Studying for a Level 3 Counselling Diploma with AOL

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It’s no secret that I love a good online course! As someone who is academic and likes to learn new things, ever since leaving University all those years ago, I have been eager to continue studying. I have previously done a number of different courses from wedding planning to first aid, starting your own business to health and social care. I have recently started a Counselling Diploma course online and as someone very interested in people and how they work, I was really excited to see what I could learn about a potential future career for myself.

The Counselling Diploma Level 3 I’m currently working my way through is being delivered by AOL (Association of Learning) and they offer a range of online courses from animal welfare to sports and fitness, business to teaching related. I chose counselling as I naturally tend to lean towards learning things about people and the way people think. As a Psychology graduate, I love knowing what makes people tick and I have always be interested in whether a career in counselling would suit me.

I loved my Psychology course but I really found the essays and assignments hard to write. If you’re looking for help with your writing, you could use Pro-Papers, an online paper writing service. They can provide top quality papers specific to your needs. If you’re really struggling with the basics, you should also consider getting a tutor to boost your knowledge. A good way to find the best tutor to suit your needs is by going to Tutor Map, who help you manage finding and booking a tutor who can help with what you need.

The Counselling course itself is split into 4 main modules of learning, each to be completed at your own pace and in your own time. The 4 modules include; an introduction to what counselling is, the models and approaches to helping, working with feelings, and finally goals and moving on. You get your own personal dashboard to keep track of where you are in the course and what content you need to work through in order to complete the course. Once the 4 modules have been completed, you then need to pass a multiple-choice exam on what you have learnt. Then you will be sent a certificate with your diploma for your files and your CV.

Each module is full of information and there is a lot of content to work through however each section is clearly labelled and you can work through each workbook in your own time. There are also numerous exercises to work through so you can note down your own feelings and ideas as you go along. The content seemed a little overwhelming when I first opened up the workbook for Unit 1 however once you see it is all split into various sections, it becomes a lot easier to work through. I took a section at a time and this meant I could concentrate on one aspect of the course and really give it my full time and attention.

I’m still working my way through the course content as you can take a whole year to complete it if you would like to however I’m really enjoying it and can see that I would be hard pushed to find something counselling related that isn’t covered by it! Online courses are a great way of ‘testing the water’ for me. I can actively learn new things as well as satisfy my craving to study. I love online learning as I can study at my own pace and in my own time. Another great thing about online studying is that you can be in contact with a course tutor as well as students anytime you need to via emails and online chat facilities without needing to wait until we are all at the next lecture or class!

AOL offers quality courses which are compliant with current regulations and updated on a regular basis so you can be assured that what you are learning is relevant and accurate. I would highly recommend the Counselling Diploma Level 3 that I’m currently completing to anyone that is interested in counselling as a career or even just interested in working with people. It will be great to pop on my CV and gives me more career choices in the future when my girls have grown up!