Advanced Diploma in Counselling and Psychology Central Area, Central

Course details

Introduction to the Programme

The programme has been designed for:

• Participants who want to gain entry qualification to professional counselling.
• Professionals who wish to develop counselling skills and knowledge for application in their work areas such as in health, social services, educational, customer service, human resource and supervisory work settings.
• The Psychology component not only prepares students who wish to specialise in Psychology but also for those who are interested in Psychology for their personal growth.

The programme provides participants with:

• A professional entry qualification to counselling and Psychotherapy.
• Opportunities for personal growth
• Acquisition of crucial interpersonal skills and related knowledge.
• The core concepts of psychology theories with in-depth grounding of the main foundational components in psychology.
• Examples of case studies to integrate theories with applications.
• An understanding of the fundamentals of research methodology where experimental research are connected to practical applications.
• An understanding of the ethical and professional issues and consideration of the cultural issues will be discussed.

The programme aims to: 

Counselling Psychology Component 

• Provide knowledge about major approaches to counselling and psychotherapy.
• Provide training in counselling skills and practice
• Introduce the ethical and professional issues faced by counsellors in human service industries.
• Introduce knowledge and skills in working with different client groups and specific client issues.

Applied Psychology Component 

• Provide the essential knowledge to study the mental processes, behaviour and emotions of children and adults for the purpose of describing, explaining, predicting and controlling behaviours.
• Provide understanding on the scientific methods needed to study behaviour.
• Provide knowledge in understanding interpersonal relationships and the relationship with the society through the social-psychological development of personality, language, thought and behaviour.
• To understand the biological effects on human behaviours resulting in abnormality

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the course, applicants must fulfil the following conditions: 

• Diploma holders in any field
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Mature applicants not meeting the admission requirements are invited to apply as the program recognises relevant life experiences that students bring with them
• Application will be considered on a case-by-case basis; in some circumstances, interview might be needed

Course Topics

• Module 1 - Foundations of Counselling
• Module 2 - Counselling Psychology: Theory and Practice
• Module 3 - Counselling on Specific Client Issues
• Module 4 - Introduction to Psychology 1
• Module 5 - Developmental Psychology
• Module 6 - Social Psychology
• Module 7 - Cognitive Psychology
• Module 8 - Abnormal Psychology
• Module 9 - Experimental Psychology
• Module 10 - Foundations in Psychology 2
• Module 11 - Psychological Measurement
• Module 12 - Industrial / Organisation Psychology
• Module 13 - Practicum