LEVEL 2
CERTIFICATE IN COUNSELLING SKILLS

By the course's conclusion, our objectives are for you to: • Develop into a proficient listener • Gain a foundational understanding of counselling and its training • Engage in experiential learning to enhance self-awareness • Prepare for potential progression to the Level 3 counselling studies course

Course Length: 90 Guided learning hours Total Qualification Time: 170 hours Minimum Age: 19 years Course Cost (Academic year 2026-27): £1200 (fees will incrementally increase every academic year) CPCAB Registration Fee (Academic year 2026-27): £182 (this is based on 2025/26 fees- we are waiting for new fees to be published as they are increased incrementally most academic years) Total Fee: £1382 (this may increase slightly if CPCAB increase their fees for the next academic year) Attendance Requirements: 90% minimum (equates to missing just 10 hours of the course. Please consider this when booking holidays - a fitness to study process will be triggered should the minimum attendance be reached and your place on the course could become compromised without refund. Missing a Saturday session will equate to missing 7.5 hours)

Online - Zoom

Wednesday 6th January 2027

Wednesday 15th June 2027

Term 1 - 6th January - 10th February 2027 (Saturday session on 6th February 2027) Term 2 - 24th February - 24th March 2027 (Saturday session on 20th March 2027) Term 3 - 14th April - 26th May 2027 (Saturday sessions 1st and 22nd May 2027) Term 4 - 8th - 15th June 2027

Every Wednesday evenings (6-9pm) 4 x Saturday sessions (9.30am - 5pm)

Both options require a payment of a £300 deposit (payable within 7 days of being offered a place on the course) In Full - Balance of £1082 payable in full at least 6 weeks prior to the beginning of the course or: Installments - Payment of 5 installments. Instalment 1 - £362 (£180 course fee plus £182 CPCAB registration fee - subject to change when CPCAB publish their 26/27 fees). Installments 2-5 - £180/month . This is to be paid by the 10th day of each month (starting in January 2025) by bank transfer set up by the student. Terms and conditions apply.

Eligibility: • Level 2 or Equivalent in English Language. If you don’t have this level of literacy this does not exclude you from the course, but your written English will be assessed as part of the application written exercise • Good IT skills – ability to use Word, fill in proforma templates electronically, use an online google classroom platform, and have a confidential space with good Wi-Fi and lighting (online courses) • A willingness to discuss personal thoughts and feelings with others as part of a group, 1-2-1 with other students and tutors and in writing • A willingness to give feedback to and receive feedback from others in the group • Be committed to exploring your own values, beliefs and attitudes and examining how you relate to other people • Be committed to the learning process and completing the necessary work on time to fulfil the requirements of the course • Anyone experiencing any current emotional/psychological problems will not be accepted onto the course • Anyone experiencing any life experiences that may be detrimental when studying a counselling course may not be accepted onto the course

Course Content The course is structured many topics including: • Becoming a skilled listener • Working safely and ethically as a 'helper' using counselling skills • Developing self-awareness • Introduction to the Person-Centred Approach

Assessment involves compiling an internally assessed portfolio with methods including: • Reflective journals • Worksheets • Assignments • Group presentations • Group discussions • Tutor and peer feedback on skills • 1-2-1 tutorials

This is a fast track course and so additional study time could be as much as approximately 10-12 hours a week. This may vary from student to student but will increase when various assignments are due to be handed in. This may vary for each individual student and may increase slightly when various assignment deadlines approach. It is therefore important that if you are considering applying for the course, that you think about where the course will fit into your day-to-day life, such as employment, family circumstances, health issues, etc. It is important that the course is considered in relation to other areas of your life in order that you can give the course your time and commitment to give you the best opportunity of completing it. The full fee for the course is payable should you decide to withdraw once the course has begun.

While the Level 2 course stands alone as a valuable qualification, it also serves as a stepping stone to the Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies, also offered by the NCCS

Ballantine Dykes, Fiona, Kopp, Barry and Postings, Traci. 2024 Counselling Skills and Studies. 3rd edn. London: Sage

Sutton, J. 2008 Learning to Counsel: Develop the Skills, Insight and Knowledge to Counsel Others, 4th ed. Oxford: Spring Hill House.

You will need pen and paper and your course textbook when attending lessons. As this is an online course all course resources will be shared on a platform called Google Classroom.