Diploma in Counselling Teenagers
The course is for people who are passionate about helping teenagers. The course qualifies delegates to work with 12 to 25-year-olds. This means being able to work in both colleges and universities. This course comprises a wealth of age-appropriate therapeutic interventions, clinical skills practice, fascinating theoretical underpinnings from the latest research in adolescent psychology, sociology, neuroscience and medicine.
How To Apply
If you wish to apply for any of our training programmes you will need to complete an online application form and attend a Taster/Application Day
Application forms must be submitted in advance of attending a Taster Day
Application forms are predominantly used as a tool for our tutor team to facilitate the experiential and interview components of the day
Any offer extended is valid for 2 years
Syllabus Overview
Key models for therapeutic work with teenagers:
- Mentalized based interviews (MBT)
- Dyadic Developmental psychotherapy (DDP)
- Affect Labelling and Mental State Talk
- Psychological Formulation/Collaborative sense making (BPS)
- Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF)
- Emotion Focused Counselling (EFT)
- Neuroscience of Emotions and Relationship
Teenage Concerns:
- The neuroscience and psychology of what every teenager needs to know about life in order to live it well, your teenage brain, your teenage chemicals, how to have emotions instead of your emotions having you, drugs, sex, porn, social media, social comparison, the skills of happiness, the art of relationships.
- Addressing climate emotions
- Diversity, difference and discrimination
- Identity: Therapeutic conversations with teenagers, exploring gender and sexuality, including trans, gender diverse and re-emergent identities
Working with different client groups and specific realms of adversity:
- Working with specific vulnerable teenage client groups, refugees, victims of incest, the allure of gangs, addiction, teenagers in extremis
- Teenagers affected by parental alcohol use/mental health problems
- Connecting with angry and highly defended teenagers in ways that help them access core pain safely: EFT
- Working with grief, separations and endings, in life and counselling
- Positive ways of working with challenging teens through understanding the adolescent within us
Ethics and the law
Protecting teenagers: What every professional needs to know about safe practice with teenagers and working ethically
Skills-based practice in counselling teenagers:
- The integration of different counselling models for working with teenagers: MBT, DDP, EFT
- The role of emotion in the process of change: EFT
- Using arts, imagery and sand play in therapy with teenagers: using the arts to access core pain: EFT
- Skills practice using "Help Teenagers Talk about their Lives Cards"
- Big Empathy Drawing practice with peer and staff supervision of cases
- Sensory Integration for teenagers (theory and practice)
- Work with therapeutic relationships, countertransference, transference, communication by impact and virtual work
- Parent-teenager dyad work: Ensuring safe and structured communication
- Clinical supervisions. case presentations and running group for teenagers (throughout the training)
- The role of social injustice in the counselling room
- How to meet the unmet emotional needs of the teenage client
Adolescent mental health and psychiatry:
- Key causes of adolescent mental health problems: The muddle between trauma and psychiatric diagnosis (ADHD, ASD, Anxiety, Bipolar Borderline and Depressive Disorders)
- What every mental health professional needs to know about giving psychiatric drugs to young people
- Counselling for specific teenage mental health issues: Anxiety, Depression, OCD, eating disorders, self-harm
Entry Requirements
What qualifications or skills do I need before I can enrol?
Route one: Successful completion/qualification of the Postgraduate Certificate in the Therapeutic Arts / Advanced Diploma in the Therapeutic and Educational Application of the Arts, Diploma in Child Counselling Year one, MA Integrative Arts Psychotherapy Year one or Wellbeing Year two. Route two: Successful completion/qualification of the Diploma in Trauma Informed Schools and Communities with IATE or TISUK and recommendation from Course Director. Route three: Qualified registered counsellor or psychotherapist. Please note, it is not possible to be eligible to apply for BACP registration after this route. This is due to the number of hour
Expected prior knowledge
• Counselling skills training (covered in the above courses).
• Some experience of living with or working with teenagers.
• Empathy and in-depth capacity for reflection. • Self-awareness, good contact and therapeutic presence
Additional costs include:
- Personal therapy.
- Clinical supervision.
- Insurance.
- DBS – £61.60 paid to DDC.
- Travel expense
Is this course eligible for the Bursary?
This course is not currently eligible to receive bursary funding.
Employment opportunities and typical employment pathways
• In-house school counsellor.
• University/ College counsellors.
• Private Practice.
• CAMHS worker.
• Working within organisations supporting adolescent mental health.
Changes to the curriculum, teaching staff, assignments on our courses
IATE reserves the right to make adjustments to the above due to unforeseen circumstances.
The quality of the training will not in any way be compromised in doing so.