What is Counselling Skills for Voice Practitioners?

Counselling Skills for Voice Practitioners is an exciting opportunity for you to gain the essential skills needed to deepen your client relationships and could also springboard you into a career in Counselling if you wanted to take your studies further. The comprehensive course is a blend of live learning, video tutorials and written work where you will learn to enhance your client focused skills.  This course runs once per year, don’t miss your opportunity to join the next cohort.

Live Class Dates 2024 

Saturdays, 10 am – 1 pm UK Time

September 21st, 28th  

October 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th 

November 9th, 16th, 23th, 30th

December 7th, 14th

Join the next cohort!

Pricing and Information

12 Saturdays, a three hour session via zoom each week, independent learning via video tutorial and short assignments to support your learning.

Course Dates:

Saturdays 10 am - 1pm UK Time.

September 21st and 28th

October 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th

November 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th

December 7th and 14th

£995 or three monthly payments of £332

How will counselling skills support my work with voice users?

It can help you understand the impact you have on your clients

  • You will have an opportunity to understand what part of ourselves may interfere with both the teaching and learning process. 
  • It will support you to understand issues outside of your conscious awareness and how this may impact your interactions with others. 

Transference and countertransference

  • You will learn how personalities interact with each other and how learned behaviours can follow us through life, impacting both the student and teacher.

Learn about therapeutic models

  • Theoretical learning will support your business with boundaries, contracting as well as underpinning relationships.
  • In addition, it will give you an understanding of the key theorists in counselling.

Creative interventions that will support a sense of self

  • The skills will help you understand how fear and anxiety can directly impact your clients and therefore their learning, by understanding the impact of the autonomic nervous system (ANS)
  • The course will offer space to discuss ethical dilemmas and knowledge that will support you to know where to refer clients if mental health needs arise
  • Emotional stress can affect the voice – 
    • Forgetfulness (lyrics)
    • Increased muscle tension and less efficient voicing
    • Tremors
    • Dry mouth and throat
    • Anxiety and panic – may increase heat and breathing rates
    • Changes in body temperature which may cause sweating or shivers
    • Tight chest
    • Tearfulness
    • Sudden loss of voice

The course will consist of 12 modules over 12 weeks

You should allow approximately 2 hours per week of self-study time on top of the 3-hour live classes. You will need to attend at least 10 of the 12 in-person sessions in order to complete this qualification.

Course length 12 weeks, including 1 x 3hr session each week on Zoom, independent learning via video tutorial and short assignments to support your learning.

“The Counselling for Singers course was inspiring, educational and applicable, both as a voice professional and as a person. The reality that we work with a whole person, not just a voice, was at the forefront of every session and it gave me better strategies, language and understanding to do that.”

Amber Mogg-Cathey – Vocal Coach and studio owner, Nashville

The details

This course is available to all. No prior experience is required, the course will offer the first steps you need to follow a professional career in counselling, or to enhance your teaching skills. Just bring your curious self and a willingness to learn.

This course alone does not qualify you as a practicing counsellor or give access to the Accredited Register. It is an introductory course and further, relevant core Counselling training will be needed in order to qualify as a Counsellor.

The course will consist of 12 modules over 12 weeks. You should allow approximately 2 hours per week of self-study time on top of the 3-hour live classes.

The tutor

Alistair Newton is an experienced BACP Accredited counsellor and supervisor. He has worked as a counsellor in education, in charities, in the NHS as well as in private practice since 2014. The performing arts have seen Alistair work as a singer, actor, comic, presenter, musician, script writer and producer. “I am aware of the many issues that affect musicians and performers which may include anxiety and depression, a difficult work/life balance, uncertainty and financial pressures. I am able to relate to creative people and those who have a lifestyle or working pattern which is outside the mainstream as well as those dealing with creative blocks“.
Alistair can help with issues relating to abuse, addiction, affairs and betrayals, alcoholism, anger management, anxiety, autism, bereavement, bullying, career counselling, depression, drug addiction, emotional abuse, family issues, feeling sad, health anxiety, internet addiction, LGBTQ+ counselling, loneliness, low self-confidence, low self-esteem, panic attacks, redundancy, relationship problems, self-harm, separation and divorce, sex addiction, sex problems, social anxiety, stress.
Alistair is also a teacher, university lecturer and trainer. He has recently offered training in bereavement counselling, working with learning difficulties, humanistic counselling as well as counselling skills.