Program Overview

Mode of delivery and schedule

Onsite. Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Duration and dates

2085 hours over 22 months

Start date: March 17th, 2025

End date: To be determined

Information session: To be determined


Information session

Attending an information session is mandatory. Please click the “Attend an information session” button below to request an online information session with the Pedagogical Counsellor.

Description

This program trains students to intervene appropriately in order to help individuals of all ages who are experiencing difficulty adapting or fitting in socially. Special Care Counsellors work with various client-groups: individuals with physical, neurological, or intellectual impairments, mental health issues, substance abuse problems, behavior, language, and/or learning difficulties, seniors in loss of autonomy, victims of violence and immigrants.

This program is designed for individuals who are interested in working with and helping people. Special Care Counselors work closely with multiple professional and community resources. It is therefore essential that interested applicants be able to work in teams. Prospective candidates should be sensitive, patient, accepting of others as well as have good listening skills.

 

Career Perspectives

Fields and type of employers

Some of the organizations that hire Special Care Counsellors are: public agencies such as the Ministry of Health and Social Services, social service and rehabilitation centres; regular or specialized schools; group homes; youth homes; community organizations; homecare centres; and hospitals.

Job Placement and Prospects

Special Care Counselling under National Occupation Codes (NOC) 42201 Social and Community Service Workers and 42203 Instructors of People with Disabilities according to the Exploring Trades and Occupations web page of the Government of Quebec, February 2024.

Salary range

From $ 17.10 to $ 33.75 per hour (NOC 42201 Social and Community Service Workers) and from $18.00 to $ 34.00 per hour (NOC 42203 Instructors of People with Disabilities) according to the Exploring Trades and Occupations web page of the Government of Quebec, February 2024.

Courses

This program consists of twenty-five (25) credit courses, for a total of 2085 contact-hours. Note that the following overview of courses by semester is subject to change.

 

Semester 1

350-002-LA – Human Development -60 hours

This course provides students with a biopsychosocial understanding of normal human development throughout the lifespan. Students examine the age-related changes that occur in the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains of a person’s development from infancy to late adulthood and their impact on behavior.

351-101-LA – Role of the Special Care Counselling- 60 hours

This course introduces students to the profession of Special Care Counselling and to community resources and services utilized by the profession. Students will investigate the functions of the special care counsellor (SCC) and explore how the role of the SCC differs from professionals in related fields. They analyze requests for services with reference to relevant laws and the mission or mandate of institutions and community organizations.

351-102-LA – Communication Skills- 45 hours

This course introduces students to the practices and principles of effective communication. It covers the importance of self, verbal and nonverbal messages, interpersonal skills, and the nature of conflict. Students closely examine their own communication patterns, difficulties, and strengths, and learn effective communication techniques with clients and members of a work team.

351-113-LA – Observation Techniques- 45 hours

This course introduces students to the process of professional observation as it pertains to the role of the Special Care Counsellor. Students learn how to make objective observations followed by subjective, non[1]judgmental interpretations. The importance of attending to both verbal and non-verbal aspects of behavior as well as elements of the environment is underscored.

351-124-LA – Introduction to Clinical Tools and Activities- 45 hours

In this course, students learn the steps involved in the process of intervention, beginning with an assessment that focuses on clients’ needs. They learn to work with existing Intervention Plans and to create their own plans of developmental activities, as well as to choose appropriate clinical tools.

Semester 2

351-224-LA – Biopsychological Adjustment

In this course, students are introduced to the multidimensional aspect of adjustment. Using current tools such as the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual V (DSM 5), students develop the ability to recognize and assess particular adjustment problems. Students will develop a global understanding of the way biological, psychological, and social factors interact in.

351-214-LA – Language and Learning Difficulties- 45 hours

In this course, students learn how to recognize indicators of learning and/or language difficulties among young people in a school context. They apply basic strategies to help children with language development as well as with the transfer and application of learning. Intervention strategies that help the client adapt his or her behavior to a school setting, sustain motivation, and stay in school are explored together with approaches to enhance children’s social and communication skills.

351-125-LA – Fieldwork I- 120 hours

The focus of the first fieldwork course is the client-professional interaction. Observation, communication, and intervention skills are used in helping clients deal with problems related to adaptation and social integration. Students learn to function within the limitations of their capacity to intervene, consult with resource persons, choose appropriate intervention strategies, and collaborate with the work team.

351-212-LA – Group Work- 60 hours

This course focuses on knowledge, attitudes, techniques, and skills pertaining to group development, group dynamics, and team collaboration. Students learn to use appropriate facilitation and leadership techniques to help improve interaction, increase motivation, and enhance participation amongst group members.

351-659-LA – Intervention Planning- 45 hours

This course will provide the student with the opportunity to develop both individual and group interventions within each domain; affective, psychomotor, and cognitive. Students will assess the needs of clients across the lifespan and develop intervention plans based on these identified needs.

351-335-LA – Youth in Difficulty- 45 hours

The focus of this course is the intervention with youth (0 to 18 years) in their natural or substitute environment. Students explore various psychological, familial, and social situations that can lead to socio[1]emotional maladjustment.

351-328-LA – Ageing and Loss of Autonomy- 45 hours

This course provides students with the knowledge and tools needed to help individuals experiencing loss of autonomy due to the aging process. To understand factors that impact the client’s adaptive potential, students experiment with specific assessment tools and plan adapted activities that help evaluate the client’s deficits and functional autonomy.

Semester 3

351-334-LA – Helping Relationship- 45 hours

In this course, students develop attitudes, behaviors and skills that are fundamental to professional helping relationships. They learn to recognize and explore the affective dimension of clients’ experience, and to work jointly with them in an effort to identify needs and expectations, decide on priorities, and plan appropriate action.

351-330-LA – Developmental Disabilities and ASD- 60 hours

In this course, students adapt the process of intervention to the developmentally disabled, and learn to associate relevant approaches, objectives, and techniques of intervention with this adjustment problem. After evaluating both the disability and potential of the client, students develop an individual program plan that includes activities devised to meet the social, cognitive, and psychomotor needs of the individual.

351-332-LA – Crisis Intervention- 60 hours

In this course, students learn to deal with emergency and crisis situations. They assess the circumstances and give appropriate assistance when required. Students also learn to use preventive measures in the face of physical threat, to assess the level of danger, and to protect their personal well being.

351-429-LA – Mental Health and Substance Abuse- 45 hours

This course examines issues related to mental health and substance abuse. The focus is on the impact these may have on a person’s daily functioning, as well as his/her family. The focus is on current best practices in the field, preparing students to accompany clients through the process of rehabilitation, ongoing maintenance, and relapse prevention.

Semester 4

351-427-LA – Neurological and Physical Disabilities- 60 hours

In this course students adapt the process of intervention to clients with a physical impairment or a neurological disorder. They acquire a basic understanding of the nervous system and some of the biological influences on human behavior that may affect the individual’s adaptive potential.

351-350-LA – Fieldwork II- 225 hours

Fieldwork II focuses on the process of intervention with one client-group. Intervention, work ethics, collaboration with clients’ support network and teamwork with professionals allow students to use, develop and consolidate their knowledge and skills.

Semester 5

351-428-LA – Violence and Social Exclusion- 45 hours

Students will develop an understanding of factors that promote, contribute to, and sustain violence. The focus of the course centers on identifying the level of danger of a situation in order to intervene promptly and appropriately.

351-431-LA – Reintegration and Social Inclusion- 45 hours

In this course, students learn how to evaluate and facilitate a client’s ability to re-enter society and/or the workplace. They analyze issues related to the integration of people with disabilities from a systemic[1]ecological perspective.

351-420-LA – Advanced Topics in Special Care Counselling- 45 hours

This course centers around the importance of an SCC’s holistic approach when working with a client’s support networks. Students will see how to evaluate a client’s physical environment, how to evaluate the supportive methods of the people closest to the client, how to work with support networks, and informal caregivers.

351-658-LA – Advanced Clinical Tools and Approaches- 45 hours

In this course, students strengthen and consolidate their understanding of the diverse intervention approaches, techniques, strategies, and clinical tools utilized in the field of Special Care Counselling.

351-001-LA – The Sociology of Unequal Relations- 45 hours

This course sensitizes students to the different types of minorities that exist in Canadian society and promotes an understanding of these groups. The students will learn how to describe and analyze the challenges and adjustment problems people face based on their perceived differences and foster the coexistence and integration of people with differences.

351-654-LA – Integrative Project- 90 hours

This course gives students an opportunity to determine a domain of research and intervention that they wish to further investigate before graduating from the program.

Semester 6

387-422-LA – Internship- 600 hours

This course gives students the opportunity to do their internship in a setting of their choice in Montreal or Montérégie. With supervision from both the College and staff at the fieldwork placement, students implement interventions, from the detection of a problem to the recommendations and follow up procedures.

Admission Requirements

There are ministerial requirements and there might be specific requirements for each program. Please make sure to check all of them.

Please note that Applicants will also be asked to provide proof of one of the following:

  • Canadian Citizenship
  • Permanent Residency
  • Permanent refugee status (must hold a valid study permit)
  • Valid Student Visa

Ministerial Requirements

Applicants must have a Secondary V diploma or equivalent or have acquired knowledge and skills deemed sufficient by the College for potential success in the program.  More specifically, they must show proof of:

  • A Diploma of High School Studies OR
  • A College Diploma or a University Degree OR
  • A partial high school program, coupled with a recommendation from a current or former employer that you would benefit from pursuing your education at the post-secondary level.

And

The applicant must meet one of the following requirements:

  • have interrupted studying full-time for at least two consecutive terms or one school year OR
  • be covered under an agreement between the college and an employer, or be benefiting from a government program OR
  • have completed at least one year of post-secondary studies over a period of one year or more OR
  • hold a Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS/DEP)

Program Specific Requirements

  • Candidates must be functionally bilingual (French and English), particularly in their oral communication skills and will be tested in both languages.
  • Candidates will be asked to submit a curriculum vitae (CV), may be interviewed prior to admission to the program to verify their qualifications.

Although not an admission requirement, please see the new French-language requirements for AEC programs in English.

How to Apply

The steps to apply are as follows.

1. Attend an information session

The first step in the application process is to sign up for an information session. You can do that by clicking the “Attend an information session” button and completing the form that follows. During the information session, the pedagogical counsellor will explain the admission requirements, application process, and the functioning of the program in detail.

2. Submit an application for admission

After attending an information session, you will receive a link via email to access the Omnivox online application for Champlain Saint-Lambert.  Once you have accessed Omnivox, click the “Submit an Application for Admission” button to begin your application. Select the semester the program begins in, the Pathway (Continuing Education or RAC), and the program you are applying to. You will be asked to indicate your Quebec residency status. Follow the instructions that appear and provide the requested information to complete your application.

3. Upload all the required documents

You will be asked during the online application process to upload the following required documents.

Proof of residency documents, based on your status:

  • Québec birth certificate OR
  • Canadian birth certificate AND a valid Quebec RAMQ card OR
  • Canadian citizenship card/certificate AND a valid Quebec RAMQ Card OR
  • Permanent resident card AND a CSQ (Certificate of Selection of Quebec) or a valid Quebec RAMQ card in the event that you did not receive a CSQ

Schooling documents:

  • Secondary school, college, or university certificates AND
  • Transcripts for the highest level of schooling completed AND
  • Any other certifications relevant to the program.

4. Await the admission verdict

Once all required documents have been submitted, our team will contact you to schedule the admissions tests if there are any for the program you choose. Once you have completed the admissions tests, no further action is required on your part. The admissions team will review your application and will contact you by email once a decision has been made. We will also contact you by email if any additional information or documents are needed to make the admissions decision.

If you have any questions after submitting your application and documents, please do not hesitate to contact the Continuing Education department or the administrative support staff dedicated to the program.

Testimonials

Costs

For more information on the fees for residents and non-residents of Québec and international students, please click here.

Contact us

Continuing Education – F-151
Champlain College Saint-Lambert
900 Riverside Drive
Saint-Lambert, Québec
J4P 3P2

Directions

(450)-672-7364

continuingeducation@crcmail.net