The end of the CEP project

The CEP project came to an end on 30th September 2010, and the Final Report is being submitted tomorrow, 30th November 2010.

The project has involved a huge amount of work by partners and project staff, and the innovation from previous projects has, in our opinion, been transferred to the partners. This transfer has brought about excellent results- since October 2008, 153 students of 14 nationalities have studied on the course, and 15 tutors from the 4 partner countries have been trained in online tutoring methods. Students have evaluated the online resources, and have consistently rated them more favourably than comparable face-to-face courses: 25% of students who returned data reported that they had definitely or possibly transferred sectors as a result of the CEP project. Over 80% of students reported that they had already, or would be able to, use their learning experience in subsequent teaching practice. Over half of students reported that after the course, they would be continuing in their current role with added skills/knowledge, whilst 26% would go into psychotherapy practice (after their training) and 8% would be making a career change into psychotherapy after the end of the course.

The tutors and partners reported significant impacts from participating, e.g.
“Surprised and delighted by the level of disclosure and intimacy on this course - students supported each other through some very difficult forum threads and chatrooms.” (P1 tutor)
“This is a fantastic experience. It is unbelievable what levels of intimacy, sharing and support can be reached through this platform. It is also a unique chance for people coming from different countries in the world to connect through human experiences.” (P1 tutor)
“It is more my own tempo, I can think about it more before I give my feedback and support. To my own surprise, it is more personal than in real live training!” (P2 tutor)
“I definitively want to continue this e-learning training!” (P2 tutor)
“I was a bit afraid of the medium in the beginning, but I learned very fast to appreciate the virtuel learning environment.” (P2 tutor)

The course has also been assessed by external evaluators and highly rated. Strengths identified were:
- creative design
- range of different elements and resources
- flexibility
- student-centered approach
- accessibility
- structure (short manageable units)
- good communication and feedback possibilities
- the inspiring scope and range of the content and subjects of the course (such as existential wellbeing, existential counselling, life strategies and dimensions of life)
- the richness of creative assignments and exercises- the high levels of commitment amongst the staff

Sections of the course materials have been translated into both French and Dutch, as have the 250 entries for the lexicon of psychotherapy terms. It is our hope that the translated materials will form the basis for CPD for psychotherapists across Europe, and discussions with the EAP have begun.