Diploma in Counselling Supervision

ACT Counselling Services Ltd

ACT Counselling Services – Diploma in Counselling Supervision (credit rated by SQA at SCQF Level 9 with 12 SCQF Credit points and COSCA Validated)

This course aims to provide participants with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to deliver Clinical Supervision within various Models of Supervision, and within these, from a variety of trans-theoretical approaches. The course will also address the complexities related to delivering Clinical Supervision within an Organisational context. Lastly, tailoring the Supervision provided to Supervisees’ stages of development will also be extensively addressed.

The course will be delivered by experienced Tutors of differing modalities to reflect the transtheoretical nature of the learning. Tutors are experienced and qualified Supervisors who will be generous in sharing their own supervisory experiences in order to bring the learning to life. The group experience as well as the learning is important to ACT, and Tutors are also experienced group facilitators and Diploma Level facilitators.

This course should appeal to any Qualified Counsellors, Accredited Counsellors, or Psychotherapists (must be 2 years post qualified) considering beginning the provision of Clinical Supervision or indeed enhancing existing Supervisory Practice.

Feedback has suggested that we should make applicants aware of any costs surrounding the course and subsequent supervisory practice. These are likely to be:

• Payment for Supervision of Supervisory Practice
• Possibly Membership with a professional body (if not already in place)
• Insurance (often no additional cost if insurance for private therapy practice is in place. You must however make your insurer aware that you are providing supervision)
• Ongoing CPD on completion of the course (autonomously chosen by you, but check professional bodies’ requirements)
• Supervisor Accreditation (if you decide to do this and if this is a category offered by your professional body).

Aims

To provide opportunities and support for participants to develop their knowledge, skills, understanding, and practice in counselling supervision by:

1. Adapting process and content of supervision
2. Using models to provide structure to various elements of supervision
3. Managing concerns about supervisees ability to use supervision
4. Managing professional and ethical considerations

Course Learning Objectives

On successful completion of this course (or qualification) candidates should be able to apply knowledge and understanding, and practice in ways which demonstrate competence in counselling supervision through the:

1. Ability to employ principles which enhance learning
2. Ability to enable ethical practice
3. Ability to foster competence in working with difference
4. Ability to adapt supervision to the organisational and governance context
5. Ability to form and maintain a supervisory alliance
6. Ability to gauge a supervisees level of competence
7. Ability for supervisor to reflect (and act on) on limitations in own knowledge and experience

Timing and spacing of the course

39 hours tutor delivery over 3 weekends followed by 2 tutor facilitated supervision groups of 1.5 hours duration spread over the following 12 months (e.g., one group supervision per 4 months). Participants must also attend individual supervision for their supervisory practice. The supervision practice placement will be supervised by a qualified and experienced supervisor (arranged by participant) at a ratio of one hour of supervision for every six hours of placement practice. The student will attend 5 hours of individual supervision with their supervisor of their supervisory practice, participants must complete a minimum of 20 hours of supervisory practice.

In the event of a participant requiring longer than 3 Years for completion (e.g., difficulty accessing supervisees, life circumstances, and change in employment), a written essay of 3000 words must be submitted in addition to the 6000 word case study that evidences how they have continued to meet with the aims, learning outcomes and performance criteria outlined above.

Course Content

Supervision in Context

Supervisory Models

Supervision in Organisations – Developing Policy and Practice

Reflective Practice in Supervision

Ethical and Legal Supervision

Endings in Supervision

Assessment (Coursework and Examination)

Participant assessment is ongoing throughout the duration of the course. There is no final examination as such but a final case study. Course Participants must demonstrate their understanding of all the course learning outcomes and demonstrate their competency in relation to all performance criteria. Mastery of the learning outcomes and performance criteria will be evidenced using the following methods: 

1. Final case study incorporating critical evaluation of theoretical basis of supervisory practice. This is specifically assessed using a scorecard within which the relevant criteria are listed. Criteria are marked as evidenced or not evidenced, and a markers scorecard determines the grade by matching criteria met with the grading structure.

1. Audio recordings assessed during Counselling Supervision in relation to SCS.

1. Satisfactory Supervisors report reflecting a minimum of 20 hours of Supervisory Practice. The developmental stages of the candidate’s supervisees are discussed within their attendance of supervision for their supervisory practice. The candidate’s supervisor provides qualitative feedback using the Supervisor Competency Scale (SCS) in relation to the stated criteria. The candidate must attend a minimum of 5 supervision sessions at which recordings are assessed by their supervisor and feedback provided on the SCS. The final supervisor’s reports provide a decision on whether the candidate is competent to supervise’ 

The following activities (4-6) are used to develop candidates’ supervisory practice and are not considered to be part of formal assessment activities:

1. Self-assessment of Supervisory Practice completed prior to attendance at Supervision (using Supervisors Competency Scale) and discussed with Supervisor during the session.

1. Tutor feedback during Group Supervision and Skills Practise.

1. Class participation.

Next Dates for Delivery

Fridays and Saturdays, from 9.30am – 5.00pm

1. Friday, 16th and Saturday, 17th September 2022

1. Friday, 21st and Saturday 22nd October 2022

1. Friday, 25th and Saturday, 26th November 2022

Group Supervision Dates will be arranged with participants on day 6 of the course.

Submission date for assessment materials will also be arranged with participants on day 6 of the course.

Location – Online via Zoom

Cost

£795 (Deposit £150 – NON-REFUNDABLE). The balance is due two weeks before the course starts.

Minimum numbers: 12 – Please note that the course is subject to cancellation if the minimum number required to make it viable is not reached.