For over 21 years, Rhodes Wellness College has been preparing students for careers as professional life coaches and counsellors. In fact, our experiential approach to coaching and counselling education is well known for the concrete skills students develop, as well as the self-awareness and healing they experience. As Corey Keith, a graduate of our Professional Counselling Diploma Program, noted, “I have also learned so much about myself in the time here and grown not only for myself but for my clients.” He even observed that his studies were “one of the best experiences in my life.”
Many prospective students want to know more about why our program is so effective, and what their career prospects will be after graduation. If you would like to know a little more, discover our answers to some of the questions we are asked most frequently.
What kinds of work can I get when I complete your counselling therapist college program?
One of the benefits of completing the Professional Counselling Diploma Program is that it can open many doors. In addition to receiving Professional Counsellor Certification, graduates of our Professional Counselling Diploma Program are also trained and certified as a Life Coach, a Life Skills Coach, and a Wellness Counsellor. The cross-disciplinary expertise you develop can not only help you offer better and more well-rounded services to clients, but also allows you to explore a number of interesting careers.
Graduates of our counselling therapist college program can:
- Register with the Canadian Professional Counselling Association and begin their own private practice.
- Provide individual and group counselling for a variety of clients in the areas of substance abuse, families and couples, youth, sexual abuse and trauma, mental health, employment, and much more.
- Provide counselling and life coaching from a holistic perspective, incorporating aspects of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness into their practice.
- Design and develop their own program for use in a community setting or to provide in a workshop format for individuals interested in self-development.
- Create lesson plans and teach life skills (problem solving and relationship building) to disadvantaged groups in the community. These include youth, individuals in recovery, people in transition, corrections, and many other groups.
In effect, there is something for everyone. After graduation, you can find or create many opportunities in line with your particular interests.
I thought you needed a Masters Degree to be a Counsellor.
While pursuing a master’s degree can be an excellent way to develop one’s counselling skills and knowledge, it is not a necessary undertaking. Many excellent counsellors registered across Canada did not have the financial means to attend a university program, or were not interested in a mainly academic approach.
Individuals who eschew university training may even enjoy an advantage in their counselling therapist career. Diploma programs, like the one offered at Rhodes Wellness College, place the learning of concrete abilities over abstract thinking, producing highly competent professionals focused on the how of improving their clients’ lives. It is a highly practical approach to learning that helps talented individuals develop essential counselling skills.
By joining the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association or the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, competency based counsellors can distinguish themselves as top-level professionals. To do this, graduates of the Professional Counsellor Diploma program at Rhodes Wellness College need only pass a qualifying exam and pay membership dues to become registered professional counsellors in Canada.
Does Rhodes Wellness College help me get a job when I complete my program?
Though we do not guarantee employment post-graduation, our Career Services Coordinator offers many services that help you find great employment opportunities. This includes providing assistance with job leads, offering concrete information on setting up your own practice, helping you prepare for counselling exams, and much more. Additionally, our college hosts a supervised counselling centre run by second-year students. If you choose to work in this centre during your studies, any clients you receive through the clinic are yours to keep.
Equally important to these opportunities is the expert advice we offer in helping you decide on rates for your services. Rates between $60 to $80 per hour are standard for beginning counsellors, while rates of $120 or more are often the norm for experienced professionals. We help our students determine which rates they can charge, as well as help them develop intake forms so that those who wish to establish their own practice can do so seamlessly.
Finally, our existing institutional relationships can also be of great assistance in helping you find work as a coach or counsellor for an agency. We have, for example, an affiliation agreement with Coast Mental Health, which hires many of our graduates.
What is experiential learning and how is the training different at Rhodes Wellness College?
Experiential learning is, in essence, learning by doing. This means that education at Rhodes Wellness College is very much “hands on”. Course time is interactive, involving the practice of specific skills used in the field such as active listening, lifestyle planning, and much more.
The training we offer is holistic in nature, in that we believe strongly in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of self and working with others from that complete perspective. For students, exploring techniques and concepts relating to these dimensions of wellness are invaluable in that it provides an opportunity to work through any past issues. Enrolling in this type of program is therefore not only a pathway to a fulfilling career, but a transformative opportunity to make deep connections and understand life experiences in a more meaningful way.
Our hands-on, collaborative, practical training is great for helping students learn concrete skills
Do you have part time and on-line options? How soon can I register?
Our Life Coach Certificate program and Life Skills Counselling Program are both available online and part-time. To apply, you must complete an application package and book a personal interview in person or through Skype. All of our full time programs begin quarterly, meaning there is always opportunity to begin your education at a time that is convenient for you.
There are sometimes waiting lists for our programs, so applying early is advisable. If you’re eager to begin your studies, contact admissons@rhodescollege.ca now to reserve a seat.
To learn more about the opportunities we offer and how to enroll, contact one of our admissions staff at admissions@rhodescollege.ca or call us at 604-708-4416 to book a free, no obligation personal admissions interview.
Do you have other questions about attending Rhodes Wellness College?
Contact us today to learn more about our counselling skills training!
