Specialist Training For Counsellors

Specialist counselling skills deal with a huge range of issues and difficulties that require a more focused approach of counselling. The specialist areas covered, by this form of counselling, include relationship and marriage, bereavement, drug addiction, alcohol abuse and AIDS, to name but a select few. This level of counselling training is generally aimed at those individuals, and professionals, already working in counselling, and provides these practitioners with additional skills and knowledge that they can use within their personal practice.

Foundation Building

Counselling Skills students may decide to add specialist counselling skills to their portfolio, once they have attained a course pass and accreditation. An Introductory Counselling Skills course offers a firm foundation for individuals wanting to build a progressive career in the field of counselling. Without a sound understanding of the important basic aspects of counselling students will find it difficult to think reflectively, and to develop supportive skills that will enable them to successfully provide clients with the level of care and attention they will expect.

Career Development

As the interest in counselling increases, and the number of available job opportunities decreases, qualified counsellors are beginning to add a selection of additional, and complementary, counselling skills to their list of accreditations. Being able to offer a variety of counselling skills, to an employer, opens the door on many more opportunities. Counsellors may also consider seeking employment that combines counselling skills with social work or education.

Skills Expansion

The acquisition of specialist knowledge, in almost any field of employment, can be draining, time consuming, challenging and costly. Yet to increase personal skills, and therefore the chance of progressive employment, a trained counsellor must be willing to expand their skills considerably. Committing to further training is something that needs to be carefully considered, as many courses require a student to concentrate on a great deal of coursework and training before gaining another qualification.

An Addictive Behaviour Counselling qualification, for instance, would require a commitment of a year’s work and full-time attendance. This type of course would provide a good grounding in dealing with clients presenting addiction problems, but requires a lengthy period of commitment from a counselling student. This type of course is directly aimed at counsellors, and professionals, who are already working in the field, and can demonstrate a high level of understanding of the key attributes of counselling. Extra qualifications also demand a minimum of set hours, which are to be spent on coursework and supervised duties.

Training Regime

Some Specialist Counselling training programmes are condensed into a shorter period of time, but provide all the relevant background and training required to reach accreditation level. Specialist Counselling skills can also be acquired on the job, whilst volunteering for an organisation that provides the type of counselling support a student is interested in finding out more about.

The confidence and ability to work with a variety of people will also help a student settle into a volunteer position, where they will gain experience in related fields. Experienced counsellors will also be on hand to provide support and ongoing supervision.