Health Professions & Social Services
Counselling For Beginners: Level 6
Campus Sighthill Campus
Qualification SCQF Level 6
Study mode Evening
Start date
Jan 2025
Course enquiry form
Course overview
Counselling for Beginners is appropriate for adults aged 18 and over seeking to develop a career in counselling. It is also suitable for those interested in gaining counselling skills and knowledge for other related fields, health and social care, education, guidance and mentoring, peer support and community work.
Counselling for Beginners is a prerequisite requirement for everyone wishing to apply for Edinburgh College’s HNC in Counselling.
The next Counselling for Beginners classes will commence the week beginning 20 January 2025. Applications will open on Tuesday 29 October 2024 and close on Tuesday 19 November. We expect high demand, so please return your application as soon as possible.
What you will learn
The course aims to teach you skills to be with people in a listening role, develop your self-awareness and understand the theoretical underpinnings of counselling approaches. The course includes a combination of lectures, reading, written work, group exercises and applied skills practices. Topics include:
- What counselling is, and where and how it is offered in Scotland
- What differentiates counselling from other forms of helping relationships
- Introduction to the most well-known theoretical models of counselling, including psychodynamic, person-centred and cognitive and behavioural therapies
- Counselling skills including active listening and responding
- Ethical considerations including confidentiality, safeguarding and professional boundaries
- Self-exploration and personal development in a group setting.
Placement information
- There is no requirement for a placement on this course but you are strongly encouraged to become involved in working or volunteering in an area which involves forming helping relationships.
How the course is assessed
- This course has five mandatory assessments. These include two written assessments of 1000-1200 words each, one group presentation, one individual presentation and a practical skills demonstration.
- Academic referencing must be used in all written assessments.
- Assessments must be uploaded via Moodle, the college’s online learning platform. Edinburgh College uses Turnitin, which screens student work for plagiarism including inappropriate use of AI technology. Where there is evidence of plagiarism, work will be returned to students for remediation, or may be failed.
Number of days per week
- The course will be 3 hours a week for 18 weeks, meeting either in the afternoon or evening. Further information about dates and times will be made available as soon as possible.
- It is expected that you will commit roughly 3-4 additional hours per week outside of contact time, reading, preparing assessments and maintaining your learning journal.
Entry requirements
- You must have left secondary school education and must be over the age of 18 when the course starts.
- You must be able to demonstrate at Interview/Selection that they can undertake study at level 6.
Please use your personal statement in the application form to outline why you want to take this course and to provide the details of relevant education, work, volunteering and/or personal experiences which will demonstrate your understanding, applicable skills and interest in the fields of counselling and mental health and wellbeing.
English Proficiency Requirements
You must have English language proficiency of IELTS Level 5.5 or above.Progression and Articulation Routes
- HNC in Counselling, other Further Education HNC/HND Counselling courses COSCA’s Certificate in Counselling Skills.
- Other HNC-level courses in related Health and Social Care fields.
Please note that completion of Counselling for Beginners does not automatically ensure entry into the HNC in Counselling. This will be subject to performance and engagement in Counselling for Beginners and an interview/group assessment.
Study Options
| Campus | Study mode | Start date |
|---|---|---|
| Sighthill Campus | Evening | 27/01/25 |
