Have you ever found yourself in these situations?
– A colleague comes up to you to unburden himself and much as you want to comfort him and give good advice; you’re at a loss for words.
– Your child’s friend tells you about the problems they are having at home, particularly the constant fighting of her parents and you want to say something to comfort the child but you are afraid that you might say the wrong thing which could have a negative effect on the child.
You don’t have to be a professional counselor in order to know the right words to say or to give comfort to a friend, colleague, a child or even a stranger. You don’t also have to practice professional counseling in order to take advantage of free online courses for counseling.
Online Courses for Counseling
Free online courses for counseling can help you understand better the various situations and scenarios that people find themselves in – often on a regular basis.
You also get to learn all about how to deal with these kinds of situations in the event that someone approaches you for counseling.
In addition, with all the stuff that you will learn from these online courses, you can volunteer your services to your church for youth counseling.
Since you are better-equipped to handle various situations for counseling, you are ultimately making yourself more eligible for volunteer work.
Course Subject Areas
Whether you want to practice counseling professionally or you simply want to learn how to effectively reach out to someone who seeks out your help in emotional situations; you should take advantage of the free counseling courses provided on the internet.
The courses are divided into different categories to help you focus on one specific area that you wish to explore. The areas covered are generally the following: Marriage and Family, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Substance-Dependent Individuals and the Role of Family, Disaster Preparedness, and Intro to Mental Health.
Each of the topics takes on issues that commonly arise to help counselors reach out to people in a positive way. Marriage and Family for instance, helps counselors to talk about sensitive issues that concern marriages such as sexual relations and money issues.
Alcohol and Drug Abuse on the other hand, teaches counselors how to relate to individuals suffering from substance abuse; without appearing to be antagonistic or patronizing so as not to drive away the individual.
In relation to this, the family of the substance-dependent individual is also counseled to help them understand where their loved one is coming from; why they are acting out in this manner and how best to handle the situation.
Note: Free online courses usually just give introductory lessons to the subject areas. For a more extensive study, paid courses for counseling are also available online.