Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you limit your class sizes to 12?
We believe that a robust, quality counselling training is best done groups of limited size. In contrast to some Further Education settings, where class sizes can rise as high as 24, we provide a smaller, more intimate group-setting large enough to provide you with a diversity of interpersonal experience and the opportunity to be challenged and to grow, while manageable enough to facilitate a sense of emotional safety, so that you can be both heard and seen, and without the risk of class members being able to "hide in the crowd" or get lost in the numbers.
What experience does your tutor team have?
All our trainers are highly experienced counsellors. Both BACP-registered and CPCAB-approved, all members of our team have over a decade's background as practitioners in counselling and psychotherapy. All our teaching staff have years of experience in leading other teaching teams and have taught counselling training groups in multiple training contexts at all our levels. Our team members have previously programme-led or taught counselling-courses for Newbury College, Abingdon and Witney College, Banbury Counselling Academy, Guildford College and University of Greenwich.
Do you have a minimum attendance requirement?
You need to attend at least 80% of the course to qualify for 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 as problematic as would be your absence. 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.
Can I do my entire training online?
Not entirely. If you follow the CPCAB training route, then you can train online for levels 2 and 3, at which point (Level 4) CPCAB require that there should be an element of face-to-face training. We currently offer starter-level trainings, at Level 2, as a fully online option, as well as an online Level 3 follow-on course.
For CPCAB's Level 4 counselling training, the majority of your training would be on location, so at that point you would need to enrol with a local provider. If you intend to progress through a non-CPCAB training route after Level 3, or are looking for a more specialised training (eg. for pastoral care, working with children, or where the provider has a special requirement for face-to-face experience) you should check with your chosen provider to make sure you will meet their requirement at that point in your training.
What are the eligibility requirements for your trainings?
The eligibility requirement for our CPCAB courses can be found in Section 5 of the Course Specification documents on the CPCAB website for CSK-L2 and CST-L3. To apply for CST-L3 you must have successfully completed or be in the process of completing the CPCAB CSK-L2 counselling skills course, or an equivalent recognised qualification in counselling skills of at least 75 Guided Learning Hours (GLH). We do not recognise experiential evidence in the absence of a relevant formal qualification, and we do not accept qualifications in related disciplines (such as nursing, teaching, social work, medicine or psychology) which are not explicitly a hands-on training in Level 2 counselling skills.
CPCAB define Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as "the process by which a learner’s relevant prior formal or nonformal learning or experience is formally evaluated in order to determine whether it satisfies any part of a qualification and therefore allows for an amendment to, or exemption from, some aspect of the qualification requirements". We follow the policy advice of CPCAB in relation to accepting alternative prior learning, which can be found here, except that we do not recognise"nonformal learning or experience". This is because of the practical difficulty in assessing nonformal learning and experience, which can lead to students whose learning is patchy or insufficient to then struggle or require excessive tutor support in order to keep up with their classmates.
I have a qualification in a different but people-oriented discipline. Can I start my training straight on Level 3?
Usually not. We frequently get requests to skip a level from applicants who have a background in social work, nursing, psychology or teaching. However the Level 2 training is highly vocational and you will spend the first year learning, practising and consolidating your skills in counselling on a weekly basis.
Where you have a Level 2 or equivalent qualification that is explicitly in counselling skills and provides an equivalence to the CPCAB course CSK-L2, we may at our discretion accept you on Level 3 on that basis. We do not accept people on Level 3 based solely on prior experience or from courses with no recognised assessment criteria for the award, as there is no independently-validated way to practically confirm that you have the prerequisite depth and coverage of skills and knowledge to manage our Level 3 course without struggling.
In the experience of our tutor team, candidates from other people-oriented disciplines who fast-track and miss this foundational Level 2 year of counselling training tend to have a patchy understanding compared to their peers, and then struggle to keep up with the rest of their group, which is unfair both on the candidate and on their peers.
What can I do to improve my chances of being accepted on your course?
We prioritise our own progressing students' applications at Levels 3, in date order of application. Otherwise, we make offers to all suitable candidates in date order of application. You need to meet the criteria listed on our website, and in the course specification listed on the CPCAB website, but we do not cherry-pick applicants. For some courses we may invite you to participate with other applicants in exercises, to help assess your interpersonal skills level, but this is not a competition - you are each being assessed as to whether or not you meet a CPCAB-defined standard for candidate eligibility, not against each other.
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 weight 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 they 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. BACP works with CPCAB on our Level 4 training to ensure that your successful qualification at Level 4 will gain you immediate access to full BACP membership and to being listed on their Accredited Register as meeting their stringent standards for professional training and conduct.
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.
For those who progress to Level 4 training at their local centre, this will involve working in placement as a trainee counsellor. Students need to find their own placement, but the tutor team at your centre can normally advise you, and will be able to assess its suitability before authorising it. Some placements provide supervision and liability insurance, but where they do not, your centre may expect you to cover these expenses yourself. Level 4 trainings normally require that you be in personal therapy for at least some of your time in training. As with the placement, the tutor team at your local centre would normally review your choice of therapist, to make sure that your experience in therapy is consistent with the therapeutic model they teach. Your course will come with a recommended reading list at each level.
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.
For example, our Level 2 and 3 trainings are recognised by CPCAB as valid precursors to their BACP-approved Level 4 training in Counselling. Most Level 4 training courses will tell you what prior trainings you need 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 our 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 to centre offering the prior one (as they may not reliably know or may have out of date information).
What if I want to progress to Level 4?
Providing CPCAB-awarded qualifications means that our trainings are recognised by all CPCAB training centres which can be found nationwide at over 4,000 locations in the UK, from Cornwall to Scotland. As highly-regarded qualifications, CPCAB trainings at Level 2 and Level 3 CPCAB would also be normally accepted as part of your prior learning if you wanted to transfer to a non-CPCAB training route, although you should always check with the training provider what their particular requirements might be, as some centres may have specialised requirements.