AIPC Institute InBrief
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In this Issue

bullet Hello!
bullet Intothediploma
bullet Intostudies
bullet Intocounselling
bullet Intobookstore
bullet Intoarticles
bullet Intodevelopment
bullet Intotheweb
bullet Intoconnection
bullet Intotwitter
bullet Intoquotes
bullet Intoseminars
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Editor: Sandra Poletto
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Copyright: 2012 Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors
Hello!
Welcome to Edition 126 of Institute Inbrief. Like adults, children express loss by grieving and yet children may not demonstrate their grief openly as adults. Grief may affect their behaviour, the way in which they take in information, and their need for support. In this edition’s featured article you’ll learn strategies to work with children experiencing loss and grief.
 
Also in this edition:
 
-      Coping with Transitions in Life
-      Professional Development news
-      Web resources for counsellors
-      Blog and Twitter updates
-      Upcoming seminar dates
 
If you would like to access daily articles & resources, and interact with over 2700 peers, make sure you join our Facebook community today: www.facebook.com/counsellors. It is a great way to stay in touch and share your knowledge in counselling.
 
Enjoy your reading!
 
Editor.
 
 
Join our community:
 
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Intothediploma
AIPC is Determined to Make Counselling an Attainable Career for You, Just Like Over 55,000 Other Students in the Past 20 Years!
 
We have helped over 55,000 people from 27 countries pursue their dream of assisting others with a recognised Counselling qualification.
 
It's been a wonderful journey over the last 20 years (the Institute was first established in 1990). And it's been a pleasure to assist so many people realise their counselling aspirations in that time.
 
Why are so many people delighted with their studies? Our research over the years highlights three keys points...
 
1.     Our courses and personnel have just ONE specific focus... Excellence in Counselling Education. We live and breathe counselling education! Nothing else gets in the way.
 
2.     Exceptional value in your education investment. Our courses are always (always) much less than other providers that deliver counselling education. Our unique focus on counselling education, the large number of students undertaking our programs, and the creative way we deliver our courses provide us with cost savings that we pass on to you.
 
3.     The flexibility to study where, when and how you want to. You can study Externally, In-Class, On-Line or any combination. And you can undertake your studies at a pace that suits you... 12 to 18 months or over 2, 3 even 4 years or more. You decide because you are in charge.
 
We understand that no two people have the same circumstances. You no doubt have issues affecting your life that are unique to you and affect the speed and manner you'd like to study. You may be working full or part-time, undertaking other studies, or may not have studied for a long time.
 
Let's face it, life is not predictable and in today's fast paced society it's important that your education is flexible enough to fit in with your other obligations. AIPC provides you with flexible course delivery modes so YOU set the rules for how and when you learn.
 
Want to find out more? Visit www.aipc.net.au/lz today!
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Intostudies
Become a Counsellor or Expand On Your Qualifications with Australia's
Most Cost Effective and Flexible Bachelor of Counselling
 
The Bachelor of Counselling is a careful blend of theory and practical application. Theory is learnt through user-friendly learning materials that have been carefully designed to make your studies as accessible and conducive to learning as possible.
 
The course and its subjects are structured to progressively develop your knowledge and skills from foundational, theoretical concepts through to more complex concepts and advanced skills and applications.
 
On completion, you will have...
 
-       The capacity to apply counselling theory and skills in an intentional and mindful manner.
 
-       The ability to evaluate and apply a variety of counselling models according to the needs of your client.
 
-       The ability to analyse counselling issues with consideration to broader social and cultural perspectives and will be equipped to make a natural transition into the role of Counsellor.
 
To register your interest for Semester 1 2010 – visit www.aipc.net.au/degree2011 or click to download a full course prospectus.
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Intocounselling
Working with Loss and Grief in children
 
The death of a loved one is always difficult. For children, the death of a loved one can affect their sense of security. Like adults, children express loss by grieving and yet children may not demonstrate their grief openly as adults. Grief may affect their behaviour, the way in which they take in information, and their need for support.
 
This will depend on the child, their age, and their emotional maturity. It will also depend on who the child has lost to death. A child's experience of grief varies depending on the type of loss and the developmental stage of the child. For example, moving to a new town may precipitate a grief response that is mild and transient, while grief from the loss of a parent most likely threaten the foundation of the child's world. Young children express grief in vastly different ways from teens and adults.
 
Like any person, children express their grief by their behaviour, thoughts, emotions and physical reactions. The initial expressions of grief in children range from regression, temper tantrums, and exaggerated fears in younger children to physical symptoms, lack of concentration, and mood swings in older children. Grieving children may not dwell on the person who died and may continue to carry on with activities (for example: they may be sad one minute and be playful the next).
 
A child’s grieving period may be shortened because they will tend not to think through their own thoughts and feelings like adults (ruminate) and also the child may have trouble putting their thoughts into words compared to adults, due to their limited vocabulary. As a consequence, children will tend to favour their behaviour as a primary means through which to portray their grief.
 
Children's Grief and Developmental Stages
 
2 -3 years: Children at this age tend to have no understanding of death and are more likely to react to separation from the significant person and changes in their world. Toddlers are generally curious at this stage about where things go and gain delight in disappearance and reappearance. The distress associated with changes in their environment due to the death of a loved one may result in the following reactions:
 
-       Crying
-       Searching
-       Change in sleep
-       Change in eating habits
 
How parents/carers can help children cope at this age: What we do is far more important that what we say to a child this age. Generally, a grieving infant needs large doses of tender, loving care... holding, cuddling and stroking.
 
3-6 years: With language and learning comes an interest in the world. Children at this age tend to be full of questions, often repeated. Children at this age tend to see death as a kind of sleep. They cannot fully separate death from life. Being dead may mean for a child at this age, to be living under different circumstances. For example, the child may continue to think that the deceased is still living despite witnessing the burial.
 
As a result the child may continue to ask questions about the deceased and wondering over such things like why the deceased is not getting hungry or how can the deceased eat when they are underground. Children at this age may equate death with punishment. They will tend to communicate their feelings and emotions through:
 
-       Separation fears
-       Tantrums
-       Crying
-       Fighting
 
How parents/carers can help children cope at this age: When talking about death to the child, it should be explained simply to avoid confusion. Role playing with animals, toys and puppets can help the child gain an understanding of the loss.
 
6-9 years: Children at this age have the mental capacity to comprehend simple concepts like germs and disease. So they have a better capacity to understand the basic causes of death than younger children. However, their emotional understanding can be incongruent whereby there is less sophistication in their beliefs and thoughts about how bad things happen.
 
So they may tend to fabricate their basic comprehension of the cause of death with other less realistic phenomena. Feelings of insecurity resulting from the death may be expressed in the reluctance to separate from surviving caregivers. Children at this age will tend to personify death and are likely to display the following:
 
-       Anger
-       Denial
-       Irritability
-       Withdrawal
 
How parents/carers can help children cope at this age: Children's artwork can speak louder than words and free expression can be encouraged by taking this approach.
 
9-12 years: Children at this age will tend to have acquired a mature understanding of death. They will usually understand that death is final and have a better comprehension of the reality of cause. It is more along the lines of an adult understanding of death and will therefore often be accompanied by adult like behaviours such as feeling a sense of responsibility. They may have a strong need to control their feelings and may have difficulty doing so. The most common reactions are:
 
-       Withdrawal
-       Crying
-       Isolation
-       Sleep disturbance
-       Longing
-       Aggression
 
How parents/carers can help children cope at this age: Children of this age not only need support and comfort but can also be a source of comfort for others. Opportunities to be helpful to others during the crisis can actually help children deal with their own feelings.
 
Related Articles:
 
 
Did you enjoy this article? Then share the feeling and forward it to a friend! Quick reminder: Please send this eZine to all your family and friends so they too can enjoy the benefits. Thank you.
 
Join our community:
 
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Intobookstore
The Institute has a list of recommended textbooks and DVDs which can add great value to your learning journey - and the good news is that you can purchase them very easily. The AIPC bookstore will give YOU:
 
-      Discounted prices!
-      Easy ordering method!
-      Quality guarantee!
 
This fortnight's feature is...
 
Name: Putting Together the Pieces: Recovering & rebuilding life after trauma
Author: Day, Francess
AIPC Code: DAY
AIPC Price: $40.50
ISBN: 0-9580102-0-X
 
This is an important book which will greatly assist other victims of crime and trauma to confront their fears. It is written in a way that will give both moral and practical support to victims and their families.
 
To order this book, simply contact your nearest Student Support Centreor the AIPC Head Office (1800 657 667).
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Intoarticles
Coping with Transitions in Life
 
Change is a certainty in everyone’s life. The manner in which people deal with change also changes. Through learning and life experience, individuals develop varied levels of flexibility towards transition, and these levels commonly dictate the person’s ability to productively cope with life’s challenges. Thus, readiness and ability to change are popular topics in therapeutic contexts such as counselling, life coaching and mentoring.
 
Essentially, change takes center stage in the counselling relationship – a governing factor by which all effort is contingent upon. What dictates a clients’ readiness to change, and how does that affect the process of goal achievement in counselling? How to evoke change in someone’s life, and at the same time, make sure the process is self-directed and not imposed? What are the strategies and techniques which enable counsellors to motivate their clients towards change?
 
In this article we attempt to answer these, and many other questions, which hopefully will bring about positive change in your life, and the lives of others.
 
Click here to continue reading this article...
 
Other articles: www.aipc.net.au/articles
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Intodevelopment
Convenient Professional Development
 
Hundreds of counsellors, psychologists, social workers, mental health nurses and allied health professionals already access over 100 Hours of Professional Development online, for less than $1 a day. Now it's your turn.
 
Mental Health Academy (MHA) is the leading provider of professional development education for the mental health industry. MHA provides the largest variety of courses and videos workshops, all conveniently delivered via the internet.
 
With MHA, you no longer have to worry about high costs, proximity and availability, or fitting a workshop around your lifestyle!
 
You can access the huge range of PD, including courses and video workshops, whenever and from wherever you want.
 
Whether you are looking for courses on anxiety and depression, or a video workshop discussing the intricacies of relationship counselling - Mental Health Academy is your gateway to over 100 hours of professional development content.
 
Take a quick look at what Mental Health Academy offers:
 
-      Over 70 professionally developed courses.
-      On-demand, webstreamed video workshops.
-      Over 100 hours of professional development.
-      Extremely relevant topics.
-      New courses released every month.
-      Video supported training.
-      Online, 24/7 access to resources.
-      Endorsement by multiple Associations, including AASW, ACA and APS.
 
Begin your journey today. Click on the link below to register for a monthly or annual unlimited membership. As an unlimited member, you can access all MHA courses for less than $1 per day, and receive discounts when purchasing any video workshops:
 
 
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Intotheweb
Over the last few weeks we "surfed the web" to compile a comprehensive list of websites providing great counselling & mental health-related content for practicing professionals. If you're always on the lookout free content, then the list below is a very good start. Enjoy!
 
News & Articles
 
www.aipc.net.au/articles (AIPC’s official online article library)
www.psychologytoday.com (daily articles and resources)
www.psychantenna.com (news, videos, journals and social media updates)
www.psychcentral.com (daily articles, news and resources)
www.spring.org.uk (interesting articles on psychology studies)
www.counsellingresource.com (daily counselling Q&A’s and articles)
www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain (Mind & Brain news from Science Daily)
 
Videos
 
www.ted.com (TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading)
www.uctv.tv (University of California Television)
 
Newsletters & Publications
 
www.theaca.net.au/journals_and_articles.php (Counselling Australia by ACA – AUS)
www.therapytoday.net (Therapy Today Online by BACP)
 
Blogs & Social Media
 
www.counsellingconnection.com (AIPC’s official Blog)
https://my.counseling.org/ (Official Blog of the ACA – US)
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Intoconnection
Have you visited Counselling Connection, the Institute's Blog yet? We continually publish new and interesting posts including case studies, profiles, success stories and much more. Make sure you too get connected (and thank you for those who have already submitted comments and suggestions).
 
Developing Social Skills with Play Therapy
 
Social skills include the ways in which the child relates to others in order to make friends, get their needs met, be assertive, employ boundaries and cooperate. In order to develop social skills effectively, it is important that the child understands and experiences different behaviours and their consequences. To achieve this in play therapy, a therapist may use the following activities:
 
An imaginative pretend play to help the younger child learn about social skills and practice them. For example: if a child is engaged in playing as a mother, looking after and feeding the baby (doll), the counsellor could ask, "What should I do now? Dolly hasn't eaten her cereal and I’m her big sister ". This gives the child an opportunity to interact with the counsellor in the imaginative pretend play, gaining empathy for the mother and also gaining an understanding of their own position as the big sister.
Click here to continue reading this post...
 
Organisations: dramatically reduce your PD costs
 
It's crucial that professionals continue to learn and develop. Yet when dollars are tight it can be a financial strain to invest in professional development. We believe there is a solution that makes continuous professional development available for staff, in an extremely diverse scope of areas, at a very affordable rate.
 
Click here to continue reading this post...
 
Blog Email: blog@aipc.net.au
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Intotwitter
Follow us on Twitter and get the latest and greatest in counselling news. To follow, visit https://twitter.com/counsellingnews and click "Follow".
 
Featured Tweets
 
Working with Young Children: https://t.co/VSBjecd  
 
A Cycle of Dysfunctional Parenting and Unsatisfactory Child Development: https://t.co/s5zBp8X  
 
Rehabilitating the most vilified: https://t.co/VDKrMJm  
 
https://www.psychologytoday.com/node/48612 -- Why Meaning Is in the Eye of the Beholder
 
Collective intelligence: Number of women in group linked to effectiveness in solving difficult problems https://ow.ly/19fLUi
 
After traumatic event, early intervention reduces odds of PTSD in children by 73 percent https://ow.ly/19ePGw
 
Motivational Interviewing Principles: https://t.co/gK6k6Zf
 
Note that you need a Twitter profile to follow a list. If you do not have one yet, visit https://twitter.com to create a free profile today!
 
Tweet Count: 1800
Follower Count: 2069
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Intoquotes
"In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe."
 
~ Carl Sagan
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Intoseminars
Many students of the Diploma of Counselling attend seminars to complete the practical requirements of their course. Seminars provide an ideal opportunity to network with other students and liaise with qualified counselling professionals in conjunction with completing compulsory coursework.
 
Below are some of the seminars available throughout the last quarter of 2010. To register for a seminar, please contact your Student Support Centre. To access the full list of seminars for 2010, visit: www.aipc.net.au/students/seminars.
 
Diploma of Counselling (CDA) Timetable
 
Northern Territory
The Counselling Process: 12/12
Communication Skills II: 27/11
Family Therapy: 14/11
Case Management: 18 & 19/12
 
South Australia
The Counselling Process: 27/11
Communication Skills I: 16/10, 04/12
Communication Skills II: 17/10, 05/12
Counselling Therapies I: 06 & 07/11
Counselling Therapies II: 20 & 21/11
Family Therapy: 14/11
Case Management: 30 & 31/10
 
Sydney
The Counselling Process: 29/10
Communication Skills I: 06/11, 11/12
Communication Skills II: 12/11, 16/12
Counselling Therapies I: 01 & 02/11
Counselling Therapies II: 01 & 02/12
Legal & Ethical Frameworks: 09/12
Case Management: 11 & 12/10, 06 & 07/12
 
Western Australia
The Counselling Process: 16/10
Communication Skills I: 27/11
Communication Skills II: 28/11
Counselling Therapies I: 30 & 31/10
Counselling Therapies II: 30 & 31/10
Legal & Ethical Frameworks: 18/12
Family Therapy: 19/12
Case Management: 11 & 12/12
 
Brisbane
The Counselling Process: 28/11
Communication Skills I: 14/11
Communication Skills II: 05/12
Counselling Therapies I: 11 & 12/12
Counselling Therapies II: 18 & 19/12
Legal & Ethical Frameworks: 24/10
Family Therapy: 31/10
 
Tasmania
The Counselling Process: 19/12
Communication Skills II: 31/10
 
Melbourne
The Counselling Process: 23/10, 27/11
Communication Skills I: 24/10, 28/11
Communication Skills II: 04/12
Counselling Therapies I: 16 & 17/10, 11 & 12/12
Counselling Therapies II: 20 & 21/11
Legal & Ethical Frameworks: 06/11
Family Therapy: 07/11
Case Management: 13 & 14/11
 
Sunshine Coast
The Counselling Process: 04/12
Communication Skills I: 13/11
Communication Skills II: 14/11
Counselling Therapies II: 30 & 31/10
Legal & Ethical Frameworks: 11/12
Family Therapy: 20/12
Case Management: 20/12
 
Gold Coast
The Counselling Process: 08/10
Communication Skills I: 13/11
Counselling Therapies I: 29 & 30/10
Counselling Therapies II: 26 & 27/11
Legal & Ethical Frameworks: 10/12
 
 
Diploma of Professional Counselling (DPCD) Timetable
 
Northern Territory
Communication Skills I: 11/12
Communication Skills II: 13/11
Counselling Therapies I: 09 & 10/11
Counselling Therapies II: 20 & 21/11
Case Management: 04 & 05/12
Advanced Counselling Techniques: 23/10
Counselling Applications: 06/11
 
South Australia
Communication Skills I: 16/10, 04/12
Communication Skills II: 17/10, 05/12
The Counselling Process: 27/11
Counselling Therapies I: 06 & 07/11
Counselling Therapies II: 20 & 21/11
Case Management: 30 & 31/10
Advanced Counselling Techniques: 13/11
Counselling Applications: 28/11
 
Sydney
Communication Skills I: 06/11, 11/12
Communication Skills II: 16/10, 12/11, 16/12
The Counselling Process: 08/10, 20/11, 16/12
Counselling Therapies I: 01 & 02/11
Counselling Therapies II: 01 & 02/12
Case Management: 11 & 12/10, 06 & 07/12
Advanced Counselling Techniques: 29/11
Counselling Applications: 26/11
 
Western Australia
Communication Skills I: 27/11
Communication Skills II: 28/11
The Counselling Process: 16/10
Counselling Therapies I: 30 & 31/10
Counselling Therapies II: 30 & 31/10
Case Management: 11 & 12/12
Advanced Counselling Techniques: 23/10
Counselling Applications: 24/10
 
Brisbane
Communication Skills I: 09/10, 04/12
Communication Skills II: 13/11
The Counselling Process: 23/10
Counselling Therapies I: 20 & 21/11
Counselling Therapies II: 11 & 12/12
Case Management: 16 & 17/10
Advanced Counselling Techniques: 06/11
Counselling Applications: 27/11
 
Tasmania
Communication Skills I: 14/11
Communication Skills II: 05/12
The Counselling Process: 17/10
Counselling Therapies I: 11 & 12/12
Counselling Therapies II: 09 & 10/10
Case Management: 20 & 21/11
Advanced Counselling Techniques: 07/11
Counselling Applications: 28/11
 
Melbourne
Communication Skills I: 24/10, 28/11
Communication Skills II: 04/12
The Counselling Process: 23/10, 27/11
Counselling Therapies I: 16 & 17/10, 11 & 12/12
Counselling Therapies II: 20 & 21/11
Case Management: 13 & 14/11
Advanced Counselling Techniques: 30/10, 05/12
Counselling Applications: 31/10
 
Sunshine Coast
Communication Skills I: 13/11
Communication Skills II: 14/11
The Counselling Process: 04/12
Counselling Therapies II: 30 & 31/10
Case Management: 27 & 28/11
Advanced Counselling Techniques: 16/10
Counselling Applications: 11/12
 
Gold Coast
Communication Skills I: 13/11
The Counselling Process: 08/10
Counselling Therapies I: 29 & 30/10
Counselling Therapies II: 26 & 27/11
 
Important Note: Advertising of the dates above does not guarantee availability of places in the seminar. Please check availability with the respective Student Support Centre.
 
 
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