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Can I do the entire training online?

At some levels, yes. If you follow the training route set out by CPCAB, then you can train online for levels 2 and 3, after which point (at Level 4) CPCAB require that there should be an element of face-to-face training. Our centres offer starter-level trainings, at Level 2 (CSK-L2), 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 course would be on location, so at that point you would need to enrol with a local provider.

If your preferred training route is other than a CPCAB one 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 ensure you will meet with their requirements at that point in your training.

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What qualifications does will my tutor team have?

Our trainers are all highly experienced counsellors and all are CPCAB-approved tutors. All our teams' members have over a decade's background as practitioners in counselling & psychotherapy. Our teaching staff have experience in other counselling training contexts and have taught counselling training groups in multiple training contexts at Levels 1-6. Our team members have previously programme-led or taught counselling-courses for Guildford College, Banbury Counselling Academy, Newbury College and University of Greenwich.

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There are lots of options out there for training. How do I select the right one?

To work out where to start, first think about where you want to end up. If you want to be recognised by a specific professional organisation, If you want to be recognised by a specific professional organisation, or be considered by a particular employer, check with the professional body, training school, or employer in question, and find out what they need to be accepted.. If you are selecting a starter-course, make sure to check that it will be sufficient to take you to your next-level qualification. Not all Level 2 trainings are equivalent, and a particular Level 2 course they may not necessarily be what you need to be accepted on a CPCAB Level 3 training. To know if a prior training is sufficient for entry to a further course, inquire of the training centre providing the further training, not the centre offering the previous one (as they may not have up-to-date information, or may not reliably know the current status).

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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 satisfy the criteria listed on our website, and those listed in the course specification for CSK-L2 listed on the CPCAB website, but our centres do not 'cherry-pick' candidates or compare applicants with each other. Where the course is close to its start-date, our centres may prioritise people who respond promptly to our request to attend an interview over those who appear not to be responding, due to the time-constraints of the interview process.

Counselling trainings stretch candidates at times, and you may find yourself out of your comfort-zone fromt time to time. Your interviewer may explore if you're are experiencing a life-situation where you are able to cope with the demands of the course. For example, they may check how strong your support-network is outside the classroom setting, how heavily your other life-responsibilities weigh on you, and for life-events which are counter indicators to embarking on the training (eg. if you have had a recent close bereavement). In some cases our centres may suggest that you reapply later or (normally for those progressing on their existing training path) our centres may make an offer that is conditional on your engagement in counselling.

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What's the difference between CPCAB and BACP?

The Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) is the awarding body for your qualifications. Our centres work alongside CPCAB so that our counselling courses and the counsellors who teach on them are rigorously & independently assessed, and that our training centre meets CPCAB's professional standards. CPCAB is the only United Kingdom awarding body run by counsellors for counsellors which makes it ideally placed to assess the standards to which its centres operate..

BACP (the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) is a major professional membership body for UK-based counsellors and psychotherapists. It has a role in setting standards and in protecting members of the public and represents the interests of the counselling and psychotherapy profession.

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Are there any extra costs involved in the training?

You really need to have a reliable internet connection and a computer to undertake our courses, as well as a private, reliably-available space for classwork. For online sessions we use Zoom, which you can download and use for free. Your assignments are submitted via online web-forms, or Powerpoint-compatible files for presentation materials, which you can create and edit in Microsoft Office, or if you prefer, a compatible free alternative such as LibreOffice which is available for free from the internet.