Welcome to the Course

Welcome to the Post Graduate Certificate in Counselling Children, Young People and Families (CYPF). This post-qualifying Certificate is a part-time training programme designed to prepare practitioners to work with children, young adults (up to mid-20s) and their families and is taught from a psychodynamic perspective.

This Certificate enables practitioners to engage with contemporary debates in the field of child and adolescence with an emphasis in modules 2 and 3 on counselling in a variety of settings including schools, voluntary and statutory sector organisations, universities and colleges, primary and secondary care settings, as well as in private practice.

Module 1 can be taken as standalone CPD for anyone interested in learning and understanding more about children, adolescents and young adults. It is a good introduction to psychodynamic thought and how that can be applied in a variety of contexts e.g. schools, voluntary sector organisations.

This Certificate (modules 1,2 and 3) prepares Counsellors to work safely and confidently with mild to moderate concerns. For those practitioners (e.g. Counsellors, Nurses, OTs, Psychologists, Social Workers) working in CAMHS or equivalent, consideration should be given to the Masters in Psychoanalytic Observation and Reflective Practice: Therapeutic Work With Children and Young People (TWCYP).

Who is the course aimed at?

Practising Counsellors with a Diploma/PG Diploma in Counselling and who would like to develop their work in schools, colleges and universities.

Individuals working with children, adolescents, young people and families and who are interested in learning more about psychodynamic processes. (Module 1 only) Counsellors who have completed a Certificate in CYP and would like to develop work with the families of the children they Counsel. (Module 3 only)

Counselling Children, Young People and Families

Programme structure

The Certificate is comprised of three modules (see below) and classes generally meet from 0930 to 1700 at weekends usually one weekend a month across 6 months.

The requirement for approximately 70 hours of supervised practice in modules 2 and 3 may require students to continue with placement beyond the timescales indicated above.

The Certificate is comprised of three modules:

1. Human Development: Childhood to Young Adult 2. Theory and Practice of Counselling Children, Adolescents and Young Adults 3. Theory and Practice of Working with Families

Each module runs under a blended learning format of student-centred learning activities such as experiential workshops incorporating the psychodynamic theoretical approaches supported by Moodle based resources and skills-based framework.

Teaching and learning consists of 24 hours of teaching supported by 36 hours of individual independent learning, practice and written assessments per module. Participants must successfully complete all three modules to be awarded the Certificate.

Programme curriculum

• Child, adolescent and young adult development, Theory of Mind, Attachment Theory, developmental trauma, understanding self in relation to others in a Social World. • The theoretical background to therapeutic play and other methods of engagement including skills-based exercises. • Safeguarding, legal and ethical issues involved in working with children, adolescents, young adults and families. • Self-care and Recovery.

Progression routes

• Module 1 can be taken as stand-alone CPD. • Module 3 can be taken as an additional module for those who have completed a

Certificate for Counselling Children and Young People at a different

University/organisation.

Award

A Post Graduate Certificate (PGCert) in Counselling Children, Young People and Families is awarded on completion of the course.

The Certificate is applying for initial accreditation by COSCA (Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland) and validation by Robert Gordon University at SQA level 11.