Business can benefit from counselling skills training at PSP

A training course which helps people support colleagues who may be experiencing stress is being run at Plymouth Science Park.

Devon and Cornwall Counselling Hub holds a number of fully accredited courses and its staff believe everyone can benefit from undertaking a basic level of training.

The team provide students with a skillset which can really help transform lives - and even prevent suicide.

“Every organisation should have staff members who have some level of counselling skills,” says Mark Hartshorn, Course Director.

“It can make such a huge difference for people, and, in extreme cases, can be the difference between life and death. For others, it can help to change an individual’s perception, save relationships and improve mental wellbeing.”

The team run a number of courses which are all accredited by the largest specialist counselling awarding body in Europe.

Students tend to start on the Level Two course which lasts for a total of 90 hours and provides the basic counselling skills which they would require.

These can be from being able to ask open questions through to the ability to be able to listen and accurately recall information to help the client on their journey.

“People often don’t listen in modern society and part of what we teach on Level Two is the ability to listen to hear and not listen to respond."

"We help people develop the important skills of paraphrasing, reflecting and summarising to show what’s been said has been heard.”

Mark believes the Level Two course is ideally suited for everyone and can be especially useful for people who come into contact with a broad range of people on a daily bases – from taxi drivers to hairdressers.

“The Level Two course is open to anyone and students benefit greatly from it as it gives you the tools to be able to help support a person in distress. It also allows you to become a qualified helper.”

The team also provide the Level Three qualification which further explore theories underpinning counselling – from CBT through to a transpersonal approach.

It’s often seen as the bridge to allow students to finally gain their Level Four diploma (allowing them to become a qualified counsellor).

“My entry into counselling was via the Level Two course which enthused me to go on and become fully qualified,” explains Mark, whose team can also provide Level Five training to allow fully qualified counsellors gain a further depth and understanding of their roles.

“We set up the Devon and Cornwall Counselling Hub to offer ethical, high quality training which is all about helping people to make a positive difference to the lives of others.”

“Plymouth Science Park is ideal for any business as its lease is simple and easy to understand."

"There’s no deposit or rent in advance with an easy exit policy. The on-site car parking will make a huge difference for us as it provides easy access for students.”