Certificate in Counselling Skills

30-hour foundation course at The Academy of Transactional Analysis. A practical, relational introduction to counselling skills, communication and Transactional Analysis.

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The Certificate in Counselling Skills is a 30-hour experiential course designed for anyone who wants to develop more confident, compassionate and psychologically informed ways of communicating with others. It is ideal for people who work in professional, voluntary or community settings, those considering a career in counselling or psychotherapy, and anyone interested in developing their understanding of human relationships.

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For students intending to progress into Transactional Analysis training, the course can also provide the 30 hours of counselling-skills preparation required within the UKATA/EATA training pathway, when undertaken with an appropriately qualified TA trainer. 

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What you will explore

The course introduces counselling as a process of relationship, contact and communication, rather than simply a collection of techniques. We will explore what happens between people when we listen, speak, connect, withdraw, misunderstand or feel understood.

 

Drawing on Transactional Analysis, including Eric Berne’s ideas about psychological hungers for stimulus, recognition, structure and relationship, we will consider what people need from one another in order to feel connected and psychologically alive. (Richard Erskine⁠)

 

We will also introduce Richard Erskine’s relational perspective, exploring relational needs such as validation, acceptance, being understood, having an impact on another person, and experiencing meaningful contact and companionship. (Richard Erskine⁠)

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Core areas of learning

The therapeutic relationship - creating safety, trust and genuine contact

Listening and presence - listening beyond words and becoming aware of what happens between us.

Empathy and attunement - understanding another person’s experience without taking it over.

Transactional Analysis - linking ego states, transactions, strokes, life positions and psychological games to counselling skills.

Psychological hungers - stimulus, recognition, structure and relationship.

Relational needs - noticing what a person may be seeking within their relationships.

Boundaries and ethical awareness - understanding the difference between supportive communication, counselling and psychotherapy.

Questioning and enquiry - becoming curious without interrogating.

Working with emotion - recognising, acknowledging and staying alongside emotional experience.

Self-awareness - noticing our own responses, assumptions, triggers and patterns in relationship.

Communication patterns -  understanding how interactions can become complementary, crossed or stuck.

Difference and diversity -  recognising how culture, identity, power and lived experience shape relationships.

Reflective practice - developing the capacity to think about ourselves and others with curiosity rather than judgement.
 

Experiential learning

This is not a course where you simply learn counselling techniques from a textbook. Learning takes place through discussion, demonstration, observation, skills practice and reflection. You will have opportunities to practise listening and responding, notice your own relational patterns and explore what it feels like to be genuinely met by another person.

 

The emphasis is on developing presence, curiosity, authenticity and relational sensitivity,  foundations that can be carried into counselling, helping professions, leadership, education, supervision and everyday relationships.

 

Who is the course for?

Anyone can attend. No previous counselling experience is required. It can be taken as a standalone certificate in counselling skills and 30 hours of CPD, or as preparation for further training in Transactional Analysis.

 

For prospective TA trainees, the course offers an opportunity to experience The Academy’s relational approach to learning before committing to longer-term professional training.

 

On completion

Participants receive a 30-hour Certificate in Counselling Skills and may count the 30 hours towards their TA training or as CPD for other disciplines. Those progressing into TA training can use the course as their counselling-skills preparation, subject to the requirements of their chosen TA training pathway and the relevant current UKATA/EATA guidance. See the UKATA handbook for more information.​​

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