Counselling Psychology
How We Relate To Others
Counselling Psychology
Managing our relationships to clients
Delivery Format
In person
Duration
Taken over 18 Saturdays – Full College Days
Entry Requirements
An interest in adding to your counselling profession
Our Counselling Psychology Diploma
This course is designed for qualified counsellors and therapists who wish to deepen their psychological understanding of the work they already do. It does not teach counselling skills, but instead builds upon existing training by exploring the psychological foundations that underpin effective therapeutic practice. Many core counselling courses do not cover complex areas such as personality dynamics or diagnostic considerations—this programme fills that gap with academic rigour and clinical relevance.
Please get in touch if you would like to complete this course, or please use the enrol form link below. The course is taught from our college in Lincoln.
As a college we are an Organisational Member of the BACP and ISPC, encouraging ethics and standards.
How long is the course?
The course is taught part time weekly over 18 Saturdays at Ridgeway College in Lincoln. The course gives you 90 hours of theoretical and practical learning.
What is involved on the course?
Through focused study, participants gain insight into the deeper layers of the human condition. The curriculum examines how we relate to others, how emotional investment shapes relationships, and the challenges presented by reluctant or complex clients. It also addresses practical professional issues, including ethical referral pathways, the nuances of listening beyond technique, and the psychological realities behind so-called “healthy” individuals who nonetheless seek support.
Key topics include marriage counselling, grief, suicide, crisis intervention, and substance use, as well as essential themes like autonomy, authenticity, and the therapist’s own self-awareness. By integrating psychological theory with real-world practice, this course empowers counsellors to work with greater confidence, compassion, and depth—enhancing both their professional competence and their capacity to meet clients where they truly are.
Foundations of Therapeutic Relationship & Self-Awareness
This section explores the core relational dynamics that shape counselling, emphasising the therapist’s presence, authenticity, and emotional awareness. It examines how personal identity, interpersonal influence, and ethical responsibility form the bedrock of meaningful therapeutic work.
- Emotional Investment
- Being Ourselves / Counsellor’s Self-Expression
- How Others Affect Us & How We Affect Others
Clinical Skills, Assessment & Professional Practice
Focusing on practical application, this section deepens your ability to engage effectively with diverse clients—from initial interviewing to managing complex professional dilemmas. It addresses real-world challenges such as resistance, diagnostic uncertainty, and ethical referral pathways.
Key topics covered include:
- Interviewing & Further Interviewing
- Resistant and Reluctant Clients
- Diagnosis Problems & Referral Problems
Understanding Psychological Distress & Mental Health
Here, you’ll develop a nuanced understanding of common and complex psychological conditions. Moving beyond surface symptoms, this section explores the language, context, and core experiences of anxiety, depression, and personality disorders—with clinical sensitivity and theoretical depth.
- The Language of Fear, Anxiety & Core of Depression
- Personality Disorders (including Borderline, Narcissistic, Paranoid, Histrionic, Antisocial)
- The Seriously Disturbed & Dissociative Identity Disorder
Working with Crisis, Loss & Complex Life Challenges
This final section prepares you to support clients through some of life’s most difficult experiences. It covers crisis intervention, grief, addiction, and existential concerns—emphasising compassionate, ethical, and grounded responses in high-stakes situations.
- Suicide, Death, Grief and Mourning
- Crises, Emergencies & the “Problems of Healthy People”
- Drugs, Alcoholism & Supporting Clients with Complex Needs
Completion of the Counselling Psychology Diploma?
Upon completion of this course, you will have developed a significantly deeper psychological understanding of the human condition, enabling you to work with greater insight, nuance, and clinical awareness. You’ll be better equipped to recognise complex presentations—including personality dynamics, anxiety, depression, and crisis situations—and respond with appropriate sensitivity, ethical clarity, and therapeutic skill.
Rather than replacing your core counselling approach, this knowledge enriches it—allowing you as a ‘practitioner’ to hold space more confidently, make informed professional decisions, and offer truly responsive support to a wider range of clients across the spectrum of human experience.
“
This course transformed how I understand and engage with my clients. As someone already working in private practice, I found the modules on personality disorders, emotional investment, and the language of inner distress especially valuable—they gave me a robust psychological framework that complements my person-centred training. The focus on reluctant clients, diagnosis dilemmas, and crisis work has already made a tangible difference in my sessions. I now feel more confident, nuanced, and ethically grounded in my practice.
Lucy N
Qualified Counsellor
”
Join our Courses Today
If you would like to begin your counselling training and would like to know more, please get in touch and we will answer any questions you may have.
Enrol at Ridgeway College...journey through complete counsellor training
please feel free to look through the site and fill in the application form.