Eligibility

While the program is meant for persons with an academic background up to graduation level, those with lesser qualification are also considered on interview, if they are caring and sensitive human beings and have had sufficient exposure to life.

No other prior qualification is needed except the right attitude to strictly follow the guidelines of the course, and a sincere commitment to understand human beings and to learn, understand and practice counselling.

Course begins with individual sessions from June 2011, group sessions from Saturday 30th July, and practicals in August. Regular classes end on 31st March, and the first two weeks of April are spent on extra classes, practicals, presentations, and catching up. The valedictory will be held on second week of April 2012. The programme consists of lectures, role plays, exercises, group interaction, field work, and assignments.

Batches

Classes and group interactions are held twice a week as follows:

Batch I : Wed & Fri 10:30 to 12:30
Batch II : Tue & Thu 4:30 to 6:30
Batch III : Sat 3:30 - 5:30, Sun 10:30 - 12:30
Batch IV : Tue & Thu 10:30 to 12:30

Additionally, one day in the week is marked for 3 hours practical work, in rotation (as per the convenience of individual candidates). Opportunity will also be provided to enroll in the “Counselling Club”, which conducts role plays, counselling practice and skills sharpening on a regular basis.

The course is conducted in small batches and sufficient individual interaction is done with each candidate for personal growth. Core faculty and mentors willingly spend extra time with students as and when they are needed. For those who wish to refine their skills further, additional training and practical work opportunities are provided, other than the compulsory hours of practical and project work

Commitment from students

Each student is expected to put in reasonably consistent attendance, and complete the requisite hours of practical work, as well as the assignments. Evaluation is a continuous process, based on presentations that the student makes, and his/her counselling sessions evaluated by the group and by experts. Core faculty spends time with individual students more for their improvement than for their assessment. There are no theory exams, and students are evaluated continuously for their ability to genuinely reach out and counsel effectively.

An experiential student-centered approach is adopted throughout the course. Students are expected to participate actively, be responsible for their own learning, and commit themselves to the effort required to complete the course. Complete confidentiality is to be maintained by every student throughout.