Counselling Training

Do you have a minimum attendance requirement?

You need to attend at least 80% of the course to successfully complete any of our courses.

However, we expect you to make all efforts to attend as fully as possible. We appreciate that 100% attendance may not be feasible, but whereas the key resources on other types of training may be materials or equipment, this is a training where you and your peers are the primary resource for each other's skills training. You need to engage as fully as possible in order to provide each other with the interpersonal interactions that take place as you practice your skills with each other.

A lack of engagement with your peers in the classroom (face to face or online) is potentially as problematic as being absent. If you are aware in advance of the likelihood of persistent or prolonged absence, please bring this up at interview or on your application form.

What can I do to improve my chances of being accepted onto the course?

We offer places to eligible applicants in date order of application. You need to meet the criteria listed on our website, and in the course specification for CSK-L2< listed on the CPCAB website, but we do not "cherry-pick" candidates or compare applicants with each other. Where the course is close to its start-date, we may prioritise applicants who respond promptly to our request for an interview over those who appear not to be responding, due to the time-constraints of the interview process.

Counselling trainings stretch candidates emotionally, and you may find yourself out of your comfort zone at times. Your interviewer may explore whether you are in a life-situation where you can cope with this. For example, they may check how robust your support network is outside the classroom setting, how heavily your other life-responsibilities currently weigh on you, and for life-events which are contra-indications to setting out on the training (eg. a recent bereavement). In some cases we may suggest that you reapply later or (normally for those progressing on their existing training path) we may make your offer conditional on your engagement in personal therapy.

What is the difference between CPCAB and BACP?

CPCAB, or the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) is the awarding body for your qualifications. We work with them to make sure that all our courses and tutors are rigorously and independently assessed, and that we meet CPCAB's high professional standards. CPCAB is the only awarding body in the UK run by counsellors for counsellors, which makes it very well placed to expertly assess the standards to which its centres operate.

BACP, or the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, is the largest professional membership body for counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK. It represents the interests of the counselling profession and has a role in setting standards and protecting the public.

Are there any other costs involved in the training?

You will need a computer and a reliable internet connection to engage with our trainings, and a reliably-available private space for classwork. For online sessions we use Zoom, which you can download and use for free. Assignments are submitted as Word-compatible documents, or Powerpoint for presentation materials, which you can create and edit in Microsoft Office. If you prefer, a compatible free alternative such as LibreOffice is acceptable, and this can be downloaded and used for free from the internet.

There are lots of options out there for training. How do I choose the right one? To work out where to start, you need to think about where you want to end up. If you want to be recognised by a particular professional body, to specialise with a particular training, or be acceptable to a particular employer, check with the professional body, training school, or employer in question, and find out what they need from you to be accepted.

Beware of selecting a starter-course without checking that it will be a stepping stone to your next-level qualification. Not all Level 2 trainings provide the equivalence you would need to be accepted on a CPCAB Level 3 training, for example. To know if a prior training is acceptable for entry to a further course, always ask the centre providing the further training, not the centre offering the prior one (as they may not reliably know or may have out of date information).