and Online Worldwide
Designed for Professional Counselling Training
and Personal Development
This Transpersonal Counsellor Training program is suitable for, but not limited to, an individual and/or group counselling career. Students choosing to take the full program, for the purpose of beginning their counselling career, qualify to apply for registration with the CPCA as ‘Registered Professional Counsellors’ and will receive a Diploma in ’Transpersonal Counselling Psychology’. Professionals already working in the field may benefit from our program’s ‘physician heal thyself’ approach, and from learning a cohesive, powerful transpersonal model.
Practicum hours are accumulated in-house, making Clearmind's PRAC for Life program the best value for money in the counselling training industry. We have a sustained track record of 85% of our graduates becoming Registered Professional Counsellors and working in the helping professions.
PRAC for Life can also be taken as a personal development course for anyone interested in experiencing a greater sense of self awareness, purpose, as well as building communication and leadership skills. Students in this stream of the program do not write exams, and receive certificates of completion at the end of each year they choose to take. The qualities and skills that make effective, responsible counsellors are the same qualities that make effective, responsible human beings.
Established in 1992, the intention of the PRAC for Life Program was to create a counsellor training program that would accomplish the following goals:
1) To have the students experience the emotional territory that they would have their future clients experience in the course of therapy.
2) To include, as well as move beyond, mainstream psychology. To add spiritual and metaphysical perspectives to fully understand the dimensions of the human condition.
Clearmind International is founded on the principle that the Universe is a friendly place and that behind, beyond or beneath all behavior lies positive intention. Therefore, whether the student is embarking on a genealogical study of their family of origin, exploring relationship dynamics, or coming to grips with their own inner world, the purpose is the same: to discover the friendliness that exists outside of a disbelieving core belief system.
Propelled by the principles of A Course in Miracles and incorporating the methodology of experiential therapies as well as the latest body/mind perspectives, the student not only develops a thorough understanding of the complexity and intrigue of human dynamics, but comes face to face with his/her own. PRAC for Life thus has become not only an academic adventure but an adventure of Mind, Body and Soul as well.
Initially the student begins the program following the curriculum of the course. The program adjusts itself as students become aware of their own personal curriculum that emerges within the course. The instructors then reposition themselves supporting the student in taking responsibility for the student’s own unique personal curriculum as well as leading them in the collective curriculum. This may be the most unique feature of this training.
This counsellor training program offers not only a comprehensive theoretical study of the understanding and mapping of the landscape of human dynamics, but also a rich, exciting, intense, yet playful, journey into the discovery of the tapestry of the authentic self.
PRAC for Life is designed to build on the foundation of the previous year, moving from a focus on self in year 1, to relationship in year 2, to leadership in year 3. The skills and theory taught are psychological and spiritual in nature, and can assist the student to function better personally and professionally (through improved interpersonal relationship and leadership skills). Our unique Transpersonal Systems Theory emphasizes embracing your personal mythology and finding a sense of your unique place in the universe. Students are free to choose to take only 1 year, 2 years, or the complete 3 year program (3 years is required for CPCA applicants). Students may also choose to take a break between years. A signficant aim of the program is to assist the student to meet their own personal and professional goals.
What PRAC Students Have to Say
Visit our testimonials page to see what students have to say about the experience of taking PRAC for Life.
PRAC for Life Level I
PRAC for Life Level I (also referred to as “Prac 1”) begins a life-changing personal journey. In this first year, we focus on your life as the curriculum, learning and applying our model to self before applying it to others. Utilizing family systems, experiential and humanistic therapies, we will explore those psychological and familial forces which govern our lives within a Transpersonal/spiritual context. Students undertake an extensive study of Bowen’s Family Systems theory in particular, write an autobiography, and prepare a family of origin presentation. Classes are both experiential and didactic in nature, emphasizing personal integration of the material for the purpose of acquiring a higher perspective and expanding the authentic, proactive self.
PRAC for Life Level II
PRAC for Life Level II (also referred to as “Prac 2”) continues the journey by shifting the focus to the interpersonal therapeutic dynamic. We discover what it means to be of service, to teach ourselves who we really are by supporting another. Here we learn the ‘how to’ of therapy, drawing from humanistic and experiential therapies such as person centered, gestalt, NLP, and integrating these with the latest body/mind perspectives. Being of service to others fosters interdependent consciousness, the awareness that another’s interests are truly no different from our own, and through this consciousness we continue to expand and grow ourselves. Students re-write their autobiographies this year, with a focus on uncovering the clues to their unique calling or life purpose, and revealing the skills they have learned along the way.
PRAC for Life Level III
In PRAC for Life Level III (also referred to as “Prac 3”) we enter the realm of leadership, continuing to evolve beyond ourselves to an awareness of our purpose and place in the universe. Level III focuses on group dynamics, offering specific training in group therapy and leadership skills. Students benefit from professional supervision, allowing them to hone skills responsibly. The culminating exercise of the program is writing and delivering your ‘universal constitution’ which draws on your autobiographies from year 1 and 2, and articulates a commitment to putting your unique life purpose into action in all areas of your life.
More information...Free Introduction Lecture on PRAC for Life
Whether you've been formally trained or not, you are already a counsellor. What does this mean? How can you know if you are helping or hurting? How can you become more effective at helping? Duane and Catherine answered these questions, and more, at their lecture "Are You Helping or Hurting?" To learn more about the PRAC for Life program you can view the complete lecture or an abbreviated 15 minute version online.
Dates and Costs
The 2011/2012 year of PRAC for Life starts on the weekend of October 15th and 16th.
The cost for one year of PRAC for Life is $4,470.
Our industry-leading payment plan is spread out over one year making the PRAC for Life program affordable and accessible.
We are now accepting applications for the 2011/2012 year.
There are some options for financing PRAC for Life if you are pursuing your counselling training certification. There is Canadian federal government education relief and the Canadian government's Lifelong Learning Plan, which allows you to withdraw repayable amounts from RRSPs to finance training or education. Or, ask your lender about personal educational loans. If you are aboriginal, check with your Band Office for educational funding.
PRAC for Life is registered (#3151) in British Columbia (Canada) with the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA).
