Introduction Courses

Our "Introduction to Christian Counselling" 50 hour level 2 course, which is recognised by the Association of Christian Counsellors, is designed to be beneficial to all. It will primarily help church members to determine their interest in and/or suitability as a counsellor. The introductory course is also geared up to help those who are involved in various aspects of church life. It will increase their understanding of how people function and improve their interpersonal skills. Not only is it helpful for those who wish to explore the whole area of counselling, but also is ideal training for house group leaders, pastoral care teams, youth leaders etc.

The course usually takes place over four weekends, normally one weekend a month in consecutive months. A typical weekend would be Friday 7.00 pm - 10.00 pm and Saturday 9.30 am - 4.30 pm.

Within the course there is a balance of theory and skills which should give people sufficient grounding to start out in the counselling ministry and move towards gaining accreditation with the ACC. The structure of the course covers subjects such as :- Biblical Basis & Theory, Counselling Skills, Relationships, Specific Applications and Principles & Procedures.

There is also an amount of required reading and regular written assignments to be completed.

Regarding cost, we are currently charging £135 per head for the four weekend-end course. This price does include all notes, one year's Student Membership of the ACC, and college registration fee - so there are no hidden extras, except that students do have to provide their own lunch! This course can be arranged anywhere in the U.K. with a minimum number of 15+ students. Outside Northampton the hosts would be expected to provide a suitably equipped venue to hold the course.

Recently, through ACC, the course has been recognised by the Open College Network and students completing it will obtain educational credits (at Level 2) in the Further Education system.

Advanced Certificate Courses

The year-long Level 3 "Advanced Certificate in Counselling Skills" course is for those who have already completed an ACC Introduction, Level 2 counselling course or equivalent and/or have gained experience in counselling over recent years. It takes a more in depth look at the whole subject of Christian counselling and is aimed at those who clearly feel a calling to the ministry of counselling and to potential pastoral workers.

The course normally runs over 3 terms of about 14 weeks, one evening a week (7pm-10.15pm). The Terms are a mixture of Counselling Theory, Counselling Skills and Practical Applications. There are weekly lectures, including group discussions, role plays and regular written assignments to be completed. There are two Saturdays (9.30am-4.30pm) to be attended, one at the end of the first term and one at the end of the last term.

The total cost is £550 for the 200hr course (this can be paid termly). This price also includes all notes, Student Membership of the ACC for the duration of the course, and college registration fee - so there are no hidden extras.

This course can be arranged anywhere in the U.K. with a minimum number of 10+ students. Outside Northampton the hosts would be expected to provide a suitably equipped venue to hold the course.

Recently, through ACC, the course has been recognised by the Open College Network and students successfully completing the course will obtain educational credits (at Level 3) in the Further Education system.

Diploma Courses

Diploma in Christian Counselling 

An Educational Level 4 Course – 420 Guided Learning Hours 

Who is this course for?           

This course is for students who have completed a Level 3 course (certificate level) and want to develop their knowledge and skills. Additionally, students with practical experience of counselling are also choosing this course in order to gain the qualifications generally required by employers and accrediting bodies in this field. 

When does the course run?            

The course is run over 2 years, a Tuesday evening (6pm – 10pm) and a number of Saturdays (9.30 am – 4.30 pm with a 1 hour lunch break). For further details, please see "Scheduled Courses". 

What does the course cover?           

The course covers an Integrated approach to counselling. This fits in well with The 5 Circle model (the Christian counselling model used at MHCS) which is itself an integrated model. Therefore, pre-knowledge of the 5 Circle model is an advantage, but not an essential requirement to start on this course.              

The course covers the following elements: 

·                    Comparison of the philosophies of Non directive and Directive counselling.as exemplified by Person Centred Counselling andCognitive Counselling and comparison with Biblical norms. 

·                    Exploring the meaning of eclecticism and integration; the advantages and disadvantages of integration; the methods of integration; an exploration of some integrated models – in particular the 5 Circle Model; the integration of secular tools into a Christian model and a practical project on integrating a skill/tool from another model into the 5 Circle Model. 

·                    An in-depth study of codes of practice and ethics as they apply to counselling. A comparison of the codes of practice and ethics of 3 Professional Bodies including the Association of Christian Counsellors and how these compare to Biblical values. 

·                    An exploration of Brief Therapies including a comparison of Action Centred and Solution Focused Brief Therapies.                                                                                            

·                    Understanding the responsibilities of a counsellor in respect of supervision and how to get maximum benefit from one’s own supervision. 

·                    To consider how counsellors can maintain quality of service and monitor outcomes of their counselling. 

·                    An in-depth look at some of the issues that clients present in                      counselling including: depression; abuse (including spiritual abuse); obsessive compulsive disorder; eating disorders; substance abuse; relationship counselling; sexual identity confusion etc. 

Undelying these topics will be issues of personal awareness and developmentand research into current growth areas in counselling. These will run concurrently with the other topics. For the research topic, each student will be required to present a minimum of 2 short presentations to the rest of the group over the duration of the course. 

Counselling Placement

As well as the academic requirement of the course, each student must complete 100 hours of supervised counselling. If a student cannot organise/find their own placement, then they may apply to the Manna House (only in exceptional circumstances would a student be refused). On completing the placement, should a student wish to continue working as a volunteer counsellor for the Manna House they will need to reapply and undergo a formal interview. 

What qualifications does the course give me?           

The course is recognised by the Association of Christian Counsellors (ACC) and therefore can count towards training hours when a student eventually applies for accreditation with the ACC. It is also validated by the Open College Network, which is one of the largest adult education awarding bodies in the UK and is recognised by the government This means that any employer must accept its awards as valid qualifications. It can provide an entry into studying counselling at degree level for those interested. 

What does the course involve?.

The student must attend a minimum of 85% of the teaching part of the course.This means only being able to miss 63 hours of the course. 

The ACC requires every person on their courses to be a student member of the ACC. If you are not already a member then you will need to have enrolled by the start date or a.s.a p. 

Students must also provide evidence of having achieved all the Course Learning Criteria. This is achieved by completing a portfolio of evidence. Unlike our Introduction and Advanced Certificate courses there will be very little set homework. It will be the responsibility of each student to write up their evidence for Learning Criteria as topics are covered.  

Students have 6 weeks after the end of the course to complete all Learning Criteria and longer to complete their 100 hours counselling placement if needed.  

If you would like to register your interest, please contact Jean Hill (Training Administrator) and leave your details, either by email to mhcs@mannahouse.org.uk or telephone 01604 633304.

Other Courses

The Manna House, in partnership with the Light House, Coventry, is also able to offer ACC recognised, Stage 1, 2 & 3 Supervision courses, which again can be held in your area by negotiation. We can also provide specialist teaching/seminars on a variety of subjects by request.

To date, courses have been undertaken in places as far afield as Banff and Aberdeen, in Scotland, Dublin, Rugby, Milton Keynes, Bridlington, Bedford, Stoke-on-Trent, Peterborough, Market Harborough, Luton, Barnet and Stanmore in London, then in 1997, in Geelong, Australia and 1998 in Malaysia!

Currently scheduled courses follow on the next page:

Scheduled Courses