"I have found that using various art forms has enabled me to experience myself and my history differently and engage at a deeper level with my own process. What I experienced at IATE is inspirational teaching so that I could digest and expand on my previous training and experience. Having experienced the arts and the training offered at IATE I feel hungry in my soul to learn more."
Maggie Bunker (Current Student of IATE)
Centre for child mental health
Conferences, Training Days and Lectures. Continuing Professional Development Opportunities for Anyone Working to Improve Child and Adolescent Emotional Well-being.
Read More >>
Diploma in Child Counselling
Back to all 'Skills Based Courses'About the Course:
This course is ideal for those people whose work already involves helping troubled children, but who have had no formal training in counselling. The course will enable child professionals to become effective and ethical child counsellors. After successful completion of the course, and with additional supervised client hours, students will be eligible to apply for nationally recognised registration in counselling and child counselling.
Course content:
The course offers cutting edge and inspiring theory and practice. It adopts an integrative approach, drawing on some of the most fascinating neuroscientific and psychotherapeutic theory including attachment theory, object relations theory and, in particular the work of Freud, Winnicott, Bowlby, Perls and Berne. The Diploma offers a wealth of clinical techniques to develop a meaningful dialogue with a child in ways which promote emotional health. The use of creative media: sandplay, art, puppetry, clay, storytelling are central to the clinical skills training.
How long is the course:
The taught part of the course is two years part time. For those people with time constraints, it is also possible to take the course over three years part time.
- Year One: Modules lead to Certificate in Counselling Skills with Children using the Arts (weekend days) (and also Certificate in Assessment and Action Planning)
- Year Two: Modules lead to Diploma in Child Counselling (Tuesdays plus some weekend days).
What is the format of the course:
The course comprises seven taught modules.
- Module One: Helping Children to Speak About Feelings Using the Arts
- Module Two: Psychotherapeutic and Neuroscientific Concepts of Human Development, Emotional Health and Ill-health
- Module Three: Assessment and Action Planning for the Emotional Needs of the Child
- Module Four: Principles in Child Therapeutic Practice, Ethics and Child Protection
- Module Five: Child Mental Health
- Module Six: Clinical Skills in Counselling Children
- Module Seven: Child Psychiatry
Supervision requirement and child client hours:
In order to qualify, you will also need to accrue a minimum of 200 supervised child counselling hours. Some of these will be accrued as part of the supervised placement scheme on the course.
Personal therapy requirement:
Once a week psychotherapy for the duration of the training (minimum of 40 hours per year).
Registration as a counsellor with BACP.
After attaining the Diploma in Child Counselling, students will be eligible to apply for individual accreditation with BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) providing they accumulate a further 250 supervised client hours after graduating from the course and successfully meet BACP's accreditation conditions (for details, see BACP Accreditation Criteria. Please click here to see BACP website www.bacp.co.uk/accreditation/index.html
IATE is an Organisational Member of BACP, and is bound by its Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy and subject to the Professional Conduct Procedures.
Related Links: Diploma in Child Counselling Brochure