Psychology Courses

In 1999, nearly 15 million people in America admitted using illicit drugs in the prior month. Drug use is widespread, from the person who uses coffee and tea to get up in morning, to cigarettes and soft drinks to stay alert during the day, to using alcohol as a way to relax. The opportunity for drug abuse is there. People who abuse drugs risk their close personal relationships and their work performance. The pathological use of substances falls into two categories – substance dependence and substance abuse.

Substance use disorders are conditions that arise from misuse of alcohol, psychoactive drugs and other chemicals. This if also people who report symptoms attributed to the effects of drug abuse, the side effects of medications, or exposure to toxic materials

Substance use disorders are usually classified further as follows:

• abuse (harmful use)
• dependence
• intoxication
• withdrawal states
• psychotic disorders
• amnestic syndromes

This course considers whether an individual's behaviour is within what is considered "normal" within society or "abnormal". This course will be of benefit to anyone who is interested in the workings of the human mind - counsellors, teachers, social workers, youth workers, support workers, carers etc. It will develop their ability to identify psychological disorders, and determine when to refer clients for treatment. The course will also be of interest to anyone who wants to understand more about common psychological disorders, their causes and treatment. Prerequisite: Introduction to Psychology

This course aims to develop your understanding of the ageing process, and your ability to help others cope more effectively with their grief.

It is designed to be useful for counselling and other care professions or anyone involved with elderly people in any other way, formally or informally.

Ageing is the process of growing old. It is a gradual biological impairment of usual functioning. Mobility can gradually decrease, the need for medical interventions may increase and old habits may need to be modified

There is more to aging than just the physical changes though. Many other things happen as a person ages, which can (and does) impact on their state of mind. These changes generally require adjustments in both outlook and lifestyle. They may include a reduction in disposable income; change in residence, loss of peers (friends, colleagues) and loved ones.

THINKING OF A NEW CAREER IN ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR - THIS COULD BE THE COURSE FOR YOU.

A lot of animal behaviour is cyclical, and often the cycles of behaviour are synchronized with some characteristic in the physical environment, such as night and day or seasonal weather changes. The most common cycle is one synchronised with the daily rising and setting of the sun. Coastal animals often display cycles synchronised with tidal cycles. Many animals (both aquatic and terrestrial) display cycles synchronised with lunar rhythms. Most animals tend to display cycles which relate to seasons. Seasonal cycles in sexual behaviour are particularly common.

When animals are relocated to a different environment, where day/night lengths or some other relevant factor is dramatically changed, their behaviour can be disturbed; however eventually, in most cases, their biological clock will reset to the new conditions. Daily and seasonal rhythms are most commonly affected by the stimuli of light duration and intensity. The onset of breeding season, for instance, in many animals, is stimulated by a sequential change in day lengths over the preceding months.

Find out this and more on Animal Behaviour with this fascinating course.  Psychologists have long used the study of animal behaviour as a way of gaining insights into human behaviour. In understanding animal behaviour, we extend our basis for understanding human behaviour. Therefore, this course not only helps you understand why animals behave as they do; it may also be valuable for anyone studying general psychology.

Biopsychology is also known as “Physiological Psychology”, “Psychobiology” or “Biological Psychology”.

Physiology is the study of the way living organisms function. It can encompass the way things move, chemical and bodily processes, growth, atrophy, and anything else that supports or causes physical or chemical changes to occur within the body. Therefore, it differs from anatomy, which is the study of the physical structure of the body.

There are obvious, observable or measurable associations between the physiology and the psychology of a person. For example, the mind and emotions can be affected by chemical processes caused by different foods, such as the soothing effects of bananas and carbohydrates. Intake of other substances, such as alcohol or other drugs, can affect the psychological state of a person. On the other hand, emotions can cause physiological responses. For instance, when people become stressed, their blood vessels may contract and the heart rate may increase. It has also been shown that focusing on positive thoughts such as love, appreciation or gratitude can cause immediate improvement in immune system function and regulate heart rhythm.

Excessive stress for an extended period at first will cause unpleasant feelings, but in due course, it can cause physical damage to the body, fatigue, and in extreme situations, ultimately death. Excessive stress that causes physical damage has been called dystress (by Syle). The Greek prefix “dys” means bad. Dystress literally means “bad stress”. Some stress is both inevitable, and in some respects, desirable. Dystress (or distress), however, is not desirable.

There are damaging effects to the human body caused by constant stress. Changes in the physiological processes that alter resistance to disease (e.g. blood chemistry changes) and pathological changes (e.g. organ system break down and ulcers) are both manifestations of stress. The body’s defence mechanisms may be affected both directly and indirectly (by promoting behaviours that weaken these mechanisms or that lead to exposure to pathogens).

Modern humans with their new technology, do less physical work, stimulate themselves when tired (television, food, alcohol), and eat when they are not hungry, etc. This actually goes against all natural feelings "signals from the brain". Humans are actually depriving themselves, and this is a major psychosocial cause of stress. Another psychosocial cause of stress is "adaption" overload where people are being faced by constant or rapid change whether it be social, cultural, technological, etc.

This course builds on Biopsychology I, with further exploration of research into brain processes such as memory, and the effects of brain damage and other factors on those processes.  Those working or studying in the areas of counselling, psychology or health will benefit from the deeper understanding of the relationship between our physiological condition and our mental condition and behaviour that this course provides.

Starting or changing a career can be quite a challenge. Without help, a person can easily become discouraged or overwhelmed. If you want to help others (or yourself) make sound career decisions and set realistic career goals, this course will set you on that path.

Careers Counselling involves more than just finding work for people.

Among other things, Careers Counselling may involve helping people:

•  identify the best job for their skills and interests
•  find any job to meet their personal and financial needs
•  find a better or more appropriate job for their situation
•  achieve job satisfaction through appropriate choices
•  plan and cope with career changes
•  better adapt to the workplace
•  improve their potential for advancement in the workplace
•  identify new career possibilities when circumstances change.

To be able to assist a person to understand:

• the diverse nature of employment opportunities
• the requirements for success in different types of jobs
• reasons that people hire and fire employees
• workplace conditions including contract law, industrial relations systems, health and safety issues, ethics useful contacts among employers, government departments, funding bodies, professional associations, industry experts, etc
• factors that hinder or promote a person’s job-seeking effectiveness
• trends in the local job market.

 A good Careers Counsellor must be impartial and objective.

Career Counselling is a valuable addition to your  teaching, counselling, management, life-coaching, or community services qualification.  It can also improve parents' ability to help their children choose suitable career paths, or student's ability to plan their own career or career change.  

Child psychology is concerned with the development of a person over the course of their childhood. This involves the development of a child's mental processes (ie. cognitive development); emotional and social behaviour. It is important to state that development does not end at adulthood. Adults continue to experience changes in their mental, emotional and social behaviours. Some characteristics are however more easily developed and changed during childhood.

For convenience, a distinction is made between the cognitive, emotional and social aspects of behaviour. However, this distinction is purely theoretical. It is made simply to help us learn and understand. In reality, the different aspects of behaviour interact with each other. When problems develop in any area of development, they usually become rapidly evident in other areas as well. The study of child psychology is partly concerned with identifying such interrelationships.

The role of the counsellor is to facilitate the person’s resolution of these issues, whilst respect their values, personal resources, culture and capacity for choice. Counselling can provide people with a regular time and space to talk about their problems and explore difficult feelings in a confidential and dependable environment.

Counsellors do not usually offer advice, but instead give insight into the client’s feelings and behaviour and help the client change their behaviour if necessary. They do this by listening to what the client has to say and commenting on it from a professional perspective. Counselling covers a wide spectrum from the highly trained counsellor to some one who uses counselling skills as part of their role, for example, a nurse or teacher.

Many people use counselling skills in their daily lives. However, sometimes it may be inappropriate for people to use their usual methods of support. They may not want to discuss their problems with a friend or family member. They may feel that the person is too close, that they don’t want them to know their confidential problems or the person they would usually confide in might be part of the problem. Counsellors are trained to be effective helpers in difficult or sensitive situations. They should be independent, neutral and professional, as well as respecting our privacy. Counselling can help people to clarify their problems, identify changes they would like to make, get a fresh perspective, consider other options and look at the impact that life events have made on their emotional wellbeing.

Gain a more indepth understanding of the use of counselling skills.

It is sometimes the case that clients expect that the counsellor will be able to conjure up an instant cure. In such cases, it may well be necessary for the counsellor to spell out to the client that they are not an expert who can offer a magical solution to the client’s problems, but that their role is to help the client express their problems and feelings so as to gain a better understanding of themselves. The client needs to understand that it is not the role of the counsellor to offer advice, but rather to enable the client to find their own solutions that are right for them. It may also be necessary to inform the client that finding solutions to problems can take a long time, and that they may need to exercise patience and be prepared to commit to a number of sessions.

Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) developed the most comprehensive theory of personality and psychotherapy to date. His basic principles have been used as the building blocks for many subsequent theories, and continue to be used. Other theories have emerged as a reaction against psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis has been thought to be difficult to prove and based on limited case studies.

Freud drew attention to the unconscious and its role in personality development. His theory of personality development is deterministic, emphasising the role of irrational forces, unconscious motivations, and drives on the individual’s psyche as they progress through psychosexual phases during the first 5 – 6 years of life.

Freud considered instincts to be central to personality development. He referred to libido (sex drive) to be the survival instinct. He later renamed it the ‘life instincts’, to illustrate the fact that he believed motivation went beyond sexual energy.

Contrarily, he believed that aggression was the primary death instinct.

Develop your understanding of criminal psychology and how psychology is used in law enforcement and crime prevention. 

Who should study this?

• Legal secrataries, office staff, etc
• Welfare officers, yourth workers, and any other support service staff who may be working with disfunctional people

A crisis is a period of transition in the life of the individual, family or group, presenting individuals with a turning point in their lives, which may be seen as a challenge or a threat, a "make or break" new possibility or risk, a gain or a loss, or both simultaneously. Most crises are part of the normal range of life experiences that most people can expect, and most people will recover from crisis without professional intervention. However, there are crises outside the bounds of a person's everyday experience or coping resources which may require expert help to achieve recovery. A crisis can refer to any situation in which the individual perceives a sudden loss in their ability to problem solve and to cope. These may include natural disasters, sexual assault, criminal victimisation, mental illness, suicidal thoughts, homicide, a drastic change in relationships and so on.

Developmental psychology is interested in discovering the psychological processes of development. This is also the study of progressive psychological changes that occur in human beings as they age. Originally concerned with infants and children, and later other periods of great change such as adolescence and early life aging, it now encompasses the entire life span of an individual. This ever growing field examines change across a broad range of topics including: motor skills and other psycho-physiological processes, problem solving abilities, conceptual understanding, acquisition of language, moral understanding, and identify formation.

What is educational psychology? From a literal standpoint, one could argue that the study of learners, learning and teaching, is all subsumed under the heading ‘educational psychology’. For those who wish to adopt the principles of educational psychology in an educational setting, this definition can be expanded to include the knowledge, wisdom and everyday theory that every teacher requires in order to resolve the dilemmas that occur teaching on a daily basis.

Although there are no hard and fast rules to becoming a good teacher, good teaching practice can be learnt. Teachers need to engage in critical thinking if they are to keep abreast of teaching. That is they need to be systematically identifying problems, exploring the evidence, and finding the answer. In addition, those teachers who are constantly checking their teaching practices and attending seminars on the latest principles will make more effective teachers.

Whatever your reason for studying educational psychology, it is necessary to understand the basic principles which underlie the theories involved. Wherever possible when studying psychology, it is a good idea to quote names and dates of research, as all theories need to be supported by scientific evidence.

A lot of contemporary research has built on theories developed many years ago.

What is Grief?

Grief is a term used to describe all the thoughts, behaviour and feelings that occur after someone goes through a bereavement. A bereavement is any event that includes a loss. We may experience loss through the death of someone close to us, or a relationship breakdown, divorce, theft, a disability, illness, miscarriage and so on.

There is no “right” way to respond to a death, people will cope with a death in their own way. The way they respond will be affected by their relationship with the person who has died, their own upbringing, their previous reactions to losses, their other relationships etc.

Supporting people through their grief can be an important part of your job.

You may have suffered grief in the past yourself.

You may be interested in supporting grieving people.

Are you a counsellor who wants to work with grieving people?

This course provides a sound basis for understanding and working with people who are experiencing grief.

The length of work periods is a deciding factor with regard to accidents. It has been shown in many experiments both in Europeand the United States of America that as a shift continues fatigue continues to increase. The optimum period for work of a monotonous nature is two hours. After such a length of time a rest period of a few minutes should be allowed. Where concentrated work is required to be carried out for a period of four hours or more it has been proved by experiment and observation that most accidents occur towards the middle and end of the work period, when both mental and physical fatigue begin to take their toll. It has been proved that music played during the work period can have a soothing effect and actually eliminate fatigue and boredom. The music should, however, be provided with a level diffusion so that one part of the workroom is not subjected to a cacophony of sound while workers in others parts of the workroom are unconsciously straining their ears to catch the theme.This course helps develop knowledge and skills for anyone involved in workplace situations, such as managers, supervisors, small business owners, union representatives, etc. Find out more about this and other topics relating to industrial psychology by taking this course.

By understanding the thought processes that take place in the minds of people at work, a manager or supervisor can develop empathy with their staff, and apply this empathy to the way they manage the workplace.

TRAIN TO BE A LIFE COACH - GET A NEW CAREER.

At some point in their lives, everybody seeks advice from friends, family or professionals to help them make decisions or decide how to handle a particular situation or event. The life coach makes available the kind of consistent assistance and support that may be lacking in a person’s life or difficult to obtain when consulting family or friends who may have quite different perspectives.

A life coach can become a confidante, helping the client determine what is important, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and ascertain where they want to be in six months, a year, ten years. Life coaching involves assisting the client set personal and professional goals and establishing a workable strategy to attain them within a given time frame. For clients, a life coach can provide a life-changing experience, an invaluable opportunity to take control over their lives and fulfil their dreams.

This course will enable people in health, fitness, counselling, social work etc to help others set and achieve life goals. Develop an appreciation of how different perceptions of the world can be just as critical as knowledge, skill and opportunity in a person's success or failure. The course also covers such things as coaching processes, coaching skills and goal setting; and is equally relevant to developing both physical and psychological well being in the client.

ACS is now an organisational member (OMAC) of the Association for Coaching (UK)

Due to the sheer mass of information that we are bombarded with on a daily basis, we tend to filter out the information that is not immediately important, and instead concentrate on that which is. This is known as attention.

By doing this, the information is given access to our short-term memory, and ultimately our long-term memory.

At the same time other sensory inputs are blocked so that we don’t become overwhelmed or confused.

When we go shopping we use the same process of attention, for example if we are buying groceries and we know exactly what we are going to buy.

Cultural diversity refers to the differences between human communities based on differences in their ideologies, values, beliefs, norms, customs, meanings and ways of life – in other words, differences based on cultural differences. These differences are expressed and exemplified in social practices, attitudes and values, family interactions and expectations, values concerning education, ways of defining and treating health (physical and mental), business and management behaviours and practices, political practices, and our interpersonal relations. This course will develop your sensitivity to culture, diversity and multicultural societies, and  improve your capacity to interact with people on multicultural issues.

Cognitive neuropsychology is the area of psychology that studies brain-damaged patients to understand the workings of our brain. Our brain is constructed of two hemispheres which are responsible for different facets of human personality and behaviour. Despite some essential differences in some functions, these hemispheres communicate through inter-hemispheric neural connections, most through the corpus callosum. This communication allows the brain to integrate different elements to produce coordinated, apparently seamless action and a unified personality.

Study this course to develop your understanding of the way a person’s brain and psychology is affected by anatomical and physiological characteristics within them, as well as the changes that can occur due to damage of the brain.

LEARN EFFECTIVE PRACTICES IN PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLING.

It is essential that if the counsellor is to enable the client to experience growth, they themselves must discard stereotyped roles in order that they can become a real person in a real relationship.

It is the counsellor’s own genuineness, alertness, and ability to make life choices that are the inspiration for clients to make changes to their own lives.

Of course, this does not have to mean that the counsellor is on top of everything at all times in their own life, but rather that they are willing to make changes where necessary. As such, the counsellor is able to convey to the client that taking risks and instigating changes can be worthwhile.

It can be argued that if the counsellor remains hidden behind low-risk behaviour and does not disclose too much about themselves, then the client will exhibit similar behaviour.

Similarly, if the counsellor portrays themselves as an expert who is there to diagnose and offer a cure, then the client is less likely to take an active role in therapy. They may also feel more impotent and helpless and consequently reveal less of themselves and become more defensive.

The psychological health of the counsellor is crucial in determining the success of the counselling relationship. A counsellor owes it to the client not to engage in counselling whilst experiencing problems of their own.

For the past 20 years or so, the concept of supervision in the helping professions has been under scrutiny. The field of supervision has consequently been reviewed and revised to determine consistent philosophies across the board, and to explain exactly what is meant by supervision and what its central values and aims are. The defining philosophies for the practice of supervision are to be found in the Standards for Supervision and the Curriculum Guide for Counselling Supervision.

Before considering supervision, it is important to understand certain terms. A practitioner is used to refer to someone who provides counselling or psychotherapy-related services. A practitioner also includes anyone taking on the role of counsellor, psychotherapist, trainer, educator or supervisor.

The term “client” is a term referring to the recipient of any services. The client may be an individual, family, group or couple. Different terms may be used for the client and the practitioner in different contexts.

Professional supervision for psychologists and counsellors involves (for want of a better word), debriefing.

• It's a formal arrangement for professionals to work regularly with someone who is experienced in counselling and supervision.
• It is a process to maintain adequate standards of professionalism and a method of consultancy to widen the horizons of an experienced practitioner.
• It provides a means of passing on skills, attitudes and knowledge to newer members of a profession.
• It ensures that clients receive adequate support whilst a trainee is training.

Without the opportunity to discuss cases in a confidential professional situation, a professional can themselves begin to suffer from the burden of having to deal alone with a build up of problems they confront on a regular basis. This course develops skills in supervising other professionals and an awareness of what to expect when undergoing supervision yourself.

Assessment is usually for the point of diagnosis or classification. That is, placing a person into a loosely or strictly defined category of people. This allows us to understand what they are like in general and assess the presence of other relevant characteristics based on people similar to them.

This course will help you to -

• learn to determine why and when to use psychological assessment
• develop an understanding of the different types of assessment available (eg. Behavioural Assessment, Wechsler Inteligence and Memory Scales, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, etc).

Hardly a day goes by without the feeling of stress creeping over us. Leading research from around the world has concluded that 70% to 90% of adults visit primary care physicians for stress-related problems.

Little wonder that counsellors and psychologists are frequently presented with problems of stress. Relationship demands, study demands, physical as well as mental health problems, balancing work/family and social demands, traffic congestion/road rage, product faults, discrimination, growing-up tensions—all of these conditions and situations are valid causes of stress. While some people have a stress management system in place, others simply ‘keep on keeping on’ without stopping to consider the effects their daily stress is having on them. In some people, stress-induced adverse feelings and anxieties tend to persist and intensify. Learning to understand and master stress management techniques can help prevent the counter effects of this indiscriminate and ubiquitous dis-ease.

This course will help you to develop your ability to analyse psychological conditions and to apply that knowledge in real world situations. This course may be useful to people interested in counselling, support workers, youth workers and anyone interested in the human mind.

The history of drugs is shrouded in the beginnings of the human race. Alcohol was made, drunk, and used to excess as far back as memory and records go. Tobacco (Nicotiana), hemp (Cannabis sativa), opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), and other plants containing drugs have been chewed and smoked almost as long as alcohol, and coffee has been served in the Middle East throughout that area's history.

“Drugs” is a word used by the medical profession to refer to medicines that can cure or arrest disease or alleviate symptoms, ease pain or provide other benefits. Powerful drugs may have side effects, but commonly used drugs with less potential to harm can be sold over the counter. More powerful drugs often require a medical practitioner’s prescription. Another definition of drugs is those substances upon which a person may become dependent. These range from mild stimulants eg. Caffeine, to powerful drugs that alter mood and behaviour. The term “drug” is therefore any substance which is psychoactive – that is, mind altering.

Develop your skills in understanding the effects of legal, illegal and prescribed drugs on the mind, body and behaviour. Topics covered include stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, marijuana, steroids, alcohol, tobacco, caffine, solvents, sedatives, prescription drugs, etc.

There are many and varied reasons why relationships breakdown and irreconcilable differences is one of them. This occurs when two people differ in their beliefs and values and neither are willing to accept that the other person holds a different viewpoint. While agreeing to disagree would be a type of win-win in this situation, the way in which the difference is communicated and hence managed is often destructive. For example, one may continue to force the other to accept their position, through verbal attacks, or may give the ‘silent treatment’, not speaking to the other. When communication subsides into physical, verbal or emotional abuse (name calling, personal attacks, hitting, yelling, punching, pushing, verbal tirades, destroying personal items), the relationship is most often irretrievable. In fact, research has shown that once a poor or destructive communication cycle is established, it is rare that a reversal can take place as quite often, respect and trust is diminished to very low levels, and may take years of learning new skills to rebuild.

Sports psychology is the study of the interaction between a person’s psychology and their participation in sport. Singer (1978) defined it as “the science of psychology applied to sport”. Whilst the field of psychology is relatively young, sports psychology is even younger. The field of sports psychology has much to offer, carrying out useful research that can be made available to athletes and coaches.

In professional or competitive sport, this study is important because:

· A person’s psychology or state of mind can have a significant effect upon their sporting performance.

· The selection of competitors for elite sport is influenced by an assessment of their individual psychology, as well as other factors such as recent performance and fitness.

Sports psychologists provide two major types of services –

· Counselling – in areas that affect the athlete.

· Strategies that enhance performance.

This course will - Develop your skills and application of psychological principles for use in sports. Learn about such things as psychological traits common to successful athletes, ways to maintain and increase motivation, leadership, aggression and team dynamics.

Stress is modern man's constant enemy. As life becomes more an more hectic, people work longer hours under greater time constraints, over global time zones with less recreation time more and more people struggle to cope with their stress levels. However, with proper self awareness and management techniques stress levels can be lowered, perceptions altered and responses improved. In this course we deal with physical problems related to stress, how to achieve easy living, dealing with drugs, developing self esteem, relaxation, diet and much more.

Anxiety, tension, and mental and emotional strain are all common problems in todays society. This course introduces you to some practical approaches to managing stress.