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 Person Centred Couples Counselling

 An Intensive Six Day Advanced Post Diploma Certificate course

Allan Turner and Kate Stubbings

24th & 25th October, 7th & 8th November and 21st & 22nd November 2008

Course Aims:

To train experienced counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists to confidently contract to offer Person Centred  couples counselling.

This is an important area of training which is constantly in demand from EAP's and couples themselves. A counsellor spending her/his training budget in this area is therefore likely to enjoy good returns on investment.

This training is unashamedly person-centred, which means that it will use person-centred theory as its primary reference point. There is very little theoretical writing, which is exclusively person-centred, on this subject. What writing and teaching there is, even by person-centred authors tends to place more reliance on other theories, particularly systemic, than we are comfortable with.

Course Objectives :

To give counsellors a solid grounding in person centred couples work this course will explore and explain:

Which clients are suitable
Contracting with new clients
Introducing the first session
When to see individuals on their own - and when not to!
Understanding how the six therapeutic conditions are applied to couples
Duration and frequency of sessions
Confidentiality - is it more complicated with couples?
Developing Person Centred theory with couples
Why did Rogers say so little about it?
The role and importance of Asperger's syndrome in couple work
Sex
Couples arguing in the room
Multidirectional partiality
The concept of "coupleness"
Considering the role of pornography
Role-plays
Demonstrations
What can go wrong
Awareness of our part in the relationship with the couple

Allan Turner is a Senior Accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and a founder member of PCT Scotland. He has been working with couples since 1980, when he became a counsellor with Marriage Guidance Scotland, in Dundee. His person centred training started in 1985 with Dave  Mearns, Brian Thorne and Elke Lambers.  He has always been passionately interested in working with couples. He still finds it the most challenging and rewarding aspect of his wide experience in counselling. 

Kate Stubbings  is a fellow Director of Counselling Works, a BACP Accredited counsellor and an experienced couples counsellor. Kate assists and has been infected by Allan’s passion for the subject. She constantly seeks to deepen her understanding of the person-centred approach and its wider applications. 

They say that they intend that the course will be rich in role play, practical examples and innovative interactive material. They absolutely guarantee that you will not go home bored!  

Number of places:  15 

Eligibility:  The course assumes that participants already have a good grounding in counselling. Counsellors should be trained to BACP accreditation level, although it is not a requirement that they are accredited.

Cost: £360 per person