The Diploma in Integrative Counselling is open to students who have completed The Awareness Centre (TAC) Foundation Certificate in Counselling, or who have satisfactorily completed a Certificate in Counselling with another training organisation.

Being accepted onto the TAC Diploma in Integrative Counselling means you will automatically be offered a clinical placement within the TAC low-cost service in Clapham or Tooting (open-ended therapy) or within the TAC NHS services in Lambeth or Wandsworth (6-12 sessions, short-term counselling). Supervision is provided in house for this clinical work.

The course runs from January 2021 to December 2022. Selection will take place on Saturday,17th October 2020.

Overview

The Diploma in Integrative Counselling is a two-year training is based on an integrative, relational approach to counselling and psychotherapy. The methodology combines approaches from the humanistic and psychodynamic models of counselling and psychotherapy, attachment and loss, and working short-term with clients using a solution focused model.

Students will learn how to develop and maintain a therapeutic relationship focusing on both conscious and unconscious motivators. Students will be taught how to develop this knowledge and understanding employing a variety of theories and practices, which will help them to make informed choices about appropriate interventions for the issues that clients present with.

Students will be expected to explore the theoretical assumptions underpinning each of the taught models, and to also identify and develop their own philosophy and approach to counselling which will include cultural, personal and theoretical reflection.

Students will also develop a critical understanding of research in counselling and psychotherapy and be able to incorporate this knowledge into clinical practice.

Content

The content combines humanistic approaches to counselling and psychotherapy, principally the person-centred model, and Petrūska Clarkson’s relational model of psychotherapy contained in ‘The Therapeutic Relationship’, which explores five facets of relationship:

• the working alliance
• the transference/counter-transference relationship
• the developmentally needed or reparative relationship
• the person to person or real relationship
• the transpersonal relationship.

The content also focuses on attachment theory, which is a concept in developmental psychology that concerns the importance of “attachment” with regards to personal and psychological development. Research in neuroscience and neurobiology have enormously influenced later contributors in the field of attachment theory – we will examine some of this work to further enhance students’ knowledge and understanding. We will also examine the theoretical understanding and practical application of attachment theory to clinical work around bereavement and loss.

Students will also learn about working with a range of different presenting issues, which will include working with addiction, anxiety and depression, co-dependence, eating disorders and managing risk.

The overall aim is to develop students’ abilities to become skilled practitioners in using the therapeutic relationship, core theory and applied skills to promote change.