Teachers, NHS staff and social workers could all benefit, reports Ken Mann

How we communicate - and listen - defines our success in working with colleagues and customers. It's clearly fundamental to progress yet most of us leave it to the dangerous vagaries of self-assessment of existing talents, such as they may, or may not, be.

Gaining the COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills at the University of Strathclyde doesn't guarantee to turn you into a billionaire business guru overnight. However, it is an enabling tool towards better understanding interaction with those in business, career and personal environments and carries an uncommonly wide envelope of practical application.

Accredited by COSCA - Scotland's professional body for counselling and psychotherapy - it will come as no surprise this addition to anyone's personal armoury of knowledge and experience is delivered by the University's Centre for Lifelong Learning.

Audrey Cuthel, Counselling Skills Course Leader, is the person who interviews applicants and tutors on the course. She says: "This is not a post-graduate qualification. This course is open to all applicants who wish to learn how to use counselling skills for personal or professional purposes or to enhance counselling skills they already possess. There is no minimum entry requirement; just a genuine interest in counselling skills and a commitment to study, participate and practise skills.

"The course is assessed by written and practical means, therefore effective verbal and communication skills are necessary for successful completion.

"IT skills are also desirable; it is preferred that written assignments are submitted electronically."

It may be based within a renowned academic research institution but already the practical aspects are visible. Cuthel adds: "This course is beneficial for a wide variety of people, especially anyone who either works with people or who would like to enhance their relationships with others.

"It is ideal for teachers, nurses and NHS support staff, social workers, social care staff, human resources staff, vets, funeral directors, mental health workers, welfare officers, speech therapists, beauty therapists, helpline advisors, advocacy workers and recruitment staff. People working in all of these professions would find it worthwhile exploring their current communication and listening abilities in order to develop and enhance their skills.

"This can lead to more purposeful and effective connections and interactions with colleagues and clients/patients/pupils, etc. Likewise, individuals who undertake the course for personal development reasons often find their relationships with friends, partners and family become more meaningful and satisfying."

Looking at it from a front of house career angle, there are many situations where communication fails as a result of an inaccurately interpreted tone, or misunderstanding the form of words chosen. Sometimes it is simply the intention conveyed by the speaker was re-interpreted by the recipient in a default scenario that creates an unhelpful mismatch in understanding - causing unnecessary and frequently unintentional barriers to be erected.

Study on the course is intended to avoid such situations while learning new perspectives on more positive and pro-active interaction. The course is viewed as the first step in professional training in counselling skills.

In order to become a practising counsellor, students would need to continue on to a Counselling Diploma course.

The certificate course is now considered an entry requirement for most Counselling Diploma courses, Cuthel indicates, as well being highly desirable when applying for vacancies within the field of care provision.

The University's Centre for Lifelong Learning has been delivering the Certificate course for more than 10 years. It's obvious from this that demand exists and the syllabus remains popular.

The study method is by part-time weekly sessions and occasional Saturday classes, the latter facilitating completion during the normal academic year.

Consisting of four modules which cover the skills, knowledge, self-awareness and ethical considerations necessary to become an effective listener and counselling skills practitioner, participants are required to have a minimum attendance rate of 85 per cent, reflecting the highly experiential and interactive nature of knowledge acquisition.

This particularly relates to listening practice - an element that is core to appreciation of successful two-way communication.

Cuthel continues: "Included in the course content is an exploration of key aspects of the five major counselling approaches - the Psychodynamic Approach, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the Person Centred Approach, Transactional Analysis and Gestalt Therapy (an experiential form of psychotherapy that emphasises personal responsibility)."

For the first time, starting in the new academic year in September, the programme is being run on a Friday morning slot, complementing the Tuesday evening equivalent. The daytime provision is intended to be desirable to non-working and retired people, as well as employed, as part of their continuous professional development studies.

Interested applicants should contact the Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of Strathclyde, for further information and more detail on how they might benefit. Information on costs and funding options will also be available.

Prospective participants should note the Tuesday evening class will commence on September 1 (6.30pm-9pm) and the Friday morning class will commence on September 4 (9.15am-11.45am). There will be two Saturday sessions required for the Tuesday class and four for the Friday class - the latter arrangement resulting from public holiday dates.