Q. How does one enroll for these courses?

A. One can approach I.B.M.S. admission centres for prospectus, enrollment & spot admissions.

Q. Does one have to attend classes regularly?

A. No, since these are Distance Education Programmes, one doesn’t have to attend the classes or disturb one’s routine.

Still, as you are a serious student desirous of entering the field of Psychotherapy & Counselling, it will be highly beneficial if you attend the contact classes being conducted by the Director and his team from Headquarters.

Also additional contact classes / workshops are being organized for interested students which will be handled by practicing Psychotherapists, Psychiatrists and Clinical Psychologists. Facilities are also there for attending live counselling / psychotherapy sessions, so that students can get hands-on experience.

Q. I am a graduate of age above 40. But have never studied psychology before. I am curious. How difficult are these courses?

A. The syllabus is very student-friendly and any interested person can absorb the same without much difficulty. One need not have any background or prior exposure of psychology, since our first two papers will be dealing with the fundamentals of psychology.

Q. I am a Graduate / Post-Graduate / Teacher / Professor with a comfortable job. What benefits do I have if I enroll in these courses?

A. You will be able to interact more effectively with your students/ colleagues / superiors / subordinates, understand their problems better & defuse stressful situations. This will also help you to keep other options open for additional earnings in your spare time / holidays. Teachers & Professors can become very successful counsellors.

Recently, you may have seen a Government circular detailing plans about opening Counselling Centres in all colleges / schools. If you are interested, you will be able to work in such centres and provide immense help to your students.

Q. I am a Professional - Doctor / CA / Advocate - with a good practice of my own. How can these courses help me?

A. Your interaction with your clients / patients will greatly improve. Your ability to counsel them will make them more responsive to you & help you to grow in your practice further.
Particularly, Doctors will find these courses very helpful as a high percentage of cases that come for treatment may be psychological in origin. Other than giving placebos, you will be able to delve into the cause of their problems and provide effective cure.

Q. I am middle-aged graduate housewife with a lot of spare time. I wish to enroll. Can these courses help me to earn or do any social work?

A. Yes, most certainly. Being distance education courses, you can study from home. When you pass out successfully, you can very well start your own counselling services for family disputes, divorces, career improvement etc. You can also find suitable employment in related institutions, if you so desire.

Q. I am technically qualified & have started a new production unit. In what way can these courses help me?

A. You need to be very alert in all areas of your business. You will be meeting different kinds of people. Having studied these courses, your perception & attentiveness will increase considerably and you will be able to tackle stressful situations more effectively, without disturbing your peace of mind.

Q. I live in a small town / village, far away from the city. I wish to enroll, but where can I attend classes?

A. These are Distance Education Courses, and you can very well study from your home, even in remote villages, without disturbing your routine. For your studies, IBMS course material is quite sufficient. If you need, you can avail of some books from the city. On completion of this course, you can provide services in your village / town.

Q. Isn’t it better for me to do an M.A. / M.Sc. in Psychology of some other University?

A. If your aim is to acquire theoretical knowledge, it may be enough. But if you really aim at practicing Counselling / Psychotherapy, then it is doubtful whether such courses alone can help you. In such a circumstance, it is our humble opinion that the Professional Courses being offered by this Institute will be a much better or additional option.

Q. I am a Software Professional, with a very well-paid job in a software company. Lately, I have felt very stressful & so have some of my colleagues. Should I see a Professional Psychological Counsellor?

A. Yes, you should. But even better, you should also enroll in these courses, because you will be doing a great service to yourselves, as well as your colleagues.

A very revealing study conducted recently on Software Professionals threw up some very disturbing facts.

Most Software Professionals put in long hours of work, often for days without break. They are mostly stuck in front of a computer screen in a confined environment. This exposes them to severe mental & physical fatigue. Since most of them are extremely well-paid, they become used to very comfortable & sedentary life-styles at home.

Long hours spent in solitude, without quality interaction with family, friends or colleagues causes severe psychological trauma. The psychological extension of this trauma is Stress, Cardiac problems, Hypertension & even Impotency/ Infertility.

This problem is even greater among the couples where both husband & wife are working as Software Professionals. The study says that the problem may even worsen, given that more & more people are entering this field. Also the companies are becoming more competitive, thus extracting more work from their personnel.

To state a fact, this is not a problem exclusively affecting the Computer professionals, but a common problem faced by any “successful” Professional/ Businessman!

So if you plan to join this Course, you will be doing a great social service by providing effective counselling to your colleagues & even family members!!

Q. After completing this course, if I set up myself as a Counsellor, will I be called a Fraud??

A. Definitely Not!!

As on date, no Government has stated specifically what the basic qualification required for being a Counsellor is. As such, this is a grey area. But utilizing this loophole, many people are calling themselves as Professional Counsellors, without undergoing any training worth the name. On the other hand, I.B.M.S. is providing you quality education in this field. Being established in this field since the last fifteen years, the Certificates? Diplomas of I.B.M.S. are held in high esteem in this field.

There is a proposal before the R.C.I. to form an association of practicing Psychologists in the lines of American Psychological Association. It is then proposed to keep a University Post-Graduation in Psychology as the basic Qualification.

Foreseeing this eventuality, if at all it may be enforced at some time or other, some Study Centres of I.B.M.S. have reached an arrangement with a few Study Centres of the Madras University. Based on the same, I.B.M.S. participants can do M.Sc. in Psychology concurrently with M.S. You may please contact your Programme Officer for more details.

Q. I have already completed my M.Sc. in Psychology. Would doing your Course help me in any way?

A. Yes.

We have many Participants who have completed Post Graduation even in Clinical Psychology. Not only the students, even some Professors/ Lecturers of Psychology attend our Programmes. It is because you will be learning the practical application of the theories you learned for your Post Graduation, & it will help you a lot if you are looking for some exposure in Therapy. Of course, it will be an added advantage to your Bio-Data also, which will give you a competitive edge over other candidates!

Q. Will doing this Course help me to go abroad?

A. Yes.

There are many Participants who do this Course exclusively for this purpose. Because Counsellors are welcome in almost all Countries, many with other Professional degrees like Nursing, Physiotherapy etc. do our Programme with this in mind. Also, as I.B.M.S. is affiliated to The Open International University, our Degrees/ Diplomas have International Recognition. Of course, to practice in another Country, you will have to pass a Qualifying Exam of that Country.

Q. After completion of this Course, can I call myself a Doctor?

A. No.

Only those with a Ph.D., or a Registered Medical Practitioner can call himself a Doctor. In fact, even the Indian Clinical Psychologists’ Association has asked its members not to call themselves Doctors, unless they have a Ph.D.

Q. Can I prescribe medicines?

A. No! You are strictly forbidden to prescribe medicines unless you are otherwise qualified. You have the option of referring the client who needs medication to a Psychiatrist.

Q. After completion of this Course, can I set up my own Counselling/ Psychotherapy Center?

A. You can. You can also work as a team with a visiting Psychiatrist and/ or a Clinical Psychologist so that the clients coming to you can have all their needs met at the same place.

Q. What if I have doubts regarding the treatment to be provided to a client?

A. It is always a good idea to have a working relationship with the senior Practitioners in your area, so that you can always clear your doubts, if any. You can also refer your clients to other Practitioners if you want to get a second opinion.

Of course, I.B.M.S. or its Programme Officer nearest to you will be there to clarify your doubts & support you in times of need.

Q. After completion of this Course, what other higher options do I have in pursuing education further?

A. If you are concurrently doing an M.Sc. along with this Course, you may go for M.Phil. or Ph.D. after that. Even if you are doing only M.S., you have the option of obtaining a Ph.D. from the Indian Board of Alternative Medicines. Please contact the Programme Officer for more details.

Q. How can I get more professional experience/training?

A. Please visit www.counsellingpeople.org for more details.