Child Therapeutic Counselling
This can include primary prevention and promotion of child wellbeing. It would normally be delivered within the therapeutic frame and take place on a weekly basis, so that children receive therapeutic support in regular 1:1 sessions.
This can be defined as short term, (6 – 12 sessions) time-limited (12-24 sessions) or long term (24+ or open ended).
Practice includes the use of play and creative arts materials to enable age-appropriate communication with children and young people. The aims include enabling children to address emotional and behavioural difficulties, managing the challenges and opportunities from the inner life and outer world, in ways which promote choices, recovery from complex lived experiences and the ability to function effectively in relationships within the child’s environment. Child therapeutic counselling can be referred to for a specific incident which may have caused distress to a child or for the purpose of increasing resilience, engagement with quality of life, relationships or learning, ongoing individual challenges or to enhance personal, social and emotional development.
Practitioners develop relationships with children based on trust, promoting inquiring minds in parents, carers and professionals, early intervention, and enabling each child to develop their capacities for wellbeing in the context.
Length of Training
The duration of education is three years of professional training including an initial foundation year. This can be at undergraduate level and qualification is at degree level. This includes 450 hours tutor contact time as well as independent study, reading, written work, research and presentation.
Personal Therapy and Supervision
Students are required to do a minimum of 50 hours of personal therapy and 50 hours of professional supervision.
Placements
Students must complete 450 hours of placement and this can be organised in accordance with their training development needs in professional settings including a minimum of 100 hours across the age range including 20 hours of 3-6 years, 20 hours of 6-9, 20 hours of 9-12 years, and 6 hours 13-18 years.
Following three years of education, training, research and practice including final examinations the graduate can be awarded the title of Child Therapeutic Counsellor.