Conversion Programme from Adult to Adolescent and School Counselling

Why a Post Qualification Specialist Training?

Working with young people in a school context is of course supported by the attitudes and experience developed during adult counselling training and practice. However, there is also much that is very different about both the work and the context that can impact both on counselling with adolescents and counselling in a school setting.

• Clients are most often referred because of someone else’s concern about them and may not know what is expected in counselling.
• The referrer continues to be involved and there may be a number of other ‘stakeholders’ who have a continuing influence over whether an individual can continue in therapy.
• The work may be taking place in the very setting in which the issues are arising and being played out (school)
• The student and therapist are likely to encounter each other outside of the therapy room around the school building interacting with others within the school system
• The fact that a student is attending counselling is likely to become known to others
• Some of the counsellors other clients are likely to be seen and known to a client
• The work is complicated by issues of responsibility, informed consent, risk and safety and child protection duties of care
• School policy may impinge on usual counselling practice, for example an expectation that clients are collected from class, that different lessons are missed each week etc.
• There is no division between working therapeutically and not, as clients and referrers may engage as the counsellor moves around the building
• A School Counsellor may need to be, ‘in the system but not necessarily of the system’
• Teenagers may need to build up elaborate defences to deal with peer relationships in school as well as with the anticipated judgement of all adults in that setting and struggle to let these down in any counselling relationship
• The young person may not readily talk about ‘the problem’ but derive benefit from the warm attention of someone who genuinely wants to understand something of what’s important to them

Entry Requirements and Application Procedures 

Applications to this course.

We are currently accepting applications for this programme. Click here to make your application on HEI Apply. 

More information about the course content and its approach

Programme Tutor

Katy Burgess

For any further information please email Cristina Soares, the Academic Coordinator, or call her on 020 8832 3096.