The Course Program Structure
The BACP accredited course programme is run over a 3 Year period plus a short introductory course. The four corner stones of learning and assessment include theory, professional practice, skills and self-development and these foundations are developed and delivered in an experiential way throughout the training to become a professional counsellor. There is an emphasis on the development of counselling skills which is ongoing throughout the training whereby students undertake experiential practise on most course days.
The course is presented in Levels as outlined in the structure below and students progress through these levels on their journey towards becoming a counsellor.
Further details can also be found in the Course Prospectus.
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| Level | Course Certification | Hours | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2 | Introduction to Counselling | 35 | 5 Days |
| Level 3 | Certificate in Counselling Skills | 140 | 1 Year |
| Level 4 | Diploma Integrative Counselling | 300 | 2 Years |
LEVEL 2
Level 2 Introduction to Counselling is a short course designed to provide students with a taster of counselling training. This also gives the student an opportunity to experience the School’s teaching style, course structure and safe learning environment to see if they wish to continue their counselling training journey with the Life-Force School.
During this course students are introduced to Carl Roger’s core conditions and Egan’s listening and reflecting skills.
The School offers three Level 2 courses annually which start in February, May and September and these run over 5 course days fortnightly on a Sundays.
LEVEL 3
Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills is a one year course and is the first year of the Course Programme. Students study the humanistic approach from both a theory and skills perspective, along with an emphasis on the development of client-led counselling skills and personal growth. Other theories are introduced and studied including Maslow, Person-Centred, Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Loss and Bereavement.
Students are required to complete 16 hours of personal therapy during this training year.
The Level 3 course starts in January and finishes in November each year and runs over 18 course days fortnightly on Saturday’s. This also includes, as part of the training, a residential weekend in mid-June each year.
LEVEL 4
Level 4 Diploma in Integrative Counselling is a two year course and is the second & third year of the Course Programme. During the Diploma students go on to explore and theoretically integrate a range of other existential models and psychodynamic theory. Through an increased understanding of other approaches, along with growing advanced counselling skills, they are led towards developing their own integrated practise wherein humanistic interventions are progressively informed by counselling theories and the process of counselling.
Students are required to commence a clinical placement at the start of the second term of the Diploma Course and undertake ongoing supervision alongside their counselling practise. Students are also required to complete a total of 54 hours of personal therapy during these two training years. These hours, plus the 16 hours personal therapy from Level 3 making a total of 70 hours to be completed by the end of the Course Programme.
Therefore, throughout the entire course programme the student will experience the process of counselling both from the perspective of a counsellor and a client. Having undertaken an extensive clinical placement and completed 100 client hours during Level 4 students can become a fully qualified counsellor by attaining the Diploma in Integrative Counselling.
The Level 4 course start in January and finishes in November each year and runs fortnightly over 38 course days either on a Saturday or Sunday for the whole two years. This also includes, as part of the training, a residential weekend annually in mid-June.