I.

PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COUNSELLING PROGRAMME:

The Masters degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy reflects Anugrahas commitment to

provide training of professional counsellors for work in a variety of settings. This programme
prepares professional counsellors and psychotherapists for one or more of a variety of work
settings, such as the school or college, non-governmental organisations, rehabilitation centres,
private practice, hospitals, psychiatric clinics, or business and industry. Our emphasis is on
practitioner skills training within a broad theoretical foundation and exposure to the empirical
bases of the profession.

The Department of Counselling and psychotherapy is also committed to seeking and valuing
diversity in students and staff. Diversity, used here in a very broad sense, includes the variety
of cultures, backgrounds, values, and experiences found among faculty and students; it also
includes the diversity of our professional ways of practice, our ways of learning, and our
personal and professional goals. In training, the M.Sc. programme curriculum works to
integrate diversity awareness and appreciation into all the courses.

Counselling and psychotherapy is the application of mental health, psychological, or human

development principles to cognitive, affective, behavioural, or systemic intervention strategies
that address wellness, personal growth, or career development as well as pathology.

II. COURSE PROFILE:

The Masters degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy offers opportunities for intensive
learning and therapy for those intending to become professional counsellors and
psychotherapists. The sessions are designed to meet the needs of students to deepen and
extend their counselling skills and psychotherapies, and to facilitate personal and professional
growth. This programme is offered by a team of professionally trained psychologists and
psychotherapists who are committed to providing a responsive, creative, training and healing
service. All sessions are experiential, educational and enlightening. The training includes
dynamic instruction, practice and supervision as well as individualized mentoring. Participants
get a great deal of individual attention, and have the opportunity to do their own healing in the
sessions, as well. The course is taught via lectures, discussions, seminars, practical work and
experiential group work. This programme integrates theory and application with a wide range of
topics including personal growth, professional excellence and interpersonal integration. This
programme provides counselling skills practice, theory, personal therapy, group therapy,
supervising skills, and self-analysis.

III. COURSE COMPONENTS:

Course Structure

The structure of the course includes elements of Theory, Professional Development, Personal
Development and Interpersonal Development through Commune Experiences. These
components are outlined below.

Theory

The course curriculum introduces students to the major schools of Counselling Psychology:
Non-directive Client-centred, Cognitive-Behavioural, Humanistic, Psychodynamic and
Integrative/Eclectic. The emphasis is on the theoretical underpinning and practical application.
The course reflects the diverse nature of applied psychological knowledge and professional and
ethical issues.

Core model

The core model is the microskill model which is an integrative process model, broadly derived
from the work of Carl R. Rogers, Robert R. Carkhuff, Gerard Eagan and the contributions of
Anugraha. It assumes that three themes - relationship, content and reflection/planning - are
developed throughout the different stages of counselling. The core qualities of counselling -
empathy, warmth or respect, and genuineness - are emphasised.

Alternative models

Students gain a working knowledge of explanatory concepts for assessment and change, and
techniques and strategies, from a variety of other approaches, e.g. Psychodynamic, Cognitive-
Behavioural and Humanistic-Existential Therapy.

Personality Tests
Psychological type (Myers-Briggs, ISACs Test, FIRO - B & F) theories are applied to counsellor
training, client temperament, choice of counselling orientation, and personality development and
change.

Professional Development

The key aim here is to guide trainees to develop interpersonal sensitivities, qualities, abilities
and competencies required to establish, maintain and conclude a professional helping
relationship with clients. The intensive skills training which runs throughout the course involves
the following practical work:

(a) Counselling Skills Practice

Skills training is an important component of any counselling course. The courses aim to support
students in developing their counselling skills to an advanced level. This is achieved through
lectures, skills exercises and exposure programmes. Students work in a group of between 8
and 10, with a staff member as facilitator. Sessions afford many opportunities for counselling
practice with fellow students as clients. Feedbacks are discussed with peers and tutors.
Training in giving and receiving feedback is central to this activity.

The following psychotherapies are taught and practised under the supervision of the staff:
Gestalt therapy, swish, visual-kinesthetic dissociation, reframing, use of sub-modalities,
Transactional Analysis, assertiveness training, re-parenting, inner child work, grief therapy, fear
therapy, anger workout, play therapy, expressive art therapy, cognitive therapies, and behaviour
therapies.

(b) Supervision

Each student is also assigned a personal tutor who is available for support and advice.
Supervision is an essential requirement in monitoring personal and professional development.
Teaching and supervision are carried out by a core team as well as by external consultants and
facilitators.

(c) Personal Development

Throughout the course trainees are constructively supported in appraising their own progress.
Students are also required to be in Personal Therapy. This provides experience of being a
client and experience healing. Trainees need to work through any personal issues which may
limit or prevent their effectiveness as counsellors. Many elements of the course will therefore
include activities that focus on self-exploration. Students are encouraged to draw up their own
agenda for personal development and to take responsibility for their own learning. Each student
is required to have significant experience as a client. Regular formal support groups, peer
counselling, and journal writing are some of the other ways of working on self. Experiential
workshops and the Personal Log provide opportunities to examine personal processes.

(d) Personal Development in a Commune experiences

Students are encouraged to actively participate in commune experiences. Members are invited
to know and develop their personal and relationship capabilities. They have ample
opportunities to explore, develop and expand their group interaction. Commune activities like
recreation, group work, picnics, and common celebrations do promote group interaction and
commune building. The staff members participate in all these activities to enhance commune
building and bonding.

Aims and Objectives of the programme are:

to develop the competence of students in their ability to act in a professional counselling

role with an individual client through the acquisition of counselling skills and a theoretical
framework in which they are able to make sense of the phenomena presented to and
experienced by them when with a client;

to provide students with a view of counselling within a wider context so that they can
better assert themselves as counsellors with both their colleagues and their surrounding
working community, presenting a professional and responsible attitude towards their
work;

to help students develop their own internal authority for their work and also a critical
understanding of the theoretical framework they may adopt and an understanding of why
they adopt it;

to develop the students competence as a counsellor and psychotherapist with a wide

range of clients.

IV. ELIGIBILITY FOR THE COURSE:

(a) Candidates for admission to the Master's programmes should posses a Bachelors degree of
Madurai Kamaraj University or an examination accepted as equivalent thereto, with a minimum
pass.

(b) To be considered for admission to Masters degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy, the
applicant is required to present evidence of scholastic ability, interest in the area of psychology,
counselling and psychotherapist; personal stability, and a strong character.

(c) The institute also informs the applicants that the training is demanding in terms of both
intellectual activity and skills development. Success in the course requires a high degree of
motivation and openness to self-exploration and personal change. Students therefore need to
have the intellectual and personal resources to deal successfully with such demands. This will
be assessed at the intake interview in each individual case.

(d) English Proficiency: English is the language of instruction and communication at the college.
Accordingly, an applicant whose primary language is not English must demonstrate command
of English sufficient to pursue the studies. However, for those students requiring more
proficiency in English, special coaching classes (Refresher Course) will be conducted.

VII. ELIGIBILITY TO TEACH THE COURSE:

Persons with Masters degree in Psychology, Counselling, Social Work with Diploma in
Counselling, Masters Degree in Certificate in Pastoral Counselling and other such Persons with
Master degree with certificate or Diploma in Counselling are eligible to teach and supervise the
students.

V. APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION:

Application for admission to the course must be made in the prescribed form obtainable at the
Institute office. The admission will be subject to an entrance examination consisting of a written
test and an interview to enable the respective admission committee to decide about the
suitability of the candidate. The decision of the committee shall be final in all cases of
admission.
VI. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE:

1) The candidates shall, besides undergoing the prescribed course of study, attend practical
counselling sessions in the field, prescribed clinical visits, field practicum, study tour, project
work, etc. under the guidance of staff members and to the satisfaction of the department or the
institute.

2) No candidates shall be admitted to the examination unless he/she has attended not less than
75% of attendance. The head of the department shall furnish such certificate to the institution
before issuing the hall tickets.

VII. DURATION OF THE COURSE:

The two-year Masters degree course in Counselling and Psychotherapy shall be divided into
four Semesters (I year two semesters, and II year two semesters). A semester is a period of 90
working days from about the first week of July to the end of October and from the first week of
December to the end of April. At the end of the I year, i.e. II semester, and at the end of II year,
i.e. IV semester, students have to undergo 30 days each (including holidays) and thus 60 days
of Clinical Visits and Practicum respectively. At the end of the first year the trainees will be
placed in any institution requiring general counselling practice. In the end of the second year
the trainees will be placed in the organizations whose activities are related to the specific field of
counselling.

VIII. METHODS OF STUDY:

A range of teaching strategies, including:

Lectures
Seminars
Skills practice
IPR (Inter-personal Relationship) group therapy
 Experiential workshops
Live demonstrations of counselling
Case presentation
Experiential sharing
Assignments
Participative methods of learning
Book reviews
Field visits
Collage presentation
Private study and reflection.
Undergoing personal counselling / therapy
Personal supervision under a professor
Active participation in all aspects of the course.
Completion of a log of professional issues and personal development issues in
accordance with the nature of subject with a view to enable the candidates to
understand, analyze and solve the problem in different fields of counselling.

IX. FIELD WORK:

Field Work is essentially a major component in this course of study. (This may be taken as a
concept paper or a mini-project.) The organization of placement counselling will comprise:

1. I semester Visit to Hospitals, Schools and Counselling centres to have skills practice
and submit the report to the supervisor.

2. II Semester - Field visit to the selected organizations for about 20 days (100 hours) in
the semester in two spells of 10 days (50 hours) each.

3. III Semester and IV Semester - Individual placements of trainees in the agencies

relevant to the practice of specific counselling skills. During III and IV semesters, each student
is expected to spend at least 30 days (150 hours) 15 DAYS (75 hours) EACH IN TWO
SPELLS- in organizations (in each semester).

Students are responsible for documenting their experiences during the field work. This
documentation will be reviewed during and after the field work. At the end of the field work, the
students have to prepare a concept paper that will systematically delineate the various
experiences obtained during the field work.
X. SUPERVISION:

The students practice will be supervised in line with Anugrahas norms on Counselling and
Psychotherapy. Supervision offers the student the opportunity to explore both their learning on
the course and issues relating to practice and encouragement to develop personal and
professional reflexivity about both. Students are required to negotiate a contract with their
supervisor that encompasses the following requirements.

The student is required:

to attend supervision as regularly as appropriate.

to record their key learning from each supervision and keep these notes in their log.
to outline contribution of supervision to the development of their reflective practice

Assessment on the fieldwork visits will be done by the concerned field work supervisors. A
Viva-voce in fieldwork will be conducted at the end of each semester.

XI. FIELD PRACTICUM:

Students are expected to undergo Practicum for 30 days each during the end of the II and IV
semesters, where the trainees will be placed on a daily and full-time basis in an agency selected
to provide a satisfactory learning experience.

XII. NORMS FOR FIELD WORK EVALUATION:

1. Attendance (including regularity and punctuality) 10

2. Regularity in submission of report 5

3. Regularity in peer counselling sessions 10

4. Relationship with the agency 5

5. Application of theory and counselling methods 30

6. Content of the record 15

7. Viva voce 25

Total 100
Weightage for Field Work Norms :

1. Attendance 2. Regularity in submission of reports

Less than 75% - 0.0 Late for 75% reports and more 1.0

75% - 79% - 1.0 Late for 50% to 74% -2.0

80% - 84% - 2.5 Late for 25% to 49% -3.0

85% - 89% - 4.5 Late for up to 24% reports -4.0

90% - 94% - 7.0 Punctual for all reports -5.0

95% - 100% - 10.0

3. Regularity in peer counselling sessions 4. Relationship with agency

< 75% - 0.0 The agency will be requested to assess

the praticuum students using an
75% to 79% -2.0 assessment form.
80% to 84% -4.0

85% to 89% -6.0

90% to 94% -8.0

95% to 100% - 10.0

5. Application of theory and counselling methods 6. Content of the record

(Language, format, presentation, content,

and clarity)
Excellent -25-30

Very Good - 20-24

Very good 11 -15
Good - 15-19
Good 6-10
Satisfactory - 10-14
Satisfactory - 0 5
 Average - 5-9

Below average 1-4

7. VIVA VOCE

Proper maintenance of record note book 3

Communication skills - 10

Attendance - 2

Acquisition of skills 5

Effectiveness of counselling intervention 5

XIII. CASE HISTORY RECORD:

A detailed record of counselling, case study, and training will be maintained by the students.
This will be made use of for diagnosing, case presentation, research project report and
supervision. The trainees are to record their case history and the key learning from each
supervision and keep these notes in their log. The following information is to be used in the case
histories. Case history should contain date of session, the treatment setting, counsellor name,
client name initial (or an alias), identifying data, personal history, mental status, assessment,
client's goals, recommended treatment plan and prognosis.

XIV. RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT:

Trainees are expected to select a research problem in the specific field of counselling and
prepare a research design by the end of III semester in consultation with the research
supervisor. The project report will be submitted to Madurai Kamaraj University in part fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the Masters degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
The completed project work shall be submitted to the university by the 30th of March every year
during the IV Semester. Evaluation will be done both by internal and external examiners for 100
marks each and the average marks out of 200 will be considered for 100 marks. The internal
valuation also consists of viva voce for which 25 marks are allotted.
XV. EXPOSURE VISITS TO COUNSELLING SERVICE CENTRES:

Trainees are expected to participate in an exposure visit organized by the institution. It is a

compulsory one whereby the trainee gets an opportunity to visit the organizations engaged in
activities related to counselling and psychotherapy.

XVI. SEMINARS:

Apart from the regular lectures, seminars are organized often. They are important assets for the
Masters students. They provide a venue for you to present your ideas when they are in a
formative stage, and to gain feedback, which will be useful in refining and developing your
research topic. In addition you may well benefit from listening to seminars given by people
working in similar or in related areas.

XVII. SPECIALISED COURSES AND WORKSHOPS:

Attending specialised courses and workshops will enhance ones skills. One will also find it very
useful to attend the workshop sessions organised by the Anugraha.

XVIII. IPR (INTER PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP) GROUP THERAPY:

The aim of IPR Group Therapy is to develop personal awareness and ability to reflect on
oneself and to identify and address issues in relation to self and others. IPR groups are formed
early in the course and meet weekly with one member of staff who remains ones personal tutor
for the whole of the course. These sessions are facilitated by the tutor to give an opportunity for
group members to share aspects of their self and reflect upon the disclosures of others in a way
which is supportive but also assists in personal development. The tutor also acts as a personal
tutor for academic support and advice with assignments and other course aspects. The tasks of
the IPR groups are to provide a safe and confidential environment in which to:

obtain and offer genuine support and challenge

explore and share personal and relationship issues
deepen and further develop personal awareness
 explore professional issues
receive and offer constructive verbal and written feedback

XIX. DISSERTATION:

Two copies of the dissertation must be submitted, typed in double spacing on one side of A4
paper. The college will retain one copy of the dissertation and students may retrieve the second
copy after the examination is completed. Supervisors will give directions on the detail of
presentation. In general, a successful dissertation has the following features:

an abstract
a reasonable and clear system of chapters, sections and paragraphs
a list of contents with page references
a list of tables if these are included in the text
list of references (books, journal articles and websites referred to) or bibliography

XX. PERSONAL THERAPY:

The course emphasises the central importance of accurate self-awareness as a condition for
effective counselling and it is for this reason that personal development activities are considered
essential to the programme. The aims of participation in personal therapy include:

develop awareness of self;

experience the role of client;
get exposed to the therapeutic style of the personal therapist.

Clearly, the final choice of therapist is a very personal matter. What we want is that students
have the best possible experience and our intention is to facilitate this process.

XXI. FAILED CANDIDATES:

A candidate who has arrears in any paper in a semester examination will be permitted to
proceed to the next semester classes. A candidate who has arrears in a paper/papers of the I,
III, and IV semester examinations may appear again in these failed papers at the October
examinations. A candidate may appear for any arrear paper/papers of all the four semesters at
the April examination. If a candidate fails in a theory paper, he/she shall be required to re-
appear for that paper. The internal assessment marks already obtained by him/her shall be
carried over.

XX. IMPROVEMENT OF INTERNAL MARKS:

The candidate desirous of improving the internal assessment marks shall undergo the course of
study once again for that semester after obtaining prior permission of the university and appear
for the University examination also at the end of the semester cancelling the previous
appearance of the paper/papers in the university examinations.

XXI. COURSE PROFILE:

I Semester

1. Introduction to Counselling

2. Fundamentals of Psychology

3. Dynamics of Counselling

4. Schools of Psycho therapy 1

5. Field Work 1

II Semester

6. Techniques of Counselling

7. Developmental Psychology

8. Mental Disorders and Psychotherapy 1

9. Schools of Psychotherapy 2

10. Field Work 2

11. Practicum 1

III Semester

12. Developmental Issues and Counselling

13. Research Methodology

14. Mental Disorders and Psychotherapy 2

15. Field Work 3

16. Counselling Exposure Visits

IV Semester

17. Situational Issues and Counselling

18. Modern Issues in Counselling

19. Work Place Counselling (Industrial Psychology)

20. Research Dissertation

21. Field Work 4

22. Practicum 2