COURSE

HANDBOOK

Level 3
Certificate in
Counselling
Studies
Welcome to the Astranti
Connect Counselling Hub
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all learners enrolling on our courses.

Whether you are an experienced learner or are returning to study after a break, our aim is
to support you in the successful achievement of the qualification you have chosen.

We are a specialist counselling training organisation and bring a decade of experience in

the design and delivery of counselling courses to our work. We run courses from various
locations and online.

Everyone involved in the work of Connect hopes that your time with us will be rewarding
and enjoyable and, most importantly, that it will help you to achieve your learning goals.
We are all practising counsellors and therapists, as well as experienced teachers and
university lecturers. We bring our passion for teaching and counselling to the groups that
we teach.

egree in counselling.

-6-
This handbook provides information on the course you have chosen and contains
important information about what is required from us and from the awarding body, which
in your case is the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB).
CPCAB courses are nationally accredited and offer a unique pathway to the Open
University foundation.

All courses are approved by Ofqual and accredited by the qualifications and credit
framework (QCF)

We actively promote the ethical framework of the British Association for Counselling and
Psychotherapy (BACP).

It may be that your question isn’t answered within this course document, and if this is the
case, do feel free to ask your course tutors, who will be delighted to answer any questions
you may have.

0800 756 3793 | [email protected]

-6-
 Level 3 Certificate in
Counselling Skills
The Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies
course is a part-time course and is intended for
candidates who:

Want to take the next steps towards becoming

a counsellor (having already acquired
counselling skills)

Want to learn more about counselling theory

and agency work

You need to have completed a Level 2 in

Counselling Skills course or equivalent. You need to
be over 19 years old.

Sometimes, counselling training can be difficult to

engage in if you are struggling with adverse
emotional problems, for example, recovery from
alcohol or drug dependency. We will discuss any
personal situations with you at the time of
enrolment to ensure that you are in the best
position to get the most out of the course and
achieve your qualification. This may be that we
suggest you have personal counselling before
taking the course.
Must be

All of our courses are

approved by Ofqual.

-6-
You will need to be able to read, have sufficient writing skills and be able to use a
computer to meet the written work requirements for the course. You will need access to
a computer and printer.

The programme for this course includes theory lectures, demonstrations, group work,
skills practices, tutor and peer-assessed observations of practice, weekly reflective
writing, self-review and tutorials. You will need to allow around 2-3 hours per week for
homework.

The course is made up of seven learning outcomes, which are based on the seven
processes of the CPCAB model.

Successful completion of the course will give you the option to progress to the Level 4
Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.
Online courses
If you are taking this course online, you will need to make sure you have access to a good
broadband signal and be able to work from a place that is private and where you will be
uninterrupted during the course sessions. This is essential for privacy and for your own
and others’ confidentiality.

Key topics that will be covered:

An introduction to counselling
Different agency settings and how the
type of setting impacts the counsellor
Working within an ethical framework,
including handling ethical dilemmas
Working with an agency’s policies and
procedures
An overview of key legislation that
impacts agencies and counsellors
Setting boundaries and contracting with
the client
Client assessment and client referral
Managing the three stages of the
counselling process
Diversity and difference in the group and
in society
Working with a user-centred approach
An introduction to common mental
health problems and why they exist in
society
The features of positive mental health
The importance of clinical supervision in
counselling
Using theory in counselling and the key
theoretical approaches
An introduction to working integratively
as a counsellor
You will be introduced to three major theoretical approaches in counselling: person-
centred counselling, psychodynamic therapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy. You will
have the opportunity to apply each of these theories to yourself to understand your
personality and self, relationships and personal history in a new light. You will also have
the chance to apply some of the key tools and techniques from these theoretical
approaches in practice sessions, providing you with a taster of different types of
counselling.

Throughout the course, you will undertake regular skills practise with your peers, and you
will be encouraged to identify and deal with key personal development points in order to
develop your skills and confidence in counselling others. You will also be expected to take
part in group supervision sessions, where you can discuss your ‘client’ work and receive
support from your peers.
Progression Opportunities
We will help you from the time you take the first step until you have reached your goal.

IfAt Connect, we offer a complete progression route from Level 2 through to Level 6. All of
these courses are accredited by The Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding
Body (CPCAB). Full details of its progression route are available on its website. The
progression route available through ourselves is outlined below.

Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills

Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies

Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling

Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling

Level 6 Certificate in Therapeutic Counselling Supervision

Open University Foundation Degree

Learners who complete a CPCAB Level 4 course can go on to do a CPCAB Level 5 and
some open university modules in order to obtain a foundation degree. More information
about this can be found on both our website and the CPCAB website.
What to Expect
A typical course session will begin with a check-in. This is a chance to share with the
group something about how you are feeling and what is going on for you. It is a good way
of “arriving” and an opportunity to practise empathic listening and to get to know more
about the other members of the group.

This is followed by the delivery of some theory or the introduction of a new concept, and
small group work, pair work and skills practices provide you with the opportunity to
practise the new ideas you have learnt.

Attendance

You will need to attend 85% of the course sessions in order to complete the training
successfully.

There may be times when there are exceptional circumstances which make this
difficult, and such situations will be discussed with you personally. Please refer to our
attendance policy for further details.
Support

At this level of training, we promote autonomous learning, and so if you would

like a tutorial to discuss any aspect of the course, you can request one. They
will be available at the start and the end of the session. If you need to talk to a
tutor, please let one of them know and arrange an appointment. Likewise, if
we need to talk to you about an aspect of the course that cannot be
addressed in the group, we will invite you to a tutorial. Formal one-to-one
tutorials will be offered as part of your course from time-to-time.

As a small organisation, we do not currently offer learning support but can

signpost you to places where you could access this if required. Your
application form will ask for details of any special needs you may have, and
we will discuss these with you upon receipt to ensure we can accommodate
your requirements.

Online Learning Materials

You will also receive a workbook with

course notes as well as access to our
online video content library. This will
enable you to revisit key concepts
taught in class or catch up if you ever
miss a session. You will be provided
with a login to this content library at
the beginning of the course.
Course dates, deadlines, times and important dates

A list of all course dates, times and deadlines for the internal assessment will
be provided separately. Please make a note of important dates and times,
such as internal assessment deadlines, as repeatedly missing these could
compromise your successful qualification from the course. If you become
aware of a circumstance that may affect a deadline, let your tutor know at
once as they may be able to grant an extension. For helping work
commitment and reliability are important values, so continual failure to meet
deadlines without a valid reason may mean you do not pass the internal
assessment and therefore the course.

Policies and prodcedures

Connect and its associates are committed to

working ethically and in line with the British
Association for Counselling and
Psychotherapy (BACP) ethical framework.
We have a range of policies and procedures
which will be available to you via our website
once you have enrolled. These policies are
designed to keep you safe, offer you the best
opportunities, and to ensure that the learning
environment is ethical, fair and adheres to
legal requirements. If you would like any
information on any of our policies or
procedures before you enrol, please ask, and
we will be delighted to provide you with a
copy. Upon registration, you will be given
access to the students area of the website,
where these documents can easily be
accessed.
Internal moderation and
verification

Internal Moderation
To ensure that the assessment of your coursework is fair and consistent, a sample from
each group will be examined by an internal moderator. The moderator will check the
marking of coursework, such as assignments and learning reviews, and provide feedback
to the teaching team on the nature, quality and consistency of their assessments. You will
need to make your portfolio available for the moderator's visit.

Internal Verification
Verification is the ‘BIG’ picture, an overview of the whole process of developing, delivering,
assessing and moderating units/qualifications.

Our internal verifier will monitor that our programmes are properly in place and are
operating effectively.
Assessment

CPCAB courses starting from September 2024 will no longer have an external
assessment to complete. Instead, your Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies will be
based entirely upon an internal assessment. CPCAB has set a list of criteria for the
course that you must meet in order to pass the course as ‘proficient’.

Internal assessment
To gain this qualification, CPCAB requires
students to meet seven learning outcomes
(and the criteria associated with each) by
the end of the course. To demonstrate that
you have met these outcomes, throughout
the course you will have the opportunity to
show your ability and gain evidence from:

Written learning reviews

Written assignments
Skills practises
Observations from your peers
Observations from your tutor
Participation in case discussions

This evidence will be collected in your own

personal Assessment Record (portfolio). To
be passed as proficient you will need to
have submitted two pieces of evidence for
each of the twenty-seven criteria that
together make up the seven learning
outcomes. These will be assessed at
regular intervals by your tutor who will also
provide you with feedback to help you
develop your skills and progress.
Useful Resources
As a Connect student, when your course begins you will gain access to a range of
useful resources chosen to inspire and develop your counselling skills. These
include - a personal workbook (with course notes and reflective exercises), an
online content library of pre-recorded videos and study notes as well as online and
recorded seminars on a variety of diverse counselling topics.

In addition, you will also gain free e-book access to CPCAB’s own textbook -
‘Counselling Skills and Studies’ by Dykes, Kopp and Postings.
(If you wanted your own copy, this can also be purchased with a 30% discount from
Sage College Publishing using the discount code: UKCPCAB30)