The specialization programme in counselling may be included in the Master of Science in Counselling at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

What is counselling – and how do you become a good counsellor?

Counselling is a discipline that focuses on interpersonal interaction and communication. Related terms are coaching, supervision, mentoring and guidance. Counselling is understood as a pedagogic and relational process in which the objectives are development, learning and growth through experience and exploration.

A prerequisite of becoming a good counsellor is to have the experience of being at the receiving end of counselling. That is the fundamental idea of this programme, and emphasis is therefore placed on self-development. In the process of getting better acquainted with one’s self and gaining a deeper understanding of one’s own reactions, the counsellor is better equipped to relate to others in a supportive and creative manner.

Target group

The programme targets anyone who is engaged in the dynamic interaction that arises when people meet and collaborate. The requirement of relational competence applies to several person-oriented professions. Teachers, healthcare personnel and leaders gain valuable knowledge through this programme and are equipped to work with interpersonal relationships in all their diversity and complexity. An engineer who attended the programme, once said: This is perfect for me, because I want well-functioning interpersonal relationships in solving our problems.

Counselling helps to retrieve individual resources for collaboration in both professional and personal life. The discipline suits those who have some working experience and who wish to gain a deeper understanding of human interactions.

Objective

The programme educates professionally sound, ethically aware, critical counsellors with good communication skills who dare to confront others, and who are able to stimulate interpersonal processes.

Working methods

The specialization programme in counselling is a coping- and presence-oriented education in which students gain both theoretical and practical counselling training. The programme is process-oriented and students will experience both their own and others’ communication- and interaction processes.

The programme is based on fundamental principles of humanistic and existential philosophy. It introduces gestalt therapy and psychosynthesis.

What can I expect from this programme?

The programme provides improved self-knowledge and a better understanding of interpersonal communication. Your listening skills will be stimulated and you will be challenged to face reality as it is, not as it should be. Through mindfulness in different situations, you will increase your interpersonal skills and abilities to be close to others and to stimulate their maturity and growth.

Mindfulness involves building awareness of your thoughts and perceptions and improving your abilities to be present in your own life and in your interactions with others.