Aims of the Course

This course provides learning experiences which will enable you to develop and practice counselling skills. 

It will also increase your knowledge/understanding of such skills and look at counselling theories in more depth. It is specifically designed for those who want to take the next step towards training to become a counsellor (having already acquired some counselling skills), or continue their skills development for voluntary work or employment. This level does not qualify you to be a counsellor. 

This course will enable you to:

• Prepare to work within an ethical framework for counselling
• Understand the counselling relationship
• Understand difference and diversity issues to develop empathic understanding
• Work within a user-centred approach to counselling
• Use counselling theory to develop self- awareness in counselling practice
• Understand theories of counselling and mental health
• Use feedback, reflection and supervision to support counselling

It is a characteristic of counselling courses that it will involve a certain amount of self-disclosure about uncomfortable situations; this is undertaken in the confines of the class room and with boundaries and rules set by the learners. Due to the nature of the course, all students are required to sign a confidentiality agreement at induction. 

Prospective learners must be aware that they will not be qualified to practice as counsellors on completion of this course, or even claim to be competent in the use of counselling skills.

Target Group

This course is primarily intended for students aiming to progress to L4 Diploma to qualify as counsellors. It can also be a useful course to learn more about counselling skills and theory and to develop self-awareness as an addition to other professional roles 

Entry Requirements

To enrol on this course you will need to have successfully completed the Level 2 Award in Counselling Skills (or its equivalent), or have relevant work experience. All applicants must attend an interview prior to being accepted on the course. 

Additional costs

You will need to purchase your own stationery and have access to a computer, email and printing. 

Personal therapy

You will be required to undertake 6 hours of personal therapy at your own expense 

Progression

You may wish to progress to the L4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling Course, the professional standard qualification for becoming a counsellor. 

Course Dates & Times

This L3 course will run over 30 weeks on Mondays and Fridays, and includes some Saturday schools (times TBC). There will be Half Term, Easter and Bank Holidays as per local schools. The courses will finish week commencing 7th July (Friday) and 14th July (Monday) 2025. 

Next Intake Start Dates & Times 2025:

Monday 15th September 2025, 3.30pm – 8.30pm
OR
Wednesday 17th September 2025, 3.30pm – 8.30pm
OR
Thursday 18th September 2025, 9.30am – 2.30pm

We will run one, two or three groups according to demand

Fees

£1,695 for all tuition and registration. A deposit of £295 will be required before starting the course. 

Payment options following the initial deposit: 

• We are happy to spread the remaining fees over 10 monthly payments of £140 each
• You can pay the remaining course fee in full
• If a third party organisation is paying your fees we will need a purchase order number from them and full payment must be made before the start of the course

How to apply

Click the Apply for Course button below to complete our online application form. If you need any further information before applying, please use the Got Questions button.