Gestalt Counselling DipHE

It provides you with the opportunity to consolidate and develop a foundation for your pathway specific counselling skills. Integrated counselling skills - Solution Focused Counselling Approach (Egan, 1975) are introduced towards the end of this module in preparation for Gestalt, CBT and Humanistic (Person-centered) Counselling skills module at level 5. You'll practice skills using the following techniques: Feedback skills, internal supervisor, and the use of supervision, Egan's Stages of Counselling, Roger's Empathy, Congruence and Unconditional Positive Regard, non-verbal communication skills, active listening, reflecting, paraphrasing, open questions, summarising, challenging, contract setting, boundary management, immediacy and basic Gestalt skills.

An understanding of this material enables trainee counsellors to ground in a historical context of the core Gestalt, CBT and Humanistic (Person-centered) theoretical approaches taught in level 5 modules Gestalt, CBT and Humanistic (Person-centered) theory. Similarities and differences between approaches will be explored and evaluated and their application within a therapeutic setting will be considered. You'll reflect on how these models apply to `self' and look at different approaches such as The Psychodynamic approach to counselling, The Cognitive Behavioural approach to counselling, Gesalt and Humanistic (Person-centered) approaches to counselling and Integrative approaches.

An understanding of the importance of self-awareness will enable you as a student counsellor to be psychologically ready and available to work with clients in a placement setting. Through participation in a personal development group, you'll reflexively engage with the interaction between self-awareness and counselling practice while following the BACP (2018) Ethical Framework. You'll engage in the giving and receiving of constructive feedback to enhance the your developing self-awareness. You'll reflect on the purpose of personal development, engage in self examination and give and receive feedback. You'll assess and integrate feedback, gain awareness of the impact of yourself on others, and of anti-oppressive practice, and ethical considerations.

You'll be introduced to a variety of components of practice which are then explored further in subsequent modules. You'll investigate local agencies in readiness for your placement applications and cover the following:

• Boundaries in life, counselling and different contexts
• Personal and BACP Values
• Principles and Moral Qualities
• Anti-oppressive practice (AOP)
• BACP Guidance on Good Practice and Professional Conduct Procedure
• Managing ethical dilemmas
• Legal issues
• Clinical supervision models, responsibilities and arrangements
• Diagnosis, assessment and referral criteria
• Psychopharmacology
• Skills practice in breaking confidentiality
• Other ethical frameworks, agency exploration and information gathering

This knowledge and these skills enable you as a  trainee counsellor to modify your chosen pathway (Humanistic (person-centred), Gestalt and CBT Counselling) approach to suit specific client groups and to work professionally, ethically and legally within different social and agency contexts. You'll gain knowledge and skills for working with young people, the elderly, clients who have been abused, Lesbian / Gay / Bisexual clients, Transgender clients, disabled clients, clients with different cultural backgrounds and clients who have experienced a major loss. You'll explore themes, similarities and differences in working with different client groups in an AOP way and practice your skills with role-played clients from specific client groups.

You'll develop an ability to work reflectively, integrating theoretical knowledge, skills and self-awareness to maintain ethical, anti-oppressive practice. The importance of working holistically and creatively will be emphasised and the opportunity to explore, experience and experiment with various creative methods and mediums of self-expression will be presented. You'll develop the ability to form a dialogic relationship, presence, inclusion, confirmation and conduct a phenomenological enquiry, bracketing, description, horizontalism and active curiosity. You'll support and challenge ethical, anti-oppressive practice whilst working holistically with body processes. You'll cover assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and work with co-transference with an understanding and working with shame. You'll use the methodology, the stages of Gestalt creative experiments, and work with art materials, objects and two-chair work.

You'll explore and analyse key concepts underpinning modern relational Gestalt counselling and gain understanding of the link between theory, practice and self-awareness in ethical practice. Equal opportunities and anti-oppressive practice (AOP) will be explored and evaluated from a Gestalt perspective. You'll gain knowledge of the history and development of Gestalt theory as a humanistic, existential approach, the 3 pillars of modern relational Gestalt, field theory, phenomenology, dialogic relationships, holism and zones of awareness, Gestalt concept of self, the contact cycle and modifications. You'll gain knowledge and understanding of the nature of therapeutic change, polarities, co-transference, diversity, culture, ethics and anti-oppressive practice in the Gestalt approach to the reflective practitioner.

The module seeks to develop your interest in, and understanding of, the benefits of research in providing evidence-based practice, which is increasingly called for in the counselling profession. You'll gain an appreciation of research methods and the language used in published papers. You'll be encouraged to reflect on your potential influence in the field through future participation in research projects. You'll use quantitative and qualitative research methods, use outcome research contrasted with process research and use standardised measures (e.g. CORE) in outcome research.

You'll have an introduction to statistics, including the concept of statistical significance, evidence-based practice, and critiques of this. You'll research on a specific client group relevant to your placement, using ethical issues in your research and receive an overview of the published research on therapeutic relationships.

An understanding of this material enables you, as a trainee counsellor, to work with clients with anxiety, depression and/or stress through the lense of Gestalt, Humanistic (person-centred) and CBT practice whilst maintaining safety and anti-oppressive practice (AOP). You'll discover what is meant by mental health, and ill health or psychopathology, DSM and ICD classification systems and psychopharmacology. You'll review Humanistic assessment and treatment models, current CBT assessment and treatment models and practice, Gestalt and CBT assessments when working with anxiety, and develop a Humanistic (person-centred) view of mental health. You'll also review Gestalt and CBT assessments when working with depression, and Gestalt and CBT assessments when working with stress. You'll discuss feminist and culturally-sensitive viewpoints. and the service users view of mental health services.

You'll be able to demonstrate your psychological readiness for practice in the profession, and effectively communicate your understanding of the importance of on-going personal and professional development.

Regular skills clinics provide you with the opportunity to develop your practice in a safe environment and evidence your growing ability to integrate theory and practice. You'll learn to evaluate in greater depth the importance of personal development, apply underlying principles and concepts into your skills practice, engage in increasingly sophisticated self-awareness and reflexivity, effectively communicate feedback, assess feedback and integrate it in an increasingly sophisticated manner, understand your competency limits and your need for additional and on-going training, and critically understand anti-oppressive practice and ethical considerations.