Cultural Competence for Professional Development

The Programme is an Embedded Minor Certificate award within the Bachelors of Arts (Hons) in Counselling & Psychotherapy and is designed for learners who meet the specified entry requirements for that programme and who wish to develop trans and intercultural competencies for both personal and professional development.  It is anticipated that the programme will be attractive to learners who wish to explore the meaning of diversity in a multi-cultural context.

The programme will be delivered with an emphasis on experiential and inter-communicational modes of learning. It will facilitate graduates with opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes to prepare them for working in diverse minority and multicultural contexts and exploring the nature of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination.

The Programme will afford learners opportunities to develop foundational knowledge of relevant theoretical and conceptual as foundations for developing the skills and competencies required for culturally sensitive practice.

Why choose this Programme?

• The overall aims of the Certificate in Cultural Competence and Professional Development are to:
  Provide a Minor Award in Cultural Competence for students who seek to develop cultural competence and awareness in a professional context.
• Further expand professional development through the acquisition of competencies in inter-cultural and transcultural and diversity awareness and engagement.
• Provide a programme that, through inter and transdisciplinary engagement, models best evidence-informed inter-cultural engagement.
• Demonstrate heightened awareness of theoretical and applied practices in an intercultural context.
  Employ intercultural competencies by creating and modelling transformative learning opportunities where learners can develop their personal awareness of cultural and minority experience to respond with greater sensitivity
• Understand the centrality of personal development to the acquisition and internalisation of cultural competencies.
• Develop insight into the importance of linguistic discernment and perception as fundamental competencies in intercultural communication.
• Provide opportunities to engage in personal reflection to enhance knowledge and greater awareness of the cultural competencies required for professional practice.
• Provide access routes to major awards in Higher Education in related areas.

Course content

• Cultural Issues in Professional Practice

The aim of this module is to provide students with the opportunity to raise awareness of the beliefs and values of the learner’s own culture and the impact of cultural beliefs and values in practice settings. It will emphasise the importance of sharing and increasing cultural knowledge as a means of challenging ethnocentricity and inter-cultural discrimination.

• Personal Development & Self Caring Practices

The aim of this module is to provide students with the opportunity to acquire the skills, knowledge, and attitude to understand the concept and practice of Personal Development and Self Caring Practices in counselling and psychotherapeutic activities