Free counselling courses online – A guide

In this guide, we will discuss which are the best free counselling courses online and where to find them.

Free counselling courses online

Today the vision of learning has changed a lot. The new ecology of learning expresses that people not only learn in places of formal education but also informal and that this process can be carried out at any time.

The advantage of learning anywhere, anytime, allows the person to perform other activities and have more control of their time.

As the internet has facilitated this option to learn at any time and in any place, it is much easier for people to write in a search engine what they want to learn and instantly thousands of results appear which will be refined according to the needs of each who.

When it comes to psychology, it has been possible to appreciate a large amount of information about this area and its ramifications.

It is much easier to find information about what psychology is and the areas it covers.

A person who wants to delve into a specific area has the internet tool which will give support in this process.

In psychology, counselling is vital. This type of therapy has been at the forefront in recent years due to the benefits it gives to people with various mental disorders.

While it is true that the person to provide counselling needs a certified training, which proves that he is capable of giving this type of therapy, the internet can be that means for the person to perform it.

On the internet, you can find almost everything, including courses. In the case of a person wanting to learn about counselling, this should detail what is their main objective focused on counselling.

If you are looking for free counselling courses online, you will be lucky to find on the internet a series of courses with valuable information about what counselling is and how to apply this type of therapy.

It may be difficult for many people to take a paid counselling course because they do not have the necessary resources, but this cannot be an impediment for the person to acquire knowledge that will be of benefit to their professional life and to patients I may have in the future.

Learning is for everyone, and while there are excellent paid products and services there is also good content that can be accessed without paying.

Today, more accessible education is sought for all, knowledge should not be conditioned and set aside for a few.

The person must understand that there are free counselling courses online, which they can access and grow their knowledge.

A person who wants to learn about counselling can do it for several reasons, which can be to be able to apply this type of therapy or simply investigate more than one particular topic.

Regardless of the reason, the person must understand the goal of counselling.

That information can not only help future patients but also the person who learns can use this knowledge to transform its life.

Definition of counselling

Counselling can be defined as a conversational therapeutic process where it involves a therapist listening to a person about their problems and guiding them in the search for solutions.

A person who is giving counselling is not here to tell another person what it should do since it does not have the absolute truth of how things can be.

The therapist is a kind of guide, where it helps the person to raise awareness of the situations it is going through.

The therapist helps the person discover where those feelings and emotions come from, helps to regulate them and not be counterproductive for his psychological and physical well-being.

Counselling also helps the person to reduce the symptoms of any mental illness that they may suffer from, such as anxiety, depression or stress.

When a therapist starts counselling, the time for which the person will have to attend this type of therapy may vary depending on the situation being treated.

Some therapies can last for 6 weeks, another 8 weeks. The therapist’s evaluation will determine the amount of time.

The person attending counselling should feel confident since the things it talks with its therapist are going to be private.

It is not public domain information so you can speak quite freely about any problem that causes you concern.

Counselling can be given in different places such as face-to-face, in groups, via telephone, email or video calls.

The last one has been taking a lot of boom because many people find it comfortable to receive this type of therapy without having to move to the place, which gives them more time to perform other activities.

If a person is interested in receiving counselling, they must seek information related to the health professional with whom they will take this therapy.

Some people claim to be a therapist and who can give this type of therapy and this may not be true.

Mental health is important, so you have to take care of who receives this type of therapy.

As awareness of mental health is growing today and going to the psychologist, in any health centre there are professionals in that area and if not in the same centre they can inform you about the places to go.

There is also the advantage of the internet, where there are many therapists who can offer this service online and many times at a lower cost than in person.

Which are the best free counselling courses online?

As we know, the internet has a lot of information that we can access daily.

The fact that content is on the internet does not mean that it is the best or that it is reliable, it is necessary to exhaust a search process where what is valid or not is filtered.

In this search on free counselling courses online, not only was it free but also the reliability of this website through the comments expressed by users.

Some of the free counselling courses online that a person can take to start counselling and learn more are as follows.

The role of diagnosis in counselling and psychotherapy – OpenLearn

This is the first free counselling courses online on this list.

This course is given by the OpenLearn website, which is used by many people to not only learn from the area of ​​psychology but also any area of ​​interest.

The course has the contents that are going to work and the time to devote to the course.

You can also appreciate the reviews given by people about how their experience with the course was.

It is important to create an account to access and keep the entire process.

This course expresses that the knowledge that the person will obtain after completion is:

  • Describe how views of mental health problems have changed over time
  • Explain current classification systems of psychopathology
  • Explore the costs and benefits of psychiatric diagnosis to different interest groups, particularly counsellors and psychotherapists and their clients
  • Consider the potentials and pitfalls of diagnosis versus formulation in relation to fear and sadness.

Counselling and Psychotherapy Theory – edx

Another course that is part of the list of free counselling courses online is this offered by edx.

This page has great worldwide recognition when it comes to teaching courses. Everything related to the course is detailed on its website.

It is free but the person will have to pay for the certificate, which varies depending on the course.

On this page, you can see the people who are going to teach the course together with their experience in the area, which gives the person the security of knowing that he has someone with experience in the subject.

Also on this page the institution that teaches the subject, the duration of the course and how much time you have to dedicate.

You could say that it is a very complete course. The information on counselling of this course is theoretical, where the theories that make up psychotherapy will be taught.

This course expresses that the knowledge that the person will obtain after completion is:

  • The basic features of counselling and psychotherapy
  • New understanding of client ‘problems’, ‘causes’, and ‘process of change’
  • Various theories of counselling and psychotherapy (psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, humanistic, and family counselling approaches)
  • A perspective that integrates various theories of counselling and psychotherapy around ‘facilitating factors of positive change’
  • In-depth understanding and application of theories through case illustrations

Counselling Practice and Research – edx
This course is the continuation of the previous one but here we are already working with the practical aspect.

This course seeks to teach about the counselling process and techniques.

It is also part of the list of free counselling courses online.

It is important to know that in every learning process there is the theoretical and practical part and edx has it very present for training in this and other areas.

This course expresses that the knowledge that the person will obtain after completion is:

  • Overview of counselling practice: Stages and processes of counselling
  • Three dimensions of counselling techniques: Micro skills, attitude and relationship, techniques by counselling approach
  • Meanings, functions and methods of specific counselling techniques
  • Overview of counselling research: purpose, functions and types
  •  Various counselling research cases with up-to-date research methods

FAQs about free counselling courses online

Who can give counselling?

A health professional who has a degree related to psychology or psychiatry and counselling training is someone who is trained to give this type of therapy.

Is it beneficial for a person to receive online counselling?

Yes, many people have expressed that they have achieved good results with online therapy.

Is it correct to pay for an online course on counselling?

Yes, there is nothing wrong with paying for an online course.

On the internet, there is a wide variety of content both paid and non-paid. It is your choice which you prefer.

Can I give counselling if I am not a health professional?

A person without training in the area is not adequate to give this type of therapy.

Mental health is as important as physical health and must be in the hands of professionals.

Is online training as good as face-to-face training?

Yes, online training has people with great training in the area that provides knowledge as well as in person.

Conclusion

The internet has given the opportunity for many people to access free counselling courses online.

A person does not have to be present and has money to learn.

There are a lot of online resources that are at the hand of the person and that gives him the opportunity to train and contribute to the improvement of society.

It is important that when searching for free counselling courses online, the person analyzes the content they access and compares with others so that they can define exactly what they want to learn.

  1. A Beginner’s Guide to Training in Counselling & Psychotherapy
  2. Step in to Study Counselling (Steps in Counselling Series) 
  3. Online Counselling and Guidance Skills: A Practical Resource for Trainees and Practitioners
  4. An Introduction to Counselling, Fifth Edition

References

  1. Counselling
  2. 5 Best Free Counselling Courses & Certification [2020] [UPDATED]