What you will study
This course will focus on research-informed knowledge and support that will help counsellors and psychotherapists to advance their knowledge and improve the effectiveness and safety of the counselling and psychotherapy they are offering remotely.
The course is split into the following six units:
Unit 1: Introduction sets up the course and invites you to evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses as a remote counsellor.
Unit 2: The challenges of managing the frame in video and phone therapy focusses on the challenges of managing and maintaining the therapeutic frame when providing video and phone counselling and psychotherapy.
Unit 3: Impact of being virtual and remote introduces you to theories around human behaviour as it appears in an online environment, with a specific focus on the ways in which the psychological impact of being virtual can play out in remote counselling.
Unit 4: Relating, emotional containment and risk in video and phone counselling focusses on how being in a virtual and/or remote space can impact relationships, creating potentially more intense client emotions or distress that is more difficult for a counsellor to hold therapeutically.
Unit 5: Working creatively in video and phone counselling introduces you to engaging in creative and imaginative ways of working remotely in an online environment and on the phone.
Unit 6: Conclusion prompts you to reflect on what you have learned on this course, and to assess yourself against current training needs/requirements for delivering remote counselling.
The course content has been jointly developed by The Open University, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) who recognise this course as one of the pre-requisites for the CPCAB Level 5 Award in Online and Phone Counselling Practice. Course completion will advance knowledge and confidence and help counsellors and psychotherapists to provide video- and phone-based counselling effectively and safely in their regular practice.
Please be aware that Online counselling: advancing your knowledge has replaced the previous course, Video and phone counselling 2.0: advancing your knowledge, which was hosted on OpenLearn Create. It's important to note that the course content remains mostly unchanged. If you've already completed Video and phone counselling 2.0: advancing your knowledge, there is no need to retake the course, unless you wish to revisit the material.
You will learn
By doing this CPD course, you will gain:
- an understanding of how to set up and manage a secure therapeutic frame in remote counselling
- awareness of the clinical impact of working remotely on clients and therapists in remote counselling
- an understanding of the specific nature and challenges of developing and maintaining the therapeutic relationship in remote counselling
- knowledge of the ethical and clinical considerations for containing/managing emotion and risk in remote counselling
- knowledge of different ways of engaging with creative methods and approaches in remote counselling.
Vocational relevance
This course will help counsellors and psychotherapists to advance their knowledge and understanding of how to provide video- and phone-based counselling effectively and safely.
Professional recognition
This CPD course has been jointly developed by The Open University and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and in partnership with the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) to support counsellors and psychotherapists in delivering therapy remotely (via video/phone).
Learner support
This short course offers online learning and contains self-study materials to be studied at your own pace. There is no learner support from learning advisers available on this course.