Diploma in Supervision for the Helping Professions
The working life of a counsellor, psychotherapist, social/youth worker, psychologist, nurse or indeed anyone in today’s caring professions, is both challenging and demanding.
To do these jobs well, support in the form of supervision has become an important component of professional practice. In many helping professions, supervisors are considered gatekeepers of the profession, ensuring the standards and support necessary for the protection of vulnerable people, providing active support to the helping professional and creating an environment in which the supervisee’s growth and well-being become a key focus of the therapeutic triad (client, supervisee, supervisor). This 14-day programme is designed to train experienced practitioners within the health and social care domain to provide supportive, educational, and managerial supervisory skills that they can use in private practice or their workplace setting.
Who is this course for?
This programme is designed to train existing professionals in the health and social care fields (e.g. counsellors, psychotherapists, social workers, youth workers, psychologists, nurses, etc.) to supervise the work of other professionals. If you want to help other practitioners thrive in difficult environments, improve your own skills as a practitioner and contribute to your organisation and/or profession, then this course may be of interest to you.
What are the benefits of doing this course?
By enrolling in this programme, you’re not just gaining a qualification. You’re investing in your professional growth and career advancement. The course aims to foster growth, competence, and ethical practice among professionals, offering a structured and comprehensive pathway to acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in this vital role. A supervision qualification opens doors to higher-level leadership roles like management and clinical governance, enhancing your career prospects.
What will you learn?
You will develop applied supervisory skills and build upon your own existing personal and professional knowledge. You will become immersed in contemporary clinical supervision best practice and gain experience in the ethical application of models of supervision in the clinical setting, On completion of the programme, graduates will be able to work in one-to-one as well as group supervision contexts across professions.
Accredited By
Programme
Orientation day
Module CS811: Theories and Skills of Clinical Supervision
Module CS812: Ethical and Professional Issues in Supervision
Module CS813: Group Supervision and Cross Professional Supervision in Theory and Practice
Integration Day
25 hours of supervised clinical practice (internal to the programme)
Additional Course Requirements
• 25 hours of external, one-to-one clinical supervision practice (to be arranged by the student)
• 5 hours of clinical supervision of the student’s supervisory practice (with a supervisor acceptable to the student’s target accrediting body e.g. IACP, IAHIP, BACP, IAWs, NMBI etc.).
Learning Outcomes
• To review, understand and critically reflect on theories of clinical supervision.
• To understand developmental models of supervision and be able to apply them in supervision practice.
• To isolate tasks, functions and roles of supervision and learn how to work with them in actual supervision sessions.
• To learn the skills of being a supervisor and be able to implement them in work with supervisees.
• To be able to help supervisees use supervision effectively.
• To be aware of how individuals and groups learn and how to use experiential learning as a basis for learning in supervision.
• To work with supervisees in one-to-one and group settings.
• To be ethically aware and to have learned a process of ethical decision – making in supervision.
• To learn the skills of reflexivity.
• To be able to set up, contract for, maintain and terminate a supervisory arrangement effectively.
• To be able to give and receive feedback.
• To write clear and honest supervisory reports.
• To be sensitive to the impact of organisations on supervision practice.
Eligibility
• Applicants are required to hold a Diploma or Degree (Level 7 or higher) in Counselling and Psychotherapy, Social Work, Sociology, Psychology, Education, Medicine or equivalent. Applicants who do not hold a Level 7 qualification may be considered on the basis of substantial relevant experience and training. Applications in this category will be considered on a case-by-case basis and applicants will be required to furnish documentary evidence of experience and training.
• Applicants must be qualified practitioners who have begun supervising other professional practitioners (trainees or experienced) or are about to do so.
• A minimum of four years post-qualification experience as a practitioner is required. Where the applicant practices as a Counsellor/Psychotherapist, a minimum of 4 years of being accredited as such is required.
• Applicants must provide a recommendation from their supervisor.
Language Requirements
All candidates are required to satisfy the English language requirement. Candidates whose first language is not English and who are presenting qualifications other than the Leaving Certificate may satisfy the requirement through the completion of the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) on the basis that they obtain a minimum band score of 6 at the undergraduate level and 6.5 at postgraduate level or an equivalent score of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or Cambridge, which denotes a very good skill level of English. It should be noted that these are the minimum requirements in English and PCI College may set higher requirements in each case.
IT Skills
Students require sufficient IT skills to complete the course
Additional Entry Requirements
Students can expect to be provided with advice and support concerning any learning difficulties that they may encounter. Any diagnosed learning difficulty, e.g. dyslexia, must be noted on the application.
Fees
Tuition fee: €2,450 (Includes all academic and administration costs and charges)
Course Fees – Republic of Ireland
Course Total
Course Fees
Application Fee
Acceptance Fee
Payment Plan
Pay in 6 monthly instalments, through the Monthly Payment Plan. Please note that this plan will operate by Direct Debit only and incurs an Administration Fee of €100.00.
Additional Course Costs
Course fees do not cover costs associated with additional course requirements (supervision). Supervision fees are decided by negotiation between you and your supervisor. The average cost of supervision is approximately €60.
Career Path
Graduates of the Diploma in Supervision for the Helping Professions will be qualified to practice as a professional supervisor, working with individual supervisees in one-to-one and group contexts in private practice and/or organisational settings. Career opportunities may include private practice, work with state and voluntary organisations, mental health organisations, social care providers, businesses and any environment where clinical supervision is provided or required in those professions. This programme can be effectively integrated with any qualification that students have already achieved. This diploma is accredited by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP); however, students are advised that qualification is no guarantee of accreditation. Students are advised to verify the accreditation eligibility requirements of their target accrediting body before applying to this programme.
Application Process
Applicants should complete the online application form, including the Initial Deposit of €250, which is deductible from course fees if the application is successful. Applications should be completed in full and returned with the appropriate deposit for the programme of choice. Any deposit paid is deductible from the programme fees if the applicant is successful in securing a place on the programme. Applicants are entitled to a full refund of the initial deposit if they decide to cancel within 14 days of receipt of their application, and haven’t attended the interview. If the cancellation is before the programme commences, any monies held will be left on account for use for the next course intake. Any monies left on the account exceeding this timeframe will be forfeited. Please note that the name used on your application needs to be the same name that you have on your passport.
The balance of fees is payable in full before the course commences or by signing up for a direct debit. All courses run subject to demand and the formation of a viable class cohort. A full refund will be given to all applicants in the event that the class does not proceed.
Intake interviews will be arranged for suitable applicants. Applicants who are offered a place will be required to confirm acceptance in writing accompanied by an Acceptance Deposit of €670 (€650 acceptance fee and €20 Garda vetting fee). When an Applicant has accepted a place all tuition fees, including deposits, shall be fully non-refundable in all personal circumstances.