Counselling skills are useful in all walks of life – we often counsel ourselves or a friend/family member who is going through a hard time. Maybe they need you to provide advice or to just be a good listener. Learning how to put these skills into practice could help change someone’s life as well as your own.

Maybe you’ve got first hand experience of mental health conditions and you’d like to help others, perhaps you’re a team leader or manager involved in helping people, or you run a support group which requires listening and helping others, or maybe you’re thinking of a career as a counsellor.

This course can open many doors for you get on track to supporting people in everyday life or as a career.

Topic 1: Helping relationships and communication skills

Topic 2: Essential counselling skills

Topic 3: Active listening

Topic 4: Reflecting, paraphrasing, summarising and responding to silence

Topic 5: Responding skills – questioning

Topic 6: Managing boundaries

Topic 7: Agreeing objectives for a helping

Topic 8: Endings and their impact

Study Using Counselling Skills with us and benefit from:

• Flexible learning
• Support from a personal tutor by email, phone or Skype
• Any time enrolment
• Assignments with tutor feedback
• Ongoing support from Student Support
• Forums to discuss your course with other students

learn@nec

Choose when and where you access your course, using learn@nec our 24/7 learning platform.

This easy-to-use learning platform includes interactive checkpoints, quizzes and activities to help you evaluate your progress.

You’ll have access to support from a personal tutor. All NEC tutors are subject experts, with experience of supporting online learners.

Meet Tracey who is just one of our first-class counselling tutors:

“I love what I teach and hope my students do too. Qualifications include MSocSc and Diploma in Social Science and Social Work, Postgraduate Diploma in Learning Disability Studies, Post-Graduate Certificate in Education, B.Sc. (Hons) in Psychology. A former examiner for AQA and International Baccalaureate. I also write academic textbooks and courses.”

Accreditation

• Unit accreditation towards the Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills* accredited by Training Qualifications UK (TQUK)

*Our Using Counselling Skills course covers one of four units that must be attained in order to achieve Level 2 Certification in Counselling Skills.

Format

• Online learning with support from a personal tutor

Entry requirements

• No previous knowledge is required for this course
• At least 19 years of age
• An ability to read and write in English

Hours

• Complete at your own pace
• Approx. 30 study hours, plus time for completing assignments

Assignments

• 4 assignments 
• You will also be required to complete a recorded helping conversation

Resources

• No additional set texts required

Requirements

• Internet access
• Computer operating system and browser to support learn@nec
• Audio recording/playing device or a witness to validate your helping conversation
• An adult volunteer to work with (if you choose this option)

Our course fees are open and honest to help you plan for any additional costs.

Your course fee includes:

• Access to learn@nec
• All the course materials you need to complete the course
• Support from a personal tutor for up to six months from your date of enrolment
• Assignment marking
• NEC’s guide to study skills: How to Succeed as an Independent Learner
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar guide
• Time planner to help you plan your study timetable

Optional extras:

• This course is entirely self-contained so no additional textbooks are required. However, you may find it helpful to purchase the following text for additional reading:  ‘Counselling Skills in Everyday Life’ by K Geldard and D Geldard, Palgrave Macmillan, 2003

Your course fee does not cover:

• The cost of optional textbooks