There is a need among communities, NGOs and schools in South Africa for competent, ethical and qualified school counsellors who can address, through good quality provision of wellness training and life coaching, the social and emotional wellbeing needs of secondary school learners in South Africa.

The Advanced certificate in life coaching and counselling in the secondary school, was developed to train school counsellors in South Africa. It was developed under the auspices of Gideon Robert University (GRU) in Zambia, which is fully accredited by the Zambia Higher Education Authority with the registration number HEA/033 (Zambia Higher Education Authority, June 2023). GRU is officially recognised by SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) up to NQF Level 10. Visio Education Pty Ltd fulfils a training function for GRE and acts as tutor for the qualification.

Successful candidates will be eligible to apply for registration as a Specialist wellness counsellor with the Association for Supportive Counsellors and Holistic Practitioners in South Africa (ASCHP), to provide first line psycho-educational and wellness support.

Successful completion of the Advanced Certificate requires three steps namely registration, tuition and graduation.