Diploma in Psychology, Counselling and Mental Health Course Guide

This course will provide an introduction to the broad definition of Psychology and the basic precepts of the study of Psychology. It will include but not be limited to the different approaches to the study of human behaviour, the different areas or disciplines of Psychology and specific influences on human behaviour.

This course will cover important knowledge related to the neurological basis of behaviour, including but not limited to how the biological make-up of our brain and nervous system contributes to our behaviour and a look at the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).

This course identifies different kinds of environmental influences on learned behaviour and will include but not be limited to key learning processes and theories, intrinsic and extrinsic reinforcers and the influence environment and learning processes can have on human development.

This course discusses the processes and theories of human consciousness and perception, including but not limited to the nature of consciousness, the relationship between consciousness and behaviour and the relationship between perception and attention.

This course explains the effect of personality on behaviour and will include but not be limited to personality traits, theoretical approaches to human personality, the different types of defence mechanisms and types of personality disorders.

This course takes a look at what motivates people to behave the way they do and theories that explain these motivations. It will include but not be limited to key terms used in the study of human motivation, the Behaviourist Drive Theory of human motivation, Freud’s psychoanalytical approach to human motivation as well as Maslow’s theory and the concept of self-actualisation.

This course will explore psychological development through the lifespan and will include but not be limited to the concept of nature versus nurture, the role that environmental influences have on development, Piaget’s theory of cognitive development as well as Freud’s Psycho-Sexual Stages.

This course will provide an introduction to recognising the nature of conflict and stress and why this issue affects so many people today. It will include but not be limited to the positive and negative effects of stress, the difference between chronic and acute stress and the long-term impact that stress can have on quality of life.

This course will explore how to identify and examine behaviours that are characterised as abnormal and compare and contrast these with behaviours characterised as healthy, including but not limited to the different types of mental disorders, the symptoms of schizophrenia and causes of substance abuse.

This course will take a look at social influence on individual behaviour, including but not limited to conformity in society, the different levels of parental influence and the influences of school on behaviour.

In this course, you will explore how social influence shapes the way groups behave and make decisions. By the end, you will be able to explain the key terms of group behaviour, describe how decisions are made within groups, and discuss the characteristics of social norms.

This course will provide an overview of methods of dealing with psychological problems, including but not limited to the role of the various professionals in Counselling and Psychology, the use of different psychoanalytic techniques and examples of when it is inappropriate to use different psychoanalytic techniques.

This course will provide an overview of conflict resolution skills and will include but not be limited to the different styles of handling conflict, conflict resolution techniques and factors that impact power imbalance during conflicts.

This course will provide an introduction to the development of communication skills for counselling individuals, including but not limited to the process of communication, conversation development questions, and useful communication techniques for counsellors or psychologists.

This course will provide an introduction to various methods of learning and identifying essential micro- skills. It will include but not be limited to the function and purpose of counselling, psychoanalytic techniques, key concepts of humanistic therapy and key counselling skills.

This course will provide an introduction to the skills of commencing the counselling process, including but not limited to the unique relationship between the counsellor and client, the role of listening in the counselling process and the importance of a good environment.

This course will provide an introduction to the notion of reflection of content and feelings, including but not limited to the five basic responses of non-directive counselling, paraphrasing, the process of reflection on thoughts and feelings and responses to reflection.

This course will provide an overview of different questioning techniques and their usefulness in the counselling process. It will include but not be limited to the importance of restricting questioning, the difference between open and closed questions, questions that should be avoided and the various ways questions are used in crisis counselling.

This course will take a look at various micro-skills such as summarising, confrontation and reframing. It will include but not be limited to the effects such micro-skills can have on the client, when it is appropriate or inappropriate for a counsellor to use each micro-skill and a look at Carl Rogers’s perspective on effective counselling.

This course will provide an introduction to the negative impact of self-destructive beliefs and the value of normalising in the counselling process. It will include but not be limited to the reasons for self-destructive beliefs, the components and benefits of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, case studies of normalising and the symptoms and treatment for depression.

This course will take a look at how a client can make choices, overcome psychological blocks and facilitate actions. It will include but not be limited to ways to find solutions, the process of creating, making and reviewing choices, the components of the Gestalt awareness circle and ways to overcome psychological blockages.

This course will provide an overview of effective ways to close the counselling session, arranging further meetings and overcoming dependency. It will include but not be limited to the three stages of a counselling session, the importance of time management in a counselling session and how dependency can be managed.

This course will provide an introduction to the different stages of the counselling process, and how the use of the different micro-skills can be integrated into the process. It will include but not be limited to the preparation required before a counselling session and the stages of the counselling session.

This course will provide an introduction to the dynamics of the counselling process including such phenomenon as present experiences, feedback, transference, counter-transference, projection and resistance. It will include but not be limited to the benefits of focussing on present experiences, methods to direct client focus to present experiences and ways to overcome common counselling problems.

This course will provide an introduction to the major differences between telephone counselling techniques and face-to-face counselling, and the specific skills and responses of the telephone counsellor. It will include but not be limited to the importance of boundaries and debriefing when conducting telephone counselling, techniques used to deal with problem callers and the application of telephone counselling to a psychiatric disorder.

This course will provide an introduction to the nature of crises, including but not limited to their potential effect on the equanimity of the individual and appropriate emotional and practical responses.

This course will provide an introduction to the nature of aggression in the counselling process and ways of encouraging the client to explore and refocus it. It will include but not be limited to the causes of anger and effect it has on the body, how to assist the expression of anger and methods for controlling anger.

This course will provide an overview of different types of depression that a client may bring to the counselling process and will include but not be limited to the three forms of depressive disorders and how to determine them, the relationship between blocked anger and depression, counselling techniques for chronic depression and alternative treatment approaches.

This course will provide an overview of stages of the grieving process and strategies for dealing with a client’s grief. It will include but not be limited to key skills in grief counselling, how the grieving stages can be overcome, complicated grief reactions and the strategies used to counsel a grieving child or teenager.

This course will explore the different strategies of dealing with suicide, including but not limited to assessing risk, the ethical issues involved and the different approaches to counselling a suicidal client and their advantages.

This course will provide an introduction to psychoanalytic counselling theory, including but not limited to its origins and applications and an in-depth look at the work of Sigmund Freud, Albert Jung and Erik Erikson.

This course explains the principal differences between Adlerian and Freudian theory including but not limited to key concepts of Adlerian theory, the four stages of the Adlerian counselling process and the pros and cons of Adlerian therapy.

This course describes the chief elements of the Gestalt approach to counselling, including but not limited to its application to the resolution of problems, Gestalt therapy techniques and the pros and cons of Gestalt therapy.

This course explains the principles, goals and appropriate applications of person-centred approach to counselling, including but not limited to the necessary personal attitudes of counsellors, the function and purpose of person-centred therapy and its pros and cons.

This course will take a look at Albert Ellis’s views and the evolution of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), including but not limited to the different techniques and principles of REBT, Ellis’s assumption of human nature and the ABC model for personality.

This course describes characteristics of contemporary behavioural therapy and different problem-solving techniques adopted by behavioural therapists. It includes but is not limited to the characteristics of the behavioural approach, the function and purpose of behavioural therapy as well as techniques and pros and cons.

This course discusses the role of solution-focussed counselling in modern therapy, including but not limited to the sequence followed by solution-focussed counselling, the strategies and stages used and the pros and cons.

This course explains the differences and similarities between Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and REBT, including but not limited to the cognitive disorders encompassed by CBT, key elements of Cognitive Behaviour Modification and the constructivist counselling approach.

This course will take a look at some of the personal factors that a counsellor might need to address, or qualities that might need to be developed, in order to counsel others effectively. It will include but not be limited to how the counsellor’s behaviour and level of personal growth impact the effectiveness of a therapy session with a client, the issues that can impair effective counselling and how they can be minimised.

This course will provide an overview of some of the ethical issues which arise within the profession, including but not limited to the importance of a code of ethics, the ethical values, principles and guidelines counsellors must follow and reasons for keeping client records.

This course will explore how one’s perception of the ‘self’ can influence the counselling process and the client’s relationships with others, including but not limited to the major elements of self-awareness and how they relate to your own experiences, the concepts and theories related to the shaping of perceptions and key influences on relationship formation.

This course will provide an introduction to the different approaches to personality within the counselling process, including but not limited to the various ways personality is defined, ways in which nature and nurture affect concepts such as personality and the purpose and function of different personality tests.

This course will provide an introduction to the role and importance of the counselling process, including but not limited to the main components of the emotions, the level of influence emotions can have in different areas of counselling and the role of emotional expression in the counselling process.

This course will take a look at the necessity for counsellors to have ongoing supervision throughout their professional career as they constantly strive to upgrade their skills. It will include but not be limited to the methods used for supervising trainee counsellors, the issues that can arise during the supervision process and why supervision in the counselling profession is important.

This course will provide an overview of the practice of referral and the circumstances in which it is preferable to refer a client on to another health care professional. It will include but not be limited to the responsibility counsellors have in terms of referring clients, the characteristics of different disorders considered abnormal and ways a counsellor can support clients suffering from disorders considered abnormal.

This course will provide an introduction to the spectrum of mental health, from wellness to illness, and will explore how mental illness can impair an individual’s life. It will include but not be limited to the process of diagnosis, the implications of labelling and stigmatisation and a look at the most widely used approach for understanding the development of mental illnesses and treatment.

This course will provide an introduction to risk and protective factors in the context of mental health, and will include but not be limited to the risks to mental health across different life stages, how stressful life events function as risk factors and an in-depth look at cumulative risk.

This course will provide an in-depth overview of stress, including but not limited to the types of stress and what a stressor is, the various reactions an individual may have towards a stressor such as physical, psychological and behavioural effects, and strategies that may be employed to deal with stress.

This course will explore the steps that can be taken to help support our mental health and enhance or improve our protective factors. It will include but not be limited the holistic approach to mental health and the influence of diet, physical activity, sleep and social relationships, the difference between mental distress and mental illness, key strategies to help others with mental health problems and how to complete a wellness plan.

This course will take a look at mental health in the workplace, including but not limited to the prevalence and risk factors that contribute to mental health related issues within the workplace, and the fundamental risks of poor mental health within the workplace such as absenteeism, low productivity, and stress-related compensation claims.

This course will provide an overview of suicide risk and intervention, including but not limited to the thoughts and emotions behind suicidal behaviour, indicators that a person may display when considering suicide and steps that should be taken when recognising the warning signs, and the importance of empowerment and building rapport in relation to people with suicidal tendencies.

This course will take a close look at the definition and various forms of domestic violence, as well as the identifying factors or warning signs. It will include but not be limited to the harmful effects of domestic violence on mental health, how to help yourself or others who are experiencing domestic violence, and how mental health professionals work with survivors of domestic violence.

This course will explore a variety of core theories that discuss adult development and retirement, including but not limited to key issues with an ageing population, the professionals who are trained to work in aged care and their responsibilities, and the support services currently available.

This course will provide an introduction to some of the most common forms of therapy that a counsellor or psychologist might specialise in, as well as common medications for various mental illnesses. It will include but not be limited to the key premises of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the sequence of Solution Focused Therapy and the common side effects of pharmacological treatments.

This course will provide an overview of some of the ethical issues that arise within the mental health profession, including but not limited to the process of ethical decision making, why a code of ethics is important in mental health work, mandatory vs aspirational ethics and how the needs of a therapist can interfere with the counselling process.