Learn about the different types of therapy that can be used to help clients. If you are a counsellor or want to be one, this is an indispensible part of your training or professional development.

Explain the key principles and applications of different theoretical approaches to counselling and psychotherapy, including the theories of Freud, Erikson, Adler, Ellis, Rogers, Beck, and others.

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy l: Freud (& Erikson); Jung
2. Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy ll: Adler
3. Humanistic/Existential Approaches I: Gestalt Therapy; Fritz Perls
4. Humanistic/Existential Approaches II: Person-Centred Counselling; Carl Rogers
5. Rational Behavioural Therapy: Albert Ellis
6. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Aaron Beck
7. Behavioural Therapy
8. Solution-Focused Counselling

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

• Explain the principal differences between Adlerian and Freudian theory, the key concepts of Adlerian theory, and the 4 stages of the Adlerian counselling process.
• Understand the chief elements of the Gestalt approach, to discuss resolution of problems and to describe different effects and techniques of Gestalt therapy.
• Delineate the person-centred approach to counselling; to understand its principles, goals, assessment techniques and appropriate application.
• Explain Albert Ellis's views and the evolution of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), the stages involved in developing a rational philosophy of life, and the different techniques used by REBT's.
• Discuss the differences between Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and REBT, to define the main 'cognitive distortions', and to demonstrate an awareness of modifications to CBT
• Develop an appreciation of the characteristics of contemporary behavioural therapy and different problem-solving techniques adopted by behavioural therapists.
• Explain the role of solution-focused counselling in modern therapy and the strategies used to generate solutions.
• Explain the concept of dream analysis.
• Describe Erikson's modification to traditional psychoanalytical theory .
• Explain an object-relations interpretation of the origin of 'narcissistic' and 'borderline' personality disorders.