The Jansen Newman Institute

The Jansen Newman Institute of Counselling and Applied Psychotherapy grew out of the Relationship Development Centre which was founded in 1978 by Dr David Jansen. Dr Jansen was co-founder of the California Family Study Center in Los Angeles, now the Phillips Graduate Institute, a large graduate training centre for marriage and family counsellors. In 1981 Dr Jansen was joined by Margaret Newman and together they developed Jansen Newman into the counselling and training centre that it is today, offering training and an extensive range of Counselling and Psychotherapy services at clinics in St Leonards and 8 other locations in Sydney and Wollongong.

The Jansen Newman Institute offers a Bachelor of Counselling and Human Change program and a Graduate Diploma of Counselling and Psychotherapy program.

In addition, the Institute offers a range of Short Courses each year for the continuing education of professionals.

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Counselling and Human Change and the Graduate Diploma of Counselling and Psychotherapy are accredited under the Higher Education Act 1988/2001 No 102 (NSW). 

This means that Jansen Newman Institute Bachelor and Graduate Diploma qualifications are equivalent to degree and graduate diploma programs offered by universities.

Jansen Newman Institute Aims

To attract people who

— have a desire to achieve professional status as a counsellor and psychotherapist
— have a desire to become effective helpers of others
— wish to broaden and deepen their existing skills in working with people
— want to explore new directions in their lives
— have already embarked on a journey of self-discovery (often via personal therapy)

To nurture, support and encourage

— interpersonal sensitivity
— creative flexibility
— reflective thinking and writing skills appropriate to university level
— academic achievement
— a solid sense of selfhood
— the ability to learn and grow from life experiences

To create excitement and challenge within our training environment  

By providing a dynamic experiential teaching approach and encouraging and acknowledging multi-cultural and gender diversity within the student body. 


Our Integrated Approach to Learning

We believe that training for professionals in the field of counselling and psychotherapy should involve developing the whole person, not just their theoretical knowledge.

This educational approach is reinforced through the integration of four strands of study in our programs. These integrated strands are: 

— Theory (knowledge and application of theory)
— Practicum (skills and clinical experience) 
— Personal Development (Group Therapy) 
— Supervision (individual and group supervision)

The Theory strand enables students to gain valuable knowledge from lectures and research. Questions and debate are encouraged and theory is integrated into experiential activities.

In the Practicum strand, intern counsellors and therapists experience ‘hands-on’ training in which they build confidence and refine their skills. In their first year, students practice foundation counselling skills by working with each other. In their second year students work with real clients in an intern program in clinics at the St Leonards campus and at a wide range of community and health-based partner organisations across Greater Sydney and surrounding areas.

In the Group Therapy strand students participate in small groups for two years of their study. Many students report this as a highlight of the course. The group becomes a safe, yet challenging environment, where students can discover how others see them and how they react to others. In this environment students are encouraged to experiment with more authentic, satisfying ways of behaving, instead of repeating patterns. In this way, group therapy brings learnt theory to life.

The fourth strand, Supervision, is experienced both individually and in a group setting in which encouragement and constructive feedback is given and shared by an experienced psychotherapist. Supervision offers students the opportunity to explore different approaches to client issues.