DURATION: 5 Days    START DATE: 6th March 2021

Day 1 & 2: 6th & & 7th of March 2021
Day 3 & 4: 20th & 21st of March 2021

Day 5: 25th of April 2021

TIMETABLE: Saturday and Sunday from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm

AWARD: PCI College Professional Certificate in Couples Counselling

VENUE: Live-Classroom 

In compliance with COVID-19, the classes will be delivered as live online lessons via Microsoft Teams, which is a platform built on Office 365. It is a secure platform and follows the compliance capabilities.

DAY ONE & TWO: Introduction to Couples Counselling & Skills and Strategies

The initial 2 days of the Professional Certificate includes an overview of the theories underpinning couples counselling including the work of John Gotteman. Therapeutic interventions will be introduced and practised including role plays.

The objective of the 2 Introductory days:

• Relevant theories will be revised and revisited.
• Participants will be introduced to counselling with couples and become familiar with the similarities and differences between couples counselling and individual counselling.
• Working with gay and lesbian couples will also be introduced.

 
DAY THREE: Family dynamics
Family dynamics - will focus on family systems including the work of Murray Bowen and Virginia Satir.  Participants will be introduced to the genogram.

Objectives of Day 3:

• Participants will become aware of the importance of family of origin in couples counselling.
• Become aware of the importance of being familiar with family values and mottos.
• Become familiar with triangulation and mapping within families.

DAY FOUR: Sexuality
Participants will be made aware of the importance of being comfortable talking about sexuality in couples counselling.  Need to understand own sexual script otherwise the area of sexuality within couples counselling will not get adequate attention.

Objectives of Day 4:

• To be able to normalise and validate couples around sexuality.
• To be more comfortable talking about sexuality with the couple.
• Become aware of primary and secondary sexual dysfunctions.

DAY FIVE: Integration
The integration day takes place in a relaxed atmosphere where participants are given the opportunity to outline and describe how they have integrated the learning from the workshops outlined above and applied them to their practice.  Each member of the group will have an opportunity to talk about their experience.

Objectives of Day 5:

• Understanding and prioritising main presenting problems
• Understanding the maintenance of presenting problems
• Able to outline interventions used

Participants will be expected to submit relevant documentation of 15 hours of supervised clinical work.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS 

• Record of 15 hours of supervised client work in the area of Couples Counselling.
• Record of 3 sessions with a supervisor.
• Poster Presentation

ELIGIBILITY 

Qualification in Counselling, Psychotherapy or other helping professionals with therapeutic experience. 

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

All candidates are required to satisfy the English language requirement. Candidates whose first language is not English and who are presenting qualifications other than the Leaving Certificate may satisfy the requirement through the completion of the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), or equivalent, on the basis that they obtain a minimum band score of 6, which denotes a very good skill level of English. It should be noted that these are the minimum requirements in English and PCI College may set higher requirements in each case.

IT SKILLS: students require sufficient IT skills to complete the course

Students can expect to be provided with advice and support concerning any learning difficulties that they may encounter. Any diagnosed learning difficulty, e.g. dyslexia, must be noted on the application.

Students must have access to clients on a daily basis to be able to meet the requirement of 15 hours of counselling using the couples, family members and relationship issues tools learnt during this course.

FEES  

Cost of Days 1 & 2 - €260

Cost of Days 3,4 and 5 - €520

Full Price: €730 (Save €50)

PCI College Graduate & Student Full Price*: €680

*PCI College Student rate applies to BSc Degree and Postgraduate students only

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants are invited to book online using the book now. Applications must be accompanied by the payment of the full course fee. Applicants are entitled to a refund if they decide to cancel within 14 days of receipt of their booking, and didn't participate on the course. Please note that the name used on your application needs to be the same name that you have on your passport.

Integration day (Day 5) is scheduled for a date that allows sufficient time for students to complete practice hours. If you are unable to attend your integration day due to not having completed your practice hours, you may be subject to a fee for setting the integration day outside of your original class schedule.

Fees are non-refundable in all personal circumstances. The College makes every effort to avoid altering course times, course commencement and conclusion dates. However, should any changes be necessary, you will be notified at the earliest opportunity. All courses run subject to demand and the formation of a viable class cohort. A full refund will be given to all applicants in the event that the class does not proceed. 

For more information, please visit our full Terms & Conditions page.