Due to the delicate nature of counseling as a career, the education and training required to be one are essential, and so in this article, we will be helping you find free online courses in counseling.
Counseling has slowly but gradually become an in-demand course as it has shown to be a very effective tool in helping people with mental health issues or help improve their mental health.
Counseling is the kind of therapy that involves a patient talking to a counselor about their concerns and working around them to provide solutions and ensure the patient feels better about themselves.
As a counselor, an essential part of your job is ensuring you can make your client feel safe and comfortable talking to you. They should be able to perceive they’re in a safe, judgment-free zone to communicate honestly.
These free online courses on counseling equip the counselors with certificates for record’s sake, but they also help them acquire valuable knowledge and skills to help them carry out these jobs. We will be looking at those certifications, training, and, most notably, these free courses.
You might have wondered why people study counseling or thought of how to become a counselor, and that is all that we will be addressing here. Even more, we will be addressing some frequently asked questions and, as promised, providing you with a list of the top ten free online courses in counseling with certificates in 2022.
For more information on how to go about counseling, here is an article on Best Countries to Study Psychology
Why Should you have a Career in Counseling?
People source for careers in counseling for various reasons and these reasons serve as inspiration to remain in the profession when things are not going as planned and to enjoy your career path. Some of the reasons why you should have a career in counseling or why people have gone into counseling include the following;
- Curios about psychology and how the mind works. Studying counseling is an approach to understanding how the human mind and anatomy work. It provides essential knowledge on human psychology and how the human brain interacts with its surroundings in different situations. They also learn about physical and otherwise illnesses that may or may not affect their mental health.
- Love working with children. Whether you love to be around children, you want to help them psychologically navigate the early stages of their life to ensure they grow up the right way. A career in counseling psychology is definitely for you. Acting in various capacities such as a school counselor, adoption or social services counselor, or a family counselor would help the children navigate through childhood the right way.
- Helping people through difficulties. More often than not, they’re problems that people can’t go through on their own, even with the proper medications, and that’s where these counselors come in. Some of them may include addicts, recovering victims, veterans, etc. These challenges start from the head, an expert that knows how it works can help bring them out of these trying times.
- Flexible work hours the job comes with. This is an additional perk that comes with the job that you cannot shy away from. Either due to lack of patients, working around your patient’s free time, or having to work with different facilities with their own distinct time. These are all reasons why their work hours are not too rigid.
Why Enroll in a Counseling Course?
1. Certification is Mandatory
Certification in counseling is mandatory as it most importantly shows the client that you are able to help them. Still, they also show that they understand what is being taught and apply it in real-life situations. This certification and licensing are given when the students have been exposed to the required knowledge.
2. You Need all the Resources you can Get
To be a counselor, you need to learn various skills like empathy, communication, advocacy, etc. Multiple skills are learned from free online counseling courses. These lessons, teach the skills to the students. Upon completion of these courses, the students practice these skills through tests, various life sessions, and evaluations that help them be perfect whenever they’re finally ready.
How do you become a Counselor?
Like other professions, counseling has various categories in which you can major. Becoming a counselor requires its own preparation set like certifications, training hours, etc. While there are different degree courses you can take to prepare you, some methods may be vocational and take years of practice to become perfect.
Introductory courses. This will introduce you to the basics and, most importantly, help prepare you for what you would be facing as a counselor. While these various categories have their requirements, both vocational and academic routes for beginners, there are introductory classes that you take for short periods of about 8-12 weeks.
Counseling Degrees. While searching for counseling courses, the first thing you do is to ensure professional counseling bodies accredit them. You are required to start with foundational degree courses, usually within about two years. To complete the degree, you can top the foundational courses with an additional course of one year. However, if the courses meet the requirements of the accrediting body for practitioner training, you’re already on the right path.
Top Ten Free Online Courses in Counseling with Certificates in 2022
1. Psychological First Aid
The course introduces you to psychology by a method called the RAPID model. Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition. This model is designed to fit into various situations and environments such as workplace, family, or even more severe emergencies like robbery, accident, etc.
Summary; Participants will be able to help people respond to immediate trauma situations and know when to advise for further support. They master these skills and other related skills, which they can implement accordingly when dealing with patients.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Counseling
Duration; 7 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
2. Introduction to Psychology
The course introduces the basics of the human mind and how it works. The brain activities like learning, memory, conceptions and consciousness in old and young are being taught. They further explain how this ability affects us and affects our relations with others and how we handle it.
Summary; The course is available in various languages such as Arabic, Russian, Italian, etc. It comes with a shareable certificate gotten at the end of the system. Skills needed to handle problems such as psychological issues, mental illnesses, and other related challenges are taught.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Counseling
Duration; 23 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
3. Positive Psychiatry and Mental Health
With various mental challenges rampant, the need to ensure these challenges are being catered for birthed the need for this course. The course is channeled to approach mental health to heal and build mental stability. The course teaches what good health is and what it isn’t. Most importantly, it teaches how to seek help in these situations.
Summary; The course uses an approach of evidence-based lessons and offers classes that allow for practice. This practice is not limited to only oneself but will enable it to be practiced on other people. The course has a shareable certificate and financial aid attached to it.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Counseling
Duration; 20 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
4. Conflict Transformation
The course teaches the difference between conflict management, resolution, and prevention. Conflict is never inevitable. Therefore, it teaches how to approach it constructively to avoid blowing up. Personalized tasks, handouts, and helpful tips help the smooth flow of the various lessons in the course.
Summary; The course promises to approach conflict from various perspectives you’re assured of gaining new knowledge. Other skills learned from this course include active listening skills, communication skills, interaction skills, etc.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Counseling
Duration; 17 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
5. Schizophrenia
The course focuses on the psychotic disorder known as schizophrenia. The illness is discussed in detail with information such as its symptoms, the neurochemistry behind the disease, various theories, and findings discovered concerning the illness and how it has been managed over the years.
Summary; The courses are both expository and educational. They have shareable certificates, and they will be gaining knowledge on things like psychiatry, psychiatry disorders, psychology, and the likes of them.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Counseling
Duration; 6 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
6. Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life
The course explains how we use our brains every day and how the nervous system works. It defines our various behaviors and how they affect common problems or how we react to them. Our interaction with the outside world is also understood from this course. In summary, it helps us know what we do and why we do it.
Summary; The 100% online course is a beginner-level course with a shareable certificate. It is a free course that offers knowledge on the human brain, neurology, neurologic disorders, etc.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Counseling
Duration; 28 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
7. The Addicted Brain
As the name implies, the course focuses on enlightening students on addiction and the brain. It educates on how the brain interacts with addiction of various forms, whether alcohol, bad behavior, etc.
Summary; The course addresses this issue and discusses societal problems that may serve as triggers for this situation. It is a financial aided course with a certificate and a sound system for beginners.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Counseling
Duration; 22 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
8. Career Decisions: From Insight to Impact
The tutor educates the students on how psychology, sociology, organizational behaviors, etc., influence career decisions and ensures they make the most out of it. As a career counselor, the tutor explains how this course can be a pivotal instrument for career-building with the right resources.
Summary; The knowledge from this course is set on challenging you to grow in your career by providing the proper knowledge and skills. It is available in over five languages and has a certificate you can share upon completing the course.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Counseling
Duration; 11 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
9. Know Thyself – The Value and Limits of self Knowledge: The Unconscious
The course is exposure to the unconscious mind and how it works. It compares various theories and scientific postulations to arrive at its conclusion.
Summary; The course allows you to analyze various mechanisms and motivations for actions. It is a fully online course, and a certificate is issued upon completion of the system.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Counseling
Duration; 16 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
10. Suicide Prevention
The course treats the delicate topic of suicide while, most notably, addressing its prevention. They explore various approaches and terminologies related to suicide. It bolsters the point that all life is essential and the importance of seeking help.
Summary; Various method of approaching suicide and suicide intervention is discussed. Facts on suicidal behaviors and thoughts are also shared.
Provider; Coursera
Subject; Counseling
Duration; 7 Hours
Start date; Ongoing
Conclusion
So far, we have gone through counseling, why you should have a career in counseling, and how to become a counselor. The comprehensive list of free online courses on counseling spans various categories from personal relationships, interpersonal relationships down to career, etc.
While counseling may seem like just talking to people, it goes way beyond that. The time, effort, dedication, and zeal put into being qualified for the job is one not to be taken for granted. Counseling psychology is a delicate course because it deals directly with the human mind, so the job can not and should not be given to just anyone.
The above courses are to prepare you for the challenge ahead and are excellently equipped to do so at the cost of your time and dedication. 13 Best Free Online Counselling Courses of 2022 is also an article that can provide you with online counseling courses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a couple of questions you might need answers to while navigating your career path.
There are various types of counselors which you could be when you choose the field, some of which include;
Career counselors. They are found in schools and colleges. These counselors help guide students on the appropriate career path according to their strengths. They are also found in work settings assisting people in navigating their next career path.
Family counselors. They help ensure the family is at peace with each other, and they talk through challenging moments and come to healthy solutions.
Social worker. These categories help cater to children in various cases that concern them, ranging from adoptions, juvenile crises, etc.
Counseling psychology. This kind of counseling involves helping navigate mental health issues stemming from their day-to-day life. These patients can share their problems, and these counselors help them as best as possible.
Counseling courses are set to open students up to various skills that help improve their interpersonal relationships and ability to manage conflict. Some of these skills include;
Listening skills. You are taught to be able to listen attentively to your patients and draw meaningful conclusions from the session.
Empathy. By default, every patient who speaks to a counselor has one problem. The counselors should be able to have sessions that don’t stress them out even further.
Flexibility. While there might be various specializations, a counselor is trained to be able to help their clients with the basics while they refer them to someone more particular to their needs.
While some types of counseling compulsorily require degrees, some other counseling opportunities are not as strict. Some of them include;
Peer counselor. People who have had experiences with trauma, life challenges, and illnesses can often advise other people going through similar situations. Most peer counselors do not require a degree before they can become one.
Drug and alcohol counselor. Similar to peer counselors, these counselors are usually people who have recovered from either drug or alcohol addiction or abuse. This gives them a level of experience.
Life skills counselor. Life skill counselors are counselors that help people with general life issues. They help advise on how to overcome them and navigate their life positively.
Counseling psychology is a branch of counseling that helps guide, advise, and inform on various stages of life. They help individuals overcome mental health challenges and find stability and routines that help them avoid breakdowns or alleviate their problems.
CounselingCounseling psychologists cover every aspect of their client’s life from family, work, personal relationships, and interpersonal relationships, depending on whatever they need. The aim is to ensure clients’ general well-being is as sound as possible.
There is an increase in the counseling psychology career because of the current shift in the world’s mindset. It is now evident that mental health and other associated issues are a real problem hence the need for counseling psychologists. While some people may prefer to share their issues with family alone, some others understand the importance of talking to experts in the field who know their job and know exactly what to do.
They have proven to be relevant in their field, helping people in various situations and stages. It is, in fact, evident that they will remain relevant in their industry for a long time.
References
- coursera.org – Free Online Counselling Courses
- www.google.com – Why you Should have a Career in Counselling
- www.indeed.com – How to become a Counsellor without a Degree.
- Degreesandcareers.info – How to become a Counselling Psychologist.
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