Therapy Today Exhibition 2006

As you will have seen in previous issues of update CPCAB exhibited at the Therapy Today exhibition held at the Business Design Centre, Islington on 6th and 7th October. Fiona, Maureen, Sue, Victor and Steve were all there and spoke to many CPCAB tutors and candidates, along with counsellors, psychotherapists and others.

Maureen Moore, our Director of Qualifications Development, held a workshop on using training materials effectively, which showcased some of our new training DVDs and how they can be used in a teaching context.

Our competition to win a signed copy of Anthony Crouch's book 'Inside Counselling' and one of our training DVDs was won by Rosalind Nowell-Smith of St Albans. Thanks to all of you who came along and spoke to us.

New Level 2 Qualifications in Listening Skills

We are delighted to announce that we have two new approved, short and highly relevant Level 2 qualifications on the NQF approved for learners aged 14 years and above. These are now available from January 2007.

1. Level 2 Award in Effective Listening Skills (ELSK-L2) - 15 GLH - designed to provide learners with the listening skills needed to ensure effective communication in their educational or workplace communities.

2. Level 2 Award in Listening Support Skills (LSK-L2) - 20 GLH - designed to provide learners with the interpersonal skills necessary for effective use in peer support situations.

There is no separate external assessment for these qualifications. CPCAB will independently verify Candidate portfolios.

There are four main benefits to adopting these qualifications. They will:

• help the college to meet government education requirements
• help the college to generate valuable income
• help the college to save on staffing costs and
• provide emotional and social life skills essential to students progressing into employment and higher education.

These qualifications will help you to meet government educational requirements, for example - the provision of an Entitlement Curriculum, for improved communication skills and for young persons to participate in their communities. These have emerged from government led reports and strategy papers - ‘Every Child Matters – Change for Children’ (2004), the National Skills Strategy (2003/4) and the recently published Early Years Professional Standards (August 2006) and ‘Time to Care’ report (October 2006).

Both qualifications focus on preparing learners to work with others - children, young people, adult colleagues and the elderly. The generic nature of these qualifications means that all Learners will take away from the course - communication skills that support the Children’s Welfare agenda, the Working with Others Skills agenda and the Promotion of Mental Health for All agenda.

Please see the qualifications section of our website for further information.

Maureen Moore
Director of Qualifications Development

Staff News

We are delighted to welcome back Jan Mojsa, our Principal Verifier, following her treatment for breast cancer. Jan's now back in the CPCAB offices, full of beans and up to her old tricks! Many thanks to Hilary Tolhurst for her extra work and support whilst Jan was away.

And welcome to Traci Postings who has joined the team of counselling professionals with special responsibility for our new level 2 qualifications and our tailor made awards.

Last call for standardisation training

A reminder to tutors: there is one remaining date for Standardisation training available. As we announced in our July issue, you have a responsibility to ensure that at least one experienced tutor attends Standardisation each academic year and that this tutor communicates the training to all CPCAB tutors in the Centre who did not attend (cascade training). The remaining session is detailed below.

Location	Venue	Date	Time
Derby, DE22 4LR	Genesis Centre, Alfreton	Saturday 3rd March 2007	10:00 - 16:00

Please phone CPCAB on 01458 850350 on ext 2 or email Jackie Collier (stand@cpcab.co.uk) to book your place.

TC-L4 External Assessment CDs and tapes

We are happy to accept audio CDs as well as audio tapes for External Assessment of TC-L4 Candidates. Any CDs submitted should be recorded so that they can be played back on a hi-fi or a PC.

Pilot Peer Listening Scheme

Sixth formers at Dinnington Comprehensive were recently offered the chance to attend a CPCAB accredited peer listening course after school during June 2006. The training comprised of group process, discussions, practice sessions and assignments and was extremely well received. All of the students passed and obtained a Certificate in Listening and Support Skills.

The scheme was also piloted with a group of Access to Nursing students from Brooksby Melton College. They felt that the skills they learnt would be necessary for their future careers and that they would also use them with family and friends.

Comments from those involved included:
"The course has made me a better listener."

"I am very thankful to the two tutors as I feel that I have learnt a very valuable skill which is beneficial to my life and career."

"I thought the way we used the hours was helpful and then the way we had to do the weekly learning reviews and assignments continued our learning outside the designated 20 hours."

"I think that care assistants would benefit from participating in a similar training course."

One parent of a Dinnington pupil was so pleased with the change they noted in their child that they wanted to meet the peer listener in person to thank them. They bought the listener a teddy bear and a 'me to you' bear card as a thank you.

Training Developments in Working in Health Care Settings

Increasingly health settings are requiring an advanced level of training for employment in that context. CPCAB offers a Level 5 Psychotherapeutic Counselling qualification to which a descriptor 'Working in Health Care Settings' can be attached.

Counsellors and Psychotherapists in Primary Care have agreed to recognise graduates from this qualification as full members if they meet certain other criteria. They have also supported the qualification by informing its members about the qualification in its journal. The aim of this exercise was to encourage those with the necessary experience and qualifications and an interest in teaching to contact CPCAB so that providers would have access to a contact list should they need a tutor for this specialist diploma.

Hazel Broom has indicated that she would be willing to support this specialist diploma and is available in the South West, particularly in Exeter, Taunton and Torquay. If you are interested in contacting Hazel or in adding your name to the tutor resource list please contact Gill Baker at CPCAB (gill@cpcab.co.uk).

Maureen Moore
Director of Qualifications Development

A new development for CPC

CPC is the professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists working in the NHS. CPC sets a standard for membership which accords with CPCAB’s Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. Given the current changes in commissioning within the NHS it is now CPC’s intention to open up our registered membership to practitioners who are currently not working in the NHS. We anticipate that the change in commissioning might result in many more independent providers tendering to supply services to the NHS. We would expect that any such providers, or those hoping to become providers, would be able to benefit from CPC’s guidance and support. In particular we wish to ensure that the same high training and professional practice standards are applied across the NHS and see that the way forward is to be inclusive rather than exclusive of any such prospective counsellor providers who meet the CPC standard.

For further information and for a membership application pack please contact CPC on 01243 870701 or email cpc@cpc-online.co.uk.

Conference: Educating young men and boys

Transforming anger and violence into 'soft power' and emotional intelligence

Leeds Metropolitan University Counselling Service and the Brave Project are pleased to present the 3rd Violence Prevention Conference as part of the international campaign ~ ‘16 days of activism against gender violence’. This is a multi-disciplinary event welcoming workers and activists from across the helping professions; from the city, the region and nationally.

For more information see the Leeds Metropolitan University website: http://helpzone.leedsmet.ac.uk/counselling_training.htm