The Humanitas Counselling Course

PLEASE NOTE: This course is currently presented in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban!

Most psychology Honours students who would like to pursue a Masters degree, do not get accepted the first few times around. Those who are not accepted into a Masters programme often told they can either “volunteer” until the next application cycle or that they should consider an entirely different career path.

As a result, many aspiring counsellors feel disheartened, helpless, and hopeless. Some give up on their counselling dreams after being denied entry into Honours or Master’s programmes, feeling stuck with their degree and uncertain about their next steps.

If you can relate to any of the scenarios mentioned, the HUMANITAS Counselling Course might be the answer for you!

Humanitas has partnered with other experts in the fields of psychology, social work and counselling to compile a highly detailed and thoroughly researched training course, aimed at bridging the enormous gap between theory learnt at university and the application thereof in practice.

Over and above a solid theoretical foundation, the Humanitas Counselling Course also provides students the opportunity to gain valuable and crucial practical experience, under supervision, in the field of counselling. Offering them the opportunity to apply the skills learnt. Throughout the practical component of the course, students receive continuous guidance, support and mentorship.

The HUMANITAS Counselling Course is especially designed for:

• Psychology students who would like to gain practical experience, under supervision, before applying or re-applying for either honours or masters.
• Social Work students with a degree or honours degree.
• Those with a theoretical counselling degree, wanting to gain practical experience
• Those with either a psychology or social work background who would like to register with a professional body and go into private practice.

Minimum requirements to enrol:

• Psychology undergraduate degree or honours degree or
• Social Work undergraduate degree or postgraduate degree or
• Counselling degree or
• Relevant NQF 7 with Psych modules for 3+ years of the degree

Please note that your most recent qualification may not be older than 10 years. However, we do consider additional training and relevant experience in the field to assess eligibility.

If your qualification is older than 10 years, please email us the following information at info@humanitas.co.za to assist us in evaluating your application:

• Details of Additional Training:

  Have you completed any refresher courses, supervision, or other training since obtaining your degree? If so, please provide details along with copies of certificates or proof of attendance.

• Relevant Experience:

  Please elaborate on any practical experience you have in counselling or psychology.

• References:

  Kindly supply two references from mentors or colleagues who can vouch for your counselling experience or training.

If you are unsure of whether or not you meet our basic requirements, you are welcome to send us an email at: info@humanitas.co.za with the heading “Humanitas Application Enquiry” or click on the following link.

Requirements for successful completion:

In order to successfully complete the Humanitas Counselling Course, you will need to:

• Contribute to class discussions, class assignments and presentations.
• Class attendance of at least 90% is compulsory.
• Hand in all assignments before the end of month 4.
• Attend and participate in all group supervision sessions.
• Attend and complete a personal counselling process consisting of 5 sessions, with a Humanitas Campus Counsellor of your choice.
• Conduct yourself professionally and ethically at any and all organisations that you will be volunteering with.
• Submit your logbook, with signatures, indicating 220 hours completed.
• Interns will have to ensure that their logged hours include at least 5 proper counselling processes with at least 5 separate clients. Please note: a counselling process consists out of 5 – 12 sessions.

As an integral aspect of the Humanitas Counselling Course’s practical component, interns provide complimentary counselling services to the general public. This initiative is significantly impacting the lives of South Africans, especially those who would otherwise have limited access to such services.

The Humanitas Counselling Course isn't just about ticking boxes—it's about real-world impact. In 2024, our graduates not only completed the rigorous 220-hour training (with an impressive average of 231 logbook hours), but they also gained diverse experience by working across an average of 3.00 organizations and attending over 12.80 dedicated supervision sessions. Beyond the classroom, our alumni have delivered more than 19,129 hours of counselling sessions and contributed over 10,298 volunteering hours, proving that the skills learned here translate directly into meaningful community service. With a robust 70.50% of students meeting the critical 100-hour practical requirement for ASCHP registration, the numbers speak for themselves: Humanitas equips you with the hands-on expertise, mentorship, and real-life experience needed to excel in a competitive counselling career.

The first component of the training course will consist of theoretical and practical training.
Some of the modules will be a bit of a theoretical recap, while other modules will be completely new to you. The focus during these four weeks will fall on the practical application of the theory in a counselling session.

Therefore, you will be required to practice the skills taught in class on one another. We might also require of you to divide into smaller groups to work through case studies and to do some role play exercises. This part of the training will already count towards 20 of your required total of 220 hours.

This first component of the training is 4 weeks long and presented in-person by different lecturers, each an expert in their respective fields. The in-person training is presented in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban.

Class Schedule:

Class will be from Mondays to Fridays from 9h00 – 15h30, daily. Attendance of these 4 weeks is compulsory.

Due to the practical nature of the course, it is not offered on a part-time basis or online, as this would significantly reduce its value.

Throughout the course, you will be continuously assessed based on various components. Class attendance and active participation in discussions contribute to the successful completion of the program.

During the final week of the theoretical component, you will take part in a group presentation based on a case study. Additionally, class assignments are designed to prepare you for your counselling career by equipping you with practical skills. For example, you will create essential counselling documentation, such as counselling contracts, confidentiality agreements, and informational leaflets—all of which you can use in your future practice.

Other short assessments throughout the course will further develop your skills and help you become a more effective counsellor.

The second component of the training course will consist of internships (practical hours). The aim here is to give you an opportunity to not only observe and learn from different organisations but also to practice the skills that you will be acquiring throughout this training course.

You will not be placed at one specific institution but will have the opportunity to work with different organisations to gain a broader range of counselling-related experiences.Additionally, each student intern will be added to our Free Online Counselling webpage on the Humanitas website, where the public can request free online counselling sessions. Clients can specifically request sessions with individual interns, and these sessions will count towards your practical hours.

Please note that in order to register with the ASCHP, you will have to complete a minimum of 100 hours of practical experience. After your first 100 hours under supervision, you will receive a certificate to acknowledge the completion of these hours and we will assist you with your registration.
However, you will only receive your final Humanitas Certificate of Completion after completing an additional 120 hours of practical work under supervision (220 in total).

Your practical hours will start in week 5.
Your practical hours will be more flexible and you should be able to schedule these around your other commitments.

You have a total of three months, after your theoretical component has finished, to complete the total of 220 hours with these specific institutions (remember that 20 hours will already have been completed within the first 4 weeks).

Failure to complete your hours in the given three month period is not the end of the world! You can still work towards your 220 hours, however, you will have to arrange your own internships/practicals, as the placements that we have secured for the Humanitas training course, will then be utilised for the next group of students.

We have secured in-person placements for our students at various organisations in and around Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. Additionally, we have established opportunities for online counselling via platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

The third component of the training course is mandatory supervision.

Throughout your practicals you will receive regular supervision from the Humanitas supervisors. Supervision will count towards your hours and will be offered to you as a part of the course, for a three-month period, after your theoretical month has finished.

These group supervision sessions will take place on a weekly basis online via Microsoft Teams, and consist of 4-5 students per group. During theses sessions, your supervisor is going to mentor and guide you through the cases that you are dealing with in your internships – cases will be discussed, and ideas and knowledge will be shared in order to equip you to plan your processes and conduct ethical practice.

If you have not completed your 220 practical hours by the end of the initial three-month period, you will be required to extend your practicals via the portal. This will allow you to continue accumulating your hours as a student while attending extended supervision sessions once a month until your required hours are completed.

Supervision is compulsory in order to complete your voluntary hours and receive your certificates. Some organisations offer in-house supervision as support on relevant cases and this will be in addition to your online weekly supervision from Humanitas.

PLEASE NOTE: SHOULD A MODULE FALL ON A PUBLIC HOLIDAY, CLASS WILL CONTINUE.

Please note that this course is NOT a purely theoretical training course. We know that, with a degree and especially with an honours degree, you are already all theory’d-out! Our focus falls on practical skill development based on the theory you have already (hopefully) mastered.

Every module includes practical applications for use in counselling settings, various case studies and a vast amount of practical knowledge will be gained.

A very summarised outline of our Humanitas Counselling Course is listed below. Each module contains a wealth of applicable information as well as ample opportunity for discussion and group or individual participation.

Module 1 – The Basics of Counselling
Module 2 – Attachment & Childhood Development
Module 3 – Working with the Child-Client
Module 4 – Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Module 5 – Crisis Management
Module 6 – Trauma Counselling
Module 7 – Loss and Grief Counselling
Module 8 – Abnormal Psychology In The Counselling Setting
Module 9 – Addiction and Substance Abuse
Module 10 – Facilitating groups
Module 11 – Self-care
Module 12 – Working with couples (SELF-PACED MODULE)

To apply to register for the HUMANITAS Counselling Course, please click on the following link and complete the enrolment process. Once your application has been reviewed and accepted, send your proof of payment of your deposit to: accounts@humanitas.co.za.

The cost of the Humanitas Counselling Course includes:

• Theoretical and practical training
• All handouts and course material
• Placements at our various organisations (where applicable)
• Supervision, guidance and mentorship
• Student Contact Sessions
• Certificate, acknowledging 100 hours of practical experience completed
• Humanitas Course Certificate of completion (220 hours)
• Life-long access to the Humanitas community for continuous support
• Personal Counselling process consisting of 5 sessions

2025 Fee Structure:

Non-refundable deposit is required to secure your seat.

Deposit: R9 999
4 Monthly payments: R5 000
Total: R29 999

Once you enroll for the course and get accepted, an automated email will be sent with our banking detail and your unique reference number. Please ensure that you use the correct reference number and email the proof of payment to accounts@humanitas.co.za. This will enable us to allocate your payment correctly and complete your enrollment.

If you’ve completed the enrollment and cannot find the original email, please log into the Humanitas Portal to retrieve your reference number and banking details.

Our team will assist those of you who qualify, to register with the ASCHP. You will then be able to counsel confidently as a wellness counsellor and/or be able to open your own practice.

To find out if you will qualify to register with the ASCHP, please visit their web site. Please note that this training course does not lead to any registration with the HPCSA.

A common question that we receive is whether or not it is legal to counsel in South Africa without being registered with the HPCSA. Please read our detailed response here.

After registration with the ASCHP, graduates can:

• Open your own practice
• Counsel legally and confidently
• Apply for the Humanitas specialisation in Play Based Intervention

• Some universities require of you to have practical experience before applying for masters. Practical experience in a broad variety of different fields might also strengthen your application.
• Some universities require of you to do a ‘role play’ as part of the selection process. Many students have never had an actual client in front of them and therefore have no idea how to handle such situations. During the practical component of the Humanitas Counselling Course, you will be working with real clients and thus, gain valuable experience in how to approach various situations.

During the Humanitas Counselling Course, you will obtain 220 hours of practical experience. Not only could this strengthen your application for masters selection, the counselling skills and experience, as well as the personal growth that you will walk away with, will be an incredible asset on your journey to becoming a confident and competent counsellor.

Many who were once either actively pursuing their counselling dreams, or actively working in the field have at some point chosen a different career path, due to various reasons, and as a result they might have lost their registration with a professional body and/or feel a bit rusty.  The HUMANITAS Counselling Course can assist as a refresher and an opportunity for you to counsel confidently again!