Counselling Skills (Practicum-1)

The Counselling Skills Courses (I & II) are designed to help the Christian Counsellor understand the basic therapeutic process and how change occurs. It will practically guide the student-counsellor through all the phases of care giving and equip them with the necessary counselling micro and therapeutic skills for pastoral, lay-counselling, and professional counselling. Student-counsellors in the B.Th. with a Counselling Concentration track will do the advanced practicum during the internship in their Honours studies. In this course the practicum will emphasize basic theoretical assumptions and the helping relationship and will equip the beginning-counsellor with the micro-skills needed to be a Christian counsellor. The relationship between the caregiver (counsellor) and the counsellee is seen as the foundation of therapeutic change. Attention will be given to the basic communication and microskills needed in establishing an effective helping relationship that would facilitate the client’s personal change, spiritual growth & development, and progress towards wholeness in Christ. By the end of this course you should be able to:

• Integrate counselling microskills into Christian counselling with the Holy Spirit as the proprium of the Paraklesis counselling model
• Display sensitivity to, and an appreciation, affirmation, and respect for oneself and counsellees, as image bearers of God, and as culturally diverse beings
• Establish and practice helping relationships by the application of the theory and microskills of counselling within the limitations of your training
• Demonstrate the importance of communication as a listening skill and accurately interpret verbal and nonverbal communication
• Participate in a practicum of role-plays, peer and instructor feedback, beginning supervision, and personal counselling

You will be required to purchase the following textbooks in order to complete all counselling courses:

• Collins, G. 2007. Christian Counseling - a Comprehensive Guide (Third Edition). Thomas Nelson.
• Meier, Minirth, Wichern & Ratcliff. 1999. Introduction to Psychology and Counseling: Christian Perspectives and Applications. 2nd Baker Books.
• Tan, S. & Scalise, E.T. 2016. Lay Counseling: Equipping Christians for a Helping Ministry (Revised and Updated).
• Tan, Siang-Yang, 2011. Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Christian Perspective. Baker Publishing