Diploma in Integrative Counselling

The Inter-Psyche Training Institute is pleased to announce the following programme for 2023/2024:

Course Title:

Diploma in Integrative Counselling

Time commitment:

1st Year Diploma in Counselling Study takes place on Wednesdays 1pm – 9.00pm OR Fridays 9.30am - 5.30pm during term time (30 weeks) with three Sundays per year. 2nd Year Diploma takes place on Tuesdays 10am - 3.30pm for those students having completed the Friday 1st Year OR Thursdays 1pm - 6.30pm for those students having completed the Wednesday 1st Year, also with three Sundays per year.

Cost:

£2970 per year. This is payable by means of a deposit and 10 monthly payments by standing order.

Additional Costs:

In addition to the course fees, it is a requirement that all students undertake at least 30 hours of self funded personal therapy per year.

In year 2 there is also a requirement for supervision of 100 placement hours, at a rate of 1 hour of supervision per 8 hours of counselling, at a rate of not less than once a fortnight. If the placement does not provide sufficient supervision students will need to fund any extra costs to comply with the supervision requirements.

Dates:

Course commences September

Core Staff:

Year 1: Wednesdays & Fridays - Anna Laslett-Borja & Nickan Arzpeyma
Year 2: Tuesdays & Thursdays - Lynne Greenwell & Shade Babalola

Entry requirements:

Selection for the Diploma in Integrative Counselling Training is through successful completion of a Level 3 in person Certificate in Counselling Skills In Course. All applicants need to complete the downloadable application form and attend an individual interview. Applicants for the Diploma will need to meet all the requirements for admission to the Certificate plus:

• A minimum of Level 3 certificate in Counselling Skills either at Inter-Psyche or an equivalent provider (minimum 120 hours)

Course Content:

The unique Inter-Psyche integrative model incorporates the Person Centred theory of Carl Rogers, the relational approach of Mearns and Cooper, the Psychodynamic approach and Beck's Cognitive model. We also give students a good working knowledge of phenomenological models such as the Existential Approach.

Course requirements

Training to be a counsellor is highly demanding of your time and energy and this is a particularly exacting course. Participants should be prepared to make the necessary commitment and not normally undertake other training or study for the duration of the course.

The major course requirements are summarised below, with further information in subsequent sections of the handbook: -

• Attendance: Students whose attendance falls below 80% may be required to repeat the year.  However, if due to exceptional circumstances students miss a weekend, they will be required to undertake a similar self-development workshop at their own expense. 
• 30 Hours of privately arranged individual therapy during each year of the course This must be evidenced each year with a total of 60 hours completed during the two year course.
• Personally arranged placement as a counsellor, minimum 100 hours under (see section on placement requirements and supervision).
• Participants need to set aside adequate time for study, by which we mean not just completing course assignments, but also reading. A minimum of seven hours per week is recommended in year one with more time in year two.
• Successful completion of formally assessed assignments, and additional smaller pieces of coursework, which will be set from time to time.
• Full participation in a system of continuous and final self, peer and tutor assessment.

Whilst this course is very clearly designed to be training not therapy, it should also be appreciated that personal growth and development is an integral part of counsellor training. Participants should therefore expect at times to feel personally challenged and to experience powerful, perhaps difficult, emotions. Support is available in various forms. The tutors are trained and experienced in supporting participants through such difficult experiences on the course, and to help them find the resources necessary to develop their support structures and learn from the process. There will also be support partners and/or groups, and you can also access support by your personal therapy.

The duration of the taught course is two academic years. However, we recognise that individual learning needs and life circumstances differ. Occasionally, we negotiate deferment for some students who need more time to meet the course requirements. The policy and procedure for this can be found in the course regulations on-line.

Course Learning Outcomes and Aims and Objectives:

At the end of the Course students should be able to demonstrate:

• A strong understanding of, and ability to describe, a variety of theories of change and their practical application to working with clients.
• An ability to take a critical stance to ideas and their value.
• An ability to demonstrate a range of practice skills and application of theory. Year 1 will be primarily based on role play and year 2 on evidence from client working.
• An ability to explore the implications of adherence to BACP Ethical Framework, and evidence this in practice.
• An awareness of the impact of the wider social context, especially in respect of race, class, religion, culture, gender, sexual orientation, age and disability.
• An awareness of factors that may affect counselling, such as the context of prescribed medication and non- prescribed drugs.
• A commitment to anti-discriminatory practice.
• A familiarity with a range of key literature relating to the Inter Psyche counselling integrative model.
• A basic familiarity with some aspects of research in the field, which should include an appreciation of the need for client feedback and service evaluation.
• An ability to demonstrate a basic understanding of counselling research methodologies and their use.
• An ability to consider their own personal, family, and cultural experiences and the subjectivity that these bring to working with clients.
• An ability to place the development of counselling theories into a historical context.
• An ability to explore and give a significant account of their personal learning process over time.

Skills & Personal Development

The course provides structured opportunities for students to practice counselling skills, gain competency in their judicious use and insight into the development of supportive client/counsellor relationships. There are frequent opportunities for observation, practice, feedback, discussion and review and students regularly video each other practising their skills. The course encourages participants to recognise, reflect on and reinforce their existing qualities, whilst at the same time becoming aware of areas of their lives which would benefit from further exploration. Opportunities for developing self-awareness during the course are:

• personal development groups, group supervision and community groups
• personal and professional learning journals
• personal therapy/counselling*
• informal and formal self, peer and tutor appraisals

* NB It is a course requirement that all students undertake at least 60 hours of personal therapy / counselling during the two years of the Diploma Course. This must be with a BACP or UKCP accredited therapist.

Assessment Procedures

In order to be awarded the Diploma students will need to successfully complete the following assignments over the two years of training:

1. Three essays (two in Year 1 and one in Year 2)
2. Two accounts of the counselling process based on client work, which indicates a solid integration of Integrative theory to practice
3. One co-presented seminar on a published therapeutic paper of choice. The seminar to be researched, designed and documented by the students presenting
4. One extended essay including case study
5. Two transcripts and process recordings (video in Year 1 and audio in Year 2)

In addition to this, students are required to:

• Complete 60 hours of individual therapy over the duration of the course, 30 hours per year.
• Complete 100 supervised counselling hours with clients, during Year 2 of the course. Readiness to practice will be reliant upon the successful completion of Year 1. This will also be monitored by tutors, via skills observations, during the work based learning/theory to practice components of the course. In addition, this will be evaluated and evidenced, by the tutor and supervisor appraisals and reports.
• Keep a learning journal of their personal and professional development.
• There is a course requirement of 80% attendance at all scheduled sessions.

Progression

To allow progression from Year 1 to Year 2, the student must achieve a pass in all course assignments.

If you are obliged to withdraw from the course after the first year for any reason, you would be able to defer for up to two academic years before having to complete year 1 again. Students who proceed to the end of Year 2, but who fail the Diploma requirements, will be considered for the award of Advanced Certificate.

Assessment Regulations

The Course Assessment Board consists of the Education & Service Lead in which the course is based, or his/her nominee (who shall be its Chairperson), an External Examiner, the Course Administrator, and members of the core teaching team for the course. The quorum will consist of four members, at least one of whom will be external to Inter-Psyche. The External Examiner will normally be present.

The terms of reference of the Board are:

(a) To ensure the course is conducted in accordance with the approved scheme and regulations.
(b) To review the course and its assessments.
(c) To receive reports and advice from the External Examiner and take actions as required.
(d) To receive a schedule of marks awarded to students and, with due regard to the assessment regulations, make recommendations for the awards of Certificate/Diploma in Integrative Counselling.

Opportunities for Counselling Practice

During their final year of training, students are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours of supervised counselling practice. Assistance with finding suitable placements will be given.

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