Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours a week are needed to do the assignments?

This will vary depending on your academic ability. Some who do the course are university graduates and others have only completed the School Certificate (plus life experience). But don’t worry about the academic requirements of the course, as most people don’t have too much trouble fulfilling all the requirements.

This is a full-time course, and the average student will need to spend around 20 hours a week during the 40 weeks of the course each year, made up of course contact hours, home assignments and supervised practicum counselling and family therapy. Those students who have previously experienced little or no post-secondary school training may need to spend more time initially as they develop their reading and study skills.

As you become more familiar with the requirements of the assignments, it gets easier and faster to complete them. Should the study commitments prove to be a burden, a safety net can be negotiated in the form of more flexible learning. 

Can someone who hasn’t studied for many years do the course?

 Yes – it’s certainly possible. Many have satisfactorily completed the course in that situation. A detailed student handbook, which is given out at the start of the course, will explain everything about assignments. AIFC staff will always be available to help with the academic requirements.

 Can someone with a very demanding job and a large family finish the course?

 Yes, classroom activities are limited to three-day intensive teaching seminars at the beginning of each of the four terms and a one-day seminar at the end of the last term. This means that it is possible for participants to carry on their normal occupation while attaining counselling competence. Many busy people have managed their family and work commitments while completing the course.

Even so, you need to allow enough time to do justice to the assignments, and you should be confident of setting aside two to three hours a day to satisfactorily complete the course assignments. Priorities have to be set and maybe some other activities have to be suspended in order to satisfactorily do the course without inflicting stress on you or your family.