The COMPASS Diploma in Counselling provides a rigorous, three year training course for those wishing to become volunteer counsellors with COMPASS.
This trains people to use a good level of counselling skills to complement their existing paid or voluntary work, but without having the formal role of counsellor. It also aims to provide a foundation on which to build the further two diploma years.
The Foundation Year can be taken alone, but completion of the Foundation Year does not confer any qualification to practice as a counsellor.
Aim to train competent counsellors, able to demonstrate a level of knowledge, skills and personal and professional development needed for counselling.
Foundation Year : 3 x 12 weekly terms (approx 160 hours). This includes weekly training sessions, workshop days, and non-residential weekends, and private study.
Years 2 & 3 : As Foundation Year, plus 120 hours of supervised counselling practice.
Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and development on the course. Students are encouraged to draw on their own life and work experience as well as the course, to develop their counselling practice. Theory, practice and personal development are all assessed in this course.
All COMPASS tutors are fully qualified, experienced counsellors. The fees are competitive, and include all tuition, residential and non-residential weekends and workshop days, and all supervision.
Applicants must complete an application form and statement. Following this, a shortlist will be drawn up. Shortlisted applicants will then be asked to attend an interview. References will also be needed.