you. The more you put in to it the more you get out of it. You won't get a real sense of what it is like to be a counsellor or a client unless you are prepared to put yourself out there a bit.
That's why I would advocate using a real issue you have - it doesn't have to be a huge issue - just some small thing, eg. like feeling shy when you first go into a party where you don't know people. You can exaggerate a small issue you have - just so you can identify with it. For example - 'I think I am spending too much time on the internet'. Or 'I feel I am drinking too much at the weekends' type of thing.
On one foundation course I did, it was very annoying because people used ridiculous problems to role play that they had no personal experience of, or plots of films they had seen! Or maybe I was judging them too much!
As a counsellor, you will need to deal with your own issues and connect with your own vulnerability, so these role plays are a great way to begin to do that in a safe environment. So it's about balancing keeping yourself 'safe' to some extent by not disclosing too much in a classroom environment, but at the same time testing your own vulnerability a bit as well by putting yourself in the hot seat from time to time.

Vinny-Chase

sadie9 wrote: »

On one foundation course I did, it was very annoying because people used ridiculous problems to role play that they had no personal experience of, or plots of films they had seen! Or maybe I was judging them too much!

I had this as well and it just doesn't "feel" right. Pretty pointless and it serves everyone better to have a real "issue" no matter how small to work with.

OP generally you will find that the group/ class will tend to gel together and as a LOT of a foundation involves personal development there will be honest moments from people and this tends to make other people feel safe about sharing.

As Sadie said, you will get out of it, what you put in!

Best of luck