MSF-SUSS Family Counselling Certification Programme (FCCP)

The well-being of families has always been a fundamental concern for the government. With an increasing trend in the cases of family issues, there is a pressing need to hire and train more family counsellors to look into family development and well-being. It is also important to continuously upskill family counsellors so that they are well-equipped to deal with family issues.

On 14 August 2020, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to build a pipeline of family counsellors and to equip the family counsellors with the knowledge and skills to address family relationship issues in the community. This will open up more job opportunities for individuals who are passionate about making a difference in families and serving the community.

Although the MSF-SUSS FCCP is designed for counsellors hired by agencies under the Strengthening Families Programme@Family Service Centre (FAM@FSC), the programme courses are available to members of public for their professional development or personal interest. These programme courses will be offered as Continuing Education and Training (CET) courses which are non-credit-bearing and non-accredited.

The MSF-SUSS FCCP consists of 10 courses, namely 5 foundational courses and 5 core courses.

The duration of each course is 28 hours, with the exception of course CET332 Practicum: Specialised Counselling Skills which is conducted over 4 months.

Please see the table below for the synopses of the courses. (You may click on the course title to access the individual course webpage.)

S/N	Course	Synopsis
1	(CET330)Micro and Advanced Skills in Counselling	This course focuses on the application of counselling skills. Lessons will be conducted in the training laboratory and classroom. Participants will have the opportunity to practise their micro-counselling skills through role-plays under live supervision. Participants are also required to reflect on their experiences to demonstrate self-awareness and develop qualities of an effective counsellor through therapeutic presence. Participants will learn how their culture, personal values and beliefs can impact the counselling process.
2	(CET331)Theories and Techniques in Counselling	This course gives an overview of major theories and techniques in counselling. It focuses on the application of psychotherapy approaches and theories in various settings, especially in the community. This course will also equip participants with the knowledge and skills to apply integrative approaches in counselling when dealing with clients from diverse backgrounds and presenting issues. Ethical and professional issues relating to participants’ work in family counselling will also be discussed.
3	(CET332)Practicum: Specialised Counselling Skills	This course aims to strengthen the practical skills of the participants and to help them develop their own individualised style in counselling. It aims to help participants specialise in counselling models. Experienced practitioners in family counselling will supervise participants individually.
4	(CET333)Human Development: A Psychosocial Approach	This course focuses on the theories and practice of psychosocial developments from infancy to old age. Understanding the psychosocial aspects of life span development and their implications for counselling will enhance participants’ skills and effectiveness in relating to clients from various age groups.
5	(CET334)Counselling in a Multicultural Context	The aim of this course is to provide awareness and understanding of multicultural counselling and therapy. Participants will learn how to handle ethical dilemmas with reference to the Code of Ethics. This course also equips participants with the skills to identify the factors in the multicultural contexts that influence their client’s behaviour. Participants will also explore the impact of these factors on the client’s behaviour and reflect on their own practice.

Synopses of MSF-SUSS FCCP Core Courses

S/N	Course	Synopsis
1	(CET335)Counselling Children and Adolescents	This course takes a practice-based approach to counselling children and adolescents using theories on development, family, culture and ethics. Participants will learn and apply both theoretical and technical components of child and adolescent psychotherapeutic work across a common structural-procedural psychotherapeutic process.
2	(CET336)Couple Counselling: The Gottman Approach	This course focuses on couple counselling based on the clinical work and research done by Drs John and Julie Gottman over the past 30 years. The Gottman Method is an approach to couple counselling that includes a thorough assessment of the couple’s relationship and integrates research-based interventions based on the Sound Relationship House Theory. The course aims to equip participants with knowledge and skills for assessment and intervention in couple counselling, based on the Gottman Approach which is developed by Eagles Mediation & Counselling Centre Ltd (‘EMCC”) with consent from The Gottman Institute, USA. EMCC is the exclusive institutional partner of The Gottman Institute in Singapore.
3	(CET337)Narrative Therapy in Family Counselling	This course focuses on building the skills of narrative practices with individual(s) and couples in family counselling. Participants will hone their skills in Narrative Therapy through role-plays and group activities in class. The course will feature key narrative ideas and practices, including recent developments in narrative therapy: externalising conversations, re-authoring conversations, outsider-witness practices, remembering conversations, listening for alternative storylines, and documenting change.
4	(CET338)Structural Family Therapy	This course focuses on the application of practical counselling skills and techniques on families using the Structural Family Therapy (SFT) model. Participants will learn the theoretical concepts and framework of the SFT model developed by Salvador Minuchin. Participants will analyse the SFT model to determine how the model can be used to guide their approach to working with families. Participants will also learn clinical practice issues central to a systemic approach to family counselling through videos of family interviews. This course encourages participants to draw on their previous experiences and to apply the course materials through role-plays.
5	(CET339)Couple Counselling: Emotionally-Focused Therapy	This course provides participants with theories on love relationship and attachment between adults, as well as the process of addressing and healing distressed relationships. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) is an experiential/systemic therapy which focuses on helping spouses/partners restructure the emotional responses that maintain their negative interaction patterns. Participants will learn the nine therapeutic steps in EFT. The course will also equip participants with basic EFT skills to direct couples away from conflict deadlocks into forming new bonding interactions in their relationships.

The SUSS Certificate of Completion will be awarded to participants upon completion of each course.

MSF-SUSS FCCP Joint Certificates

For FAM@FSC counsellors who are required to attend the MSF-SUSS FCCP courses as part of their training roadmap, they will be awarded the MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion in Foundational Counselling when they complete the 5 foundational courses, and the MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion for Specialisation in Family and Couple Counselling when they complete the 5 core courses.

The overview of the MSF-SUSS FCCP for counsellors hired by FAM@FSCs is shown below.

Certificate	Courses
MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion in Foundational Counselling (5 foundational courses)	(CET330) Micro and Advanced Skills in Counselling (CET331) Theories and Techniques in Counselling (CET332) Practicum: Specialised Counselling Skills (CET333) Human Development: A Psychosocial Approach (CET334) Counselling in a Multicultural Context
MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion for Specialisation in Family and Couple Counselling (5 core courses)	(CET335) Counselling Children and Adolescents (CET336) Couple Counselling: The Gottman Approach (CET337) Narrative Therapy in Family Counselling (CET338) Structural Family Therapy (CET339) Couple Counselling: Emotionally-Focused Couple Therapy

Certificate

Courses

MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion in Foundational Counselling

(5 foundational courses)

(CET330) Micro and Advanced Skills in Counselling
(CET331) Theories and Techniques in Counselling
(CET332) Practicum: Specialised Counselling Skills
(CET333) Human Development: A Psychosocial Approach
(CET334) Counselling in a Multicultural Context

MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion for Specialisation in Family and Couple Counselling

(5 core courses)

(CET335) Counselling Children and Adolescents
(CET336) Couple Counselling: The Gottman Approach
(CET337) Narrative Therapy in Family Counselling
(CET338) Structural Family Therapy
(CET339) Couple Counselling: Emotionally-Focused Couple Therapy

Please note that the joint certificates would only be issued to counsellors from the FAM@FSCs and not to the members of public.

MSF-SUSS Family Counselling Certification Programme Struction

*Optional OJT blueprint as part of workplace learning.

Workplace learning will be conducted on-site at the hiring agencies for newly hired counsellors. They will undergo 1-2 months of onboarding programme before enrolling for the MSF-SUSS FCCP.

On-site workplace supervisors will provide newly hired counsellors on-job-training (OJT) to familiarise them with the agency’s standard operating procedures and the job scope of a family counsellor. SUSS will support FAM@FSCs with an optional OJT blueprint to assist them in executing the OJT process in a structured and consistent manner.

The MSF-SUSS FCCP consists of 2 tracks for counsellors hired by FAM@FSCs: Track A and Track B. Track A targets counselling graduates who will be required to complete the Specialist Certificate in Family and Couple Counselling. Track B targets mid-career professionals with qualifications in related fields, who will be required to complete the MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion in Foundational Counselling and the MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion for Specialisation in Family and Couple Counselling.

Please see the table below for the entry requirements for FAM@FSC counsellors.

Entry Requirements for FAM@FSC Counsellors

Entry Requirements	Course Requirements
Track A Bachelor's Degree or Graduate Diploma or Master's Degree in Counselling and 3 years of experience working with families or children	MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion for Specialisation in Family and Couple Counselling (5 core courses)
Track B Degree in related fields such as Psychology, Social Work, or Education and 3 years of experience working with families or children	MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion in Foundational Counselling (5 foundational courses) MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion for Specialisation in Family and Couple Counselling(5 core courses)

Entry Requirements

Course Requirements

Track A

Bachelor's Degree or Graduate Diploma or Master's Degree in Counselling and
3 years of experience working with families or children

MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion for Specialisation in Family and Couple Counselling
(5 core courses)

Track B

Degree in related fields such as Psychology, Social Work, or Education and
3 years of experience working with families or children

MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion in Foundational Counselling
(5 foundational courses)
MSF-SUSS Certificate of Completion for Specialisation in Family and Couple Counselling(5 core courses)

Please check your eligibility for the MSF-SUSS FCCP if you wish to seek employment with one of the FAM@FSCs.

Applicants who are interested to be hired by FAM@FSCs or DSSAs may visit the career pages of the following agencies:

FAM@FSC (AMKFSC–Ang Mo Kio) (AMKFSC Community Services Ltd)
FAM@FSC (Care Corner–Tampines/Eunos) (Care Corner Singapore Ltd)
FAM@FSC (Fei Yue–Choa Chu Kang) (Fei Yue Community Services)
FAM@FSC (Thye Hua Kwan–Commonwealth) (Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities)
FAM@FSC (Montfort Care–Kreta Ayer) (Montfort Care) (You may email to phyllis.ng@montfortcare.org.sg)
FAM@FSC (Methodist Welfare Services-Buangkok) (Methodist Welfare Services)
FAM@FSC (Kampong Kapor-Jalan Besar) (Kampong Kapor Community Services)
FAM@FSC (Lakeside Family Services-TBC) (Lakeside Family Services)
*operational from December 2022
FAM@FSC (TRANS-TBC) (TRANS Family Services)
*operational from December 2022 (You may email to dannycheong@trans.org.sg)
FAM@FSC (Care Corner-TBC) (Care Corner Singapore Ltd)
*operational from December 2022

DSSAs

HELP Family Service Centre
PPIS (Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura) As-Salaam

Malay/Muslim ERM Centres

Foundational Courses:

S/N.	Course Name	Date	Duration
1	CET333 Human Development: A Psychosocial Approach	2 - 5 Nov 2022 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
2	CET331 Theories and Techniques in Counselling	16 - 19 Nov 2022 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
3	CET330 Micro and Advanced Skills in Counselling	23 - 26 Nov 2022 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
4	CET334 Counselling in Multicultural Context	7 – 10 Dec 2022 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
5	(CET332) Practicum: Specialised Counselling Skills	9 Jan – 19 May 2023	4.5 months
5	Practicum eBriefing	15 Nov 2022 10am - 12 pm	2 hours

Core Courses:

S/N.	Course Name	Date	Duration
1	CET339 Couple Counselling: Emotionally-Focused Couple Therapy	5, 7, 12, 14 Jan 2023 9 am - 5.30pm	28 hours
2	CET337 Narrative Therapy in Family Counselling	8 - 11 Feb 2023 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
3	CET336 Couple Counselling: The Gottman Approach	22 - 25 Feb 2023 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
4	CET338 Structural Family Therapy	8 - 11 Mar 2023 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
5	CET335 Counselling Children and Adolescents	24,25,30,31 Mar 2023 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours

Foundational Courses:

S/N.	Course Name	Date	Duration
1	(CET333) Human Development: A Psychosocial Approach	1 - 4 Jun 2022 9am to 5.30pm	28 hours
2	(CET331) Theories and Techniques in Counselling	8 - 11 Jun 2022 9am to 5.30pm	28 hours
3	(CET330) Micro and Advanced Skills in Counselling	22 - 25 Jun 2022 9am to 5.30pm	28 hours
4	(CET334) Counselling in a Multicultural Context	13 - 16 Jul 2022 9am to 5.30pm	28 hours
5	(CET332) Practicum: Specialised Counselling Skills	4 Jul - 28 Oct 2022	4 months
5	Practicum eBriefing	28 Jun 2022 10am - 12 pm	2 hours

Core Courses:

S/N.	Course Name	Date	Duration
1	(CET339) Couple Counselling: Emotionally-Focused Couple Therapy	21, 23, 28, 30 Jul 2022 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
2	(CET335) Counselling Children and Adolescents	3 - 6 Aug 2022 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
3	(CET337) Narrative Therapy in Family Counselling	16, 17, 19, 20 Aug 2022 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
4	(CET338) Structural Family Therapy	24 - 27 Aug 2022 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours
5	(CET336) Couple Counselling: The Gottman Approach	7 - 10 Sep 2022 9am - 5.30pm	28 hours

Foundational Courses:

S/N.	Course Name	Date	Duration
1	(CET330) Micro and Advanced Skills in Counselling	17 - 20 Nov 2021	28 hours
2	(CET331) Theories and Techniques in Counselling	24 - 27 Nov 2021	28 hours
3	(CET333) Human Development: A Psychosocial Approach	8 - 11 Dec 2021	28 hours
4	(CET334) Counselling in a Multicultural Context	15 - 18 Dec 2021	28 hours
5	(CET332) Practicum: Specialised Counselling Skills	10 Jan - 6 Mar 2022	4 months
5	Practicum eBriefing	14 Dec 2021 (9am - 12pm)	3 hours

Core Courses:

S/N.	Course Name	Date	Duration
1	(CET336) Couple Counselling: The Gottman Approach	12 - 15 Jan 2022	28 hours
2	(CET335) Counselling Children and Adolescents	26 - 29 Jan 2022	28 hours
3	(CET337) Narrative Therapy in Family Counselling	9 - 12 Feb 2022	28 hours
4	(CET338) Structural Family Therapy	16 - 19 Feb 2022	28 hours
5	(CET339) Couple Counselling: Emotionally-Focused Couple Therapy	24 Feb, 26 Feb, 3 Mar, 4 Mar 2022	28 hours

Run	Foundational Courses	Core Courses
1	Nov 2021 - Dec 2021 *Practicum from Jan to May 2022	Jan - Mar 2022
2	June 2022 - July 2022 *Practicum from Jul to Oct 2022	Jul - Sep 2022
3	Nov 2022 - Dec 2022 *Practicum from Jan to May 2023	Jan - Mar 2023
4	July 2023 - August 2023 *Practicum from Aug to Dec 2023	Sept – Nov 2023

MSF-SUSS FCCP Run 3 eRoadshow

Date: 3 September 2022 (Saturday)
Time: 10am - 12pm
Mode: Zoom Video Conferencing

Time	Programme
10:00 – 10:30	Part 1: Overview of Programme
10:30 – 11:00	Part 2A: Sharing on the Work of a Family Counsellor Part 2B: Experience of Attending MSF-SUSS FCCP
11:00 – 11:55	Part 3: Q&A
11:55 – 12:00	Closing of the e-Roadshow

Click here to register for the session by 1 September 2022 (Thursday), 11.59pm.

MSF-SUSS FCCP Alumni

All participants (FAM@FSCs and Members of Public) of the FCCP courses will automatically be included as members of the FCCP Alumni.

The objectives of the alumni are:

To promote professional development through sharing of experiences, ideas and resources across different topics and interest areas
To provide a platform for networking and building stronger interpersonal relationships

For alumni members, do check our webpage regularly for upcoming events and activities. You will also receive notifications on upcoming events and activities via your registered email.

Enquiries

For further enquiries on the certification programme, you may email to fccp@suss.edu.sg.