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Applied Psychology

Counselling Children & Youth

Develop skills and awareness around current challenges faced by children and youth.

R5,660.00

Structure

Set start & end date

Duration

7 weeks

Commitment

10 hours weekly study

Total Hours

70 hours

Start Date

10 August 2026

End Date

27 September 2026

Mode

Weekly content & tasks

Course Overview

Build effective age-appropriate counselling skills to work with children and youth.

The Counselling Children & Youth micro-credential explores critical aspects of child and youth care and the challenges that children and adolescents face.

In this 7-week course you will explore creative ways to effectively engage with children and young people in crisis.

Reflect on the effects of family break up, grief, trauma such as child sexual abuse, and bullying. Learn how to apply meaningful counselling strategies to address issues that affect children and youth.

This short online course will help you gain a better understanding of the ethics that govern working with children and youth.

Broaden your understanding of the nature of the therapeutic process when counselling children and youth.

What You’ll Learn

Over the course of seven (7) weeks, through videos, readings and discussions, you will explore the following topics:

Week 1: Engage with appropriate skills and styles of communication when counselling children and youth.

Week 2: Creative ways of using play therapy in counselling with children.

Week 3: Explore the impact of divorce, separation, and grief on children and youth.

Week 4: Engage with trauma with particular emphasis on various forms of child abuse and their effects.

Week 5: Understanding negative behaviours such as anger, various forms of bullying and self-harm. You will explore various preventative measures and strategies for self-harm.

Week 6: Explore the nature of the therapeutic process, presenting problems and all other processes related to it. Examine some of the ethical concerns/dilemmas involved in working with children and youth, and the complexity of reporting child abuse.

Week 7: Undertake a summative assessment that captures all the key learning outcomes for this course.

Course Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Define the nature of the counselling/therapeutic process when working with children and youth.
Explore the benefits of play therapy in working with children.
Apply age-appropriate strategies and techniques to manage loss among children and youth.
Demonstrate an understanding of the effects of family break-up, grief, trauma, such as child sexual abuse, bullying, and apply counselling strategies to address these issues.
Review the therapeutic process.

Learner Experience

Kayla Bull

"The course was extremely helpful and interesting! The content was appropriate within a South African context and was filled with interesting content and helpful resources to use in my practice. Thank you for the well-thought-out course."

Phidisang Keegan Sito

"I have learned a lot from SACAP Global, the online environment and engagement with other learners was amazing. Online learning is the future!"

Nolusindiso Cindy Danga-Kobese

"I was skeptical about signing up for an online course but as soon as I started with a course at SACAP Global, I realised I made the right choice! The resources offered are very useful and I've gained so much insight. I enjoyed my course and learned a lot."

Katekani Rihlampfu

''The Counselling Children & Youth micro-credential was very insightful. I enjoyed the videos and great articles.''

Nonkululeko Sibisi

"The course content we covered was incredible. It gave me new skills and insights that have made me much more confident in working with children and youth."

Francois McClintock

"The course was challenging with a lot of relevant resources. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it certainly enriched my knowledge of working with children and youth. There were peer engagement and reflection exercises, a well-rounded course."

Angelique Hilton

''Exceptional experience with the online course! I would recommend this course to anyone who wishes to gain insight into working with children and youth. This course could even help parents that are going through major life changes in helping assist their children, with practical, insightful and empowering skills and tools.''

Shehaam Peters

''The Counselling Children & Youth micro-credential has opened a new world for me with regard to understanding children and youth.''

Tabitha Thomas

''I really enjoyed this course and learning how to work with young people with different cases. I learnt how I can use play therapy to help children who can't express their emotions.''

Rhulani Ngobeni

"The course was informative and practical. I was initially worried about online learning, but the way SACAP Global structured this course made it a breeze to follow. I truly enjoyed the experience and gained so much valuable knowledge."

Certification

Upon completion, you will receive a digital certificate of competence and badge. Your certificate and badge can be shared on 100+ social media platforms, allowing you to share your achievement with a single click.

Credential Type

The OpenLearning team has reviewed this course to ensure quality academic learning within the Malaysian and Australian credentialing framework.

An OpenLearning OpenCred is a type of credential that can stand-alone or interact with a formal qualification. OpenCred courses are market-leading online courses that prepare learners for the future of work.

This course has been designed and developed by experts in the field of psychology. The Counselling Children & Youth micro-credential is for anyone needing to upskill in this area and offers 80 hours of learning and assessment.

Learners study online with peers and receive robust academic content while acquiring practical industry-relevant skills.

OpenCreds

Completing this course leads to obtaining an OpenCred.

80 hours of learning
OpenCred classification: Pathway

Stackable Credentials

Stack specified combinations of micro-credentials and they can be recognised as equivalent to a module within the Bachelor of Applied Social Science Degree at SACAP. Psychological Theories of Child & Adolescent Development can be stacked with Counselling Children & Youth, and if you meet the minimum entrance criteria, you can enrol for the Bachelor of Applied Social Science Degree and apply for module exemption.

Dates

Class of 2026 August: 10 August – 27 September
Class of 2026 September: 7 September – 25 October
Class of 2026 October: 12 October – 29 November

There are no online classes. Course content is released on a weekly basis allowing you to work through the course material, and meet weekly targets, at a time that is most convenient to you.

Course highlights

Explore creative ways to engage with children and young people in crisis more effectively.
Build effective age-appropriate counselling skills for working with children and youth.
Broaden your understanding of the nature of the therapeutic process when counselling children and youth.

FAQs

What are the entry requirements?

Anyone 18 years of age or older can sign up for this micro-credential course. There are no academic entry requirements or conditions.

Who is this course for?

This course is for anyone interested in learning how to effectively engage with children and young people, and is particularly valuable for parents, teachers, and those who work and engage with children and youth.

What is the time commitment?

A total of 70 hours is required to complete the micro-credential course. An average of 10 hours weekly over 7 weeks.

Is the course accredited?

The micro-credential course is not accredited and non-credit bearing.

What is childhood development?

Early childhood development is a critical window, as it can impact a person’s later development as an adult. While it is never too late to learn, focusing on providing optimal parenting and development can help improve a child’s chances of living a healthy and fulfilling life. Read more here.

The Team

The SACAP Global team brings a wealth of knowledge and practical experience across various disciplines. Our expert short course developers and dedicated support team are passionate about sharing their insights to help you get the most out of your online learning journey.