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Education Training and Assessment Career Progression Map

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Working with Children and Young people Career progression map

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Click here to read an important statement for suppliers

With effect from Monday 23rd March 2020, all College sites will be closed with the exception of the Humanities, Arts and Health campus located in Out Risbygate Street Bury St Edmunds (IP33 3RL) which will be open from 09:00 until 17:00 hours Monday- Friday.

A skeleton staff team will continue to operate during these hours at this location and therefore deliveries must be taken to the University Studies Centre on the site where a temporary reception has been established. It is the College's intention to continue to operate as best as it can in these unusual circumstances and therefore it is intended to continue to issue purchase orders to suppliers.

In the event that government measures are extended to a complete lockdown, the College may then have to close its premises completely and deliveries will not be possible.

Please watch the website for further details of this because as you will appreciate it is a fast changing situation. For any queries please send these directly to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

West Suffolk College

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Suffolk
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🍀 Message for Students of West Suffolk College about gradings, exams, assessments and coursework

Click here to read the key message

Dear students,

As you continue with your second week of virtual learning, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to you all for the phenomenal way in which you have responded to this transition. I do not underestimate just how big of a change this has been for you all and I wanted to say well done on the progress made so far; and for continuing to put an impressive amount of effort into your work.

When it comes to the grading of exams and assessments, we are working with our awarding bodies as normal and it is therefore essential for you to continue with and to submit coursework because this will be used when determining your final grades. As soon as we have the final confirmation of how grades are going to be awarded for your course, your Course Director will be in touch.

If you have any questions around specific coursework or assessments please do contact your tutors directly. If you need any extra support please contact your Personal Support Tutor or a member of our welfare team on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and they will get back to you as soon as they can.

Thank you for your patience so far and once again a huge well done to you all for making this transition so successfully.

Best wishes,

Colin Shaw

📝 Admissions Message (if you're looking to apply for a course)

Click here to a read the latest from our Admissions Team (if you have applied, or if you're looking to apply for a course)

The Eastern Colleges Group, comprising of Abbeygate Sixth Form College specialising in A Levels, One Sixth Form College specialising in A Level and Vocational qualifications and West Suffolk College Sixth Form specialising in vocational qualifications alongside the West Suffolk College Apprenticeship service; are committed to guaranteeing every Year 11 student a place for your Post 16 education from September 2020.

We know that everyone is an individual, with their own dreams and aspirations and our purpose is to have you at the heart of everything we do. We want to reassure you that regardless of what you would like to study, be it A Levels, Vocational qualifications or an apprenticeship we have the expertise to support you to ensure you are enrolled on the programme that is tailored to you and your needs.

We want you to have absolute assurance in these uncertain times.

For any queries around applying or if you need support with an application, please contact our admissions teams on:

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Our Careers Teams are also available to offer 1:1 Careers Advice and Guidance support via email:

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Contact The Careers and Connections Service at WSC

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Contact The Careers and Connections Service at WSC

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email_ careersadvice@wsc.ac.uk

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Check out our latest events!

Open Days

Our Open Days are the perfect way to find out what it's like to study with us. Sign up for one of our dedicate college or university and professional development open days today.

To browse videos, click the icon in the top right corner.

West Suffolk College is one of the country's leading further education and apprenticeship providers. Our apprenticeship results have consistently remained above the national average. We offer many degrees, HNCs and HNDs at our focused and inclusive University Studies Centre. We have around 13,000 students including nearly 2,000 apprentices studying with us. We have three campuses in Bury St Edmunds including the Built Environment Campus. Our learning centres include Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill, Ipswich, Sudbury, Thetford. We've worked with 1000+ employers over the last year. A fantastic 97% of students go on to further education, employment or voluntary work.

For more information, ask us a question or call 01284 701 301. For term dates, click here.

Proud to work in partnership with

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West Suffolk College - Diplomas, Degrees, Apprenticeships & T Levels

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West Suffolk College is one of the country's leading further education and apprenticeship providers. Our apprenticeship results have consistently remained above the national average. We offer many degrees, HNCs and HNDs at our focused and inclusive University Studies Centre. We have around 13,000 students including nearly 2,000 apprentices studying with us.

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Understanding counselling and psychotherapy (Barker, 2010) 

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Understanding counselling and psychotherapy (Barker, 2010) 

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Emotional intelligence; A practical guide to mastering emotions (Bell, 2014) 

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Emotional intelligence; A practical guide to mastering emotions (Bell, 2014) 

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Other side of sadness: what the new science of bereavement tells us about life after loss (Bonanno, 2010) 

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Other side of sadness: what the new science of bereavement tells us about life after loss (Bonanno, 2010) 

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Counselling in a nutshell (Dryden, 2010)  

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Counselling in a nutshell (Dryden, 2010)  

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When referring to a lecture from the Counselling Study Resource (CSR), set out your reference as follows:

Lees-Oakes, R. 2017. 'Common Themes in Survivors'. Preparing to Work with Clients Who Have Experienced Sexual Abuse [Lecture Recording]. Counselling Study Resource.

Here, the part in quote marks shows the section of the lecture that you are referring to (as the whole lecture may be an hour long).

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How to cite Counselling Tutor resources in assignments Referencing a Handout Referencing a Handout from Counselling Tutor If you want to reference a handout that you have downloaded through the Counselling Tutor podcast show-notes, this is the format you should use: Counselling Tutor. 2017. Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development. [Handout].

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Counseling theories and counseling therapies are the building blocks of the profession. Probably every counselor has had at least one course in theories of counseling, and the names of the leading theorists, such as Sigmund Freud, Albert Ellis, Carl Rogers, and others, are both legendary and familiar. This article will address what constitutes a theory of counseling, why counseling theories and therapies are so important, and how these theories have evolved.

Read More About Counseling Theories

Common Characteristics of Counseling Theories

Estimates are that more than 350 counseling theories and therapies have been advanced. Although most of these have received little attention or validation, a core group of about 10 major theories, and fewer than 50 secondary approaches or modifications of the major theories, dominate the counseling profession. Most of these theories are characterized by the following important ingredients:

A concept of how people develop throughout the life span. Typically, this involves a sequence of stages and describes important factors that are likely to influence development.

Criteria for mental health, with characteristics of unhealthy or disordered emotional functioning either explicitly or implicitly stated. This information is important in helping people set realistic treatment goals and in assessing progress.

Information on how to promote healthy development and help people reduce symptoms and enhance their coping skills and satisfaction with their lives.

A description of the role of the effective counselor and the desired relationship between client and counselor. Nearly all theories of counseling currently recognize the powerful impact of the therapeutic alliance and offer clinicians ways to collaborate effectively with their clients. A safe and healing environment and a caring, skilled, and trustworthy counselor are essential to successful treatment.

Strategies and interventions that counselors can use to help people achieve their counseling goals. Examples include reflections of feeling, modification of cognitive distortions, and systematic desensitization.

Information on treatment parameters such as duration and frequency of sessions; whether to use individual, group, or family treatment; and benefits of medication and other adjunct services.

Delineation of those people who are most likely to benefit from this treatment approach. This is most likely to be presented in terms of symptoms and disorders that are amenable to treatment via this approach, but might also discuss such factors as gender, age, cultural background, and other factors.

Purposes of Counseling Theories and Therapies

Although, of course, counselors cannot master all the important counseling theories and therapies, most counselors have a few preferred theories that they use with confidence and competence. Their skills in those therapeutic approaches enable them to do the following:

Decide whether they are likely to be able to help a particular person with a given set of concerns.

Collaborate with clients in establishing goals that are realistic in terms of the treatment approach that is being use.

Develop an overall plan for helping people achieve their goals.

Individualize treatment by emphasizing and selecting interventions and strategies that are most likely to be helpful to a particular person.

Assess a person's progress against that made by other people who received similar treatment and modify treatment if it does not seem effective.

Deepen their knowledge of and skill in their chosen theory through experience, reading, training, and supervision.

Four Categories of Counseling Theories and Therapies

Although counseling theories and therapies overlap considerably, they can be organized into four broad groups. Each group is characterized by its primary emphasis (background, behavior, emotions, thoughts), as well as its theoretical rationale.

Theories and Therapies Emphasizing Background

Freud, viewed as the father of psychotherapy, advanced the first widely studied theory of therapy. Although Freud's work dates back to the late 19th century, well before the advent of the counseling profession, Freud's ideas established the groundwork for all the mental health professions. Freud viewed the first 5 years of life, along with the parent-child connection and interactions during those years, as the major determinants of a person's subsequent psychological development. Therapy sought to make the unconscious conscious and, through the transference relationship, to rectify shortcomings of the child's early connection to the parent.

Freud's followers, as well as those who later expanded and revised his concepts and strategies, include many of the early and seminal thinkers in mental health. In addition, current conceptions of brief psychodynamic therapy developed by Gerald Klerman, Hans Strupp, and others, also are rooted in Freudian thinking.

Although relatively few counselors today practice Freudian psychoanalysis, many view people from a psychodynamic perspective and believe that understanding of people's early histories is essential to their personal growth. Strategies such as interpretation, analysis of repetitive patterns, free association, exploration of transference and countertransference, modification of defense mechanisms, and discussion of early recollections all reflect the influence of Freud and others who emphasized the importance of people's history and background.

Theories and Therapies Emphasizing Behavior

Theories emphasizing behavior and behavioral change represent the second wave of counseling theories and therapies. Gaining attention during the 1950s and 1960s and becoming a powerful force in the mental health professions, these approaches presented both an alternative and a challenge to psychoanalysis. Behavior therapy takes the stance that behavior is learned through exposure, modeling, conditioning, experiences, rewards, and punishments. In light of this, behavior that is unhealthy, nonproductive, or harmful to the self or others can be unlearned and replaced with new and more effective behaviors.

The foundations of behavior counseling can be found in the work of Ivan Pavlov and John W. Watson. Others, including B. F. Skinner, John Dollard and Neal Miller, Joseph Wolpe, and Albert Bandura, used both research and theory to develop strategies to promote behavioral change. More recent theorists, including Arnold Lazarus, Donald Meichenbaum, Albert Ellis, Aaron Beck, and William Glasser, have further expanded on the application of behavior counseling by combining that approach with cognitive therapy. The popularity of solution-focused therapy also has promoted the importance and power of behavioral change.

Behavior counseling focuses on present manifestations of observable behaviors and targets a broad range of behaviors, including substance use, eating, interpersonal skills, self-care, study habits, executive functioning, exercise, parenting, working and playing, and many others. Behaviors are viewed in context and a collaborative alliance of counselor and client is viewed as essential. Treatment typically begins by establishing a baseline or clear picture of the nature and severity of the undesirable behavior. Goal setting promotes motivation, facilitates development of change strategies, and helps people move forward. Behavior counseling incorporates a wide range of strategies to facilitate change, such as education, skill training, reinforcement, desensitization, relaxation, behavioral rehearsal, and many others. Peer and group support, as well as relapse prevention, often help to solidify gains.

Theories and Therapies Emphasizing Emotions

Carl Rogers, through his development of what is now called person-centered counseling, deserves most of the credit for bringing the third wave of counseling theories to the fore. With his emphasis on people's emotions and his deep respect for people's ability to grow and change in positive ways, Rogers humanized the counseling profession. He believed that counseling would be more effective if counselors could join with their clients on an emotional level, feel appreciation and empathy for them, help them express their emotions fully, and use their own resources to enhance their self-esteem and improve their lives. Rogers's work brought attention to the importance of the human potential and actualization, self-esteem, and the client-counselor relationship. Most counselors now appreciate the importance of the therapeutic alliance and the facilitative conditions that enhance that relationship. In addition, Rogers's deep respect for each person led to an appreciation of the importance of phenomenological approaches, those that seek to understand people's views of the world and their unique perspectives.

Although adherence to a pure person-centered treatment approach seemed to decline after Rogers's death, his emphasis on emotions had a profound impact on counseling theories and therapies. During his lifetime, other approaches emphasizing feelings, such as Gestalt therapy, developed by Fritz and Laura Perls, and existential therapy also garnered attention. Important current treatment approaches such as narrative therapy, constructivist therapy, feminist therapy, and motivational interviewing reflect Rogers's emphasis on empathy, phenomenology, and the therapeutic alliance. These newer approaches have contributed to a deeper appreciation for the tenets of person-centered counseling.

Theories and Therapies Emphasizing Thoughts

Albert Ellis, who initially developed rational emotive behavior therapy in the 1950s, led the way in the development of cognitive theories and therapies of counseling. His efforts to help people identify dysfunctional thoughts or irrational beliefs and replace them with thoughts that are valid, logical, flexible, and helpful gave counselors yet a fourth perspective on the process of change. The subsequent work of Aaron Beck provided more structure, as well as additional effective tools, to counselors who emphasized cognitions in their work.

Ellis, Beck, and other cognitive therapists hold that thoughts are the most powerful and successful route to effect change. They suggest that people's emotions and behaviors, as well as their views of the world, grow out of their thoughts and that, if they can change those thoughts in positive and healthy ways, they will be more likely to make positive changes in emotions and actions. Like behavior counseling, cognitive therapy is a structured but flexible approach that usually focuses on the present, seeks to effect fairly rapid change, and involves client-counselor collaboration. Cognitive therapy also draws heavily on a wide range of treatment strategies, such as affirmations and self-talk, thought stopping, imagery, and, most important, transformation of dysfunctional and unhealthy thoughts into healthy and helpful ones.

Integrated and Eclectic Counseling Theories and Therapies

This entry on counseling theories and therapies has focused on four broad approaches to treatment, distinguished by whether they emphasize background, emotions, behaviors, or cognitions. Counselors also should keep in mind the growing trend toward eclectic and integrated approaches. Examples include Arnold Lazarus's multimodal therapy, developmental counseling and therapy (DCT) developed by Allen Ivey and his colleagues, and the transtheoretical model developed by James Prochaska and others. Most integrated counseling theories and therapies are still in the formative stages. However, this is a growing area of the profession, and we can anticipate expansion and refinement of integrated approaches.

References:

1. Capuzzi, D., & Gross, D. R. (2005). Introduction to the counseling profession. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

2. Prochaska, J. O., & Norcross, J. C. (2003). Systems of psychotherapy: A transtheoretical analysis. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

3. Seligman, L. (2006). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: Systems, strategies, and skills. Columbus, OH: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

See also:

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Counseling theories and counseling therapies are the building blocks of the profession. Probably every counselor has had at least one course in theories of counseling, and the names of the leading theorists, such as Sigmund Freud, Albert Ellis, Carl Rogers, and others, are both legendary and familiar.

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British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

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BACP is the professional association for members of the counselling professions in the UK. We exist for one simple reason - counselling changes lives

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The UK Council for Psychotherapy is the leading organisation for psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors in the UK. Alongside offering professional support for our members we regulate the profession and promote access to psychotherapy for all.

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Blogs are one of the best resources out there for learning new things- they can help you with all sorts, from that vegan carrot cake recipe you've always wanted, all the way to fixing your mountain bike.

Whilst we gain value from all of these blogs, we also get to know the characters behind the words and their opinions on the world. As we all know, the world of mental health covers a broad spectrum, from suffering from the disorder to the actionable treatment itself there will be a blog to help go along with that.

In this article, we explore the world of blogs that cover counseling, mindfulness, and therapy to give you all of the right ammunition to go deeper in the treatment of your mental health disorder. The insights from these blogs range from credible scientific research to snippets of real-life stories and experiences with mental health.

Counseling

Fantastic counseling blogs brings together the following elements;

Shares step-by-step tactics to action

Explores a wide spectrum of different topics

Adds a layer of scientific insight to the discourse

We've selected 10 recommendations to help you get started:

With the counseling blogs, expect more detailed insights into the world of mental health. Normally crafted for professionals to further their insights into disorders, for those who enjoy going deeper into topics and backing that up with research, these will be great for you!

Therapy

Designed to go deeper into the topic of therapy, these blog pieces will begin to uncover the strategies, tactics and always-moving approaches to using therapy in sessions.

Together with a strong backing of research and guiding you on how to implement therapy into your life, these therapy blogs provide a nice layer of insight to add to your existing knowledge.

Again, selecting a few of these resources to get started with will be enough, you'll slowly craft a list of regularly visited sites where you'll be able to gather new learnings to apply to your own sessions with clients.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness has been a popular phrase used in the therapy space for a long time. Over the last 5 years the need for clients to take a mindful approach to their mental health has been a hot topic, especially during sessions.

Taking a look into mindfulness with clients is becoming more and more popular as a way to actively get them involved in homework compliance and the act of treatment. There's a subtleness around the step-by-step processes of mindfulness which makes it easier for the client to consume and act on.

More mental health news in your mailbox?

If assigning mindfulness as homework for a client, make sure to explore our guide on how to implement homework effectively and increase your chances of success.

How you can curate all of these blogs into the same place

Great question. One that many ask when they see these long-winded blog lists. There are several sites that will provide you with a way to collect ongoing and existing articles all into one. One of the best ones is Feedly.

Feedly provides you with a way to capture news as it lands. Just start by adding the blogs to one of your lists/boards on Feedly to get started, all you'll need to do is copy the URL to the boards to help bring all of these together in the same spot.

You can use other RSS services to bring all of these pieces together. As you can imagine there are plenty more services that can help bring all of these blog articles together.
We hope these selections gave you a list of blogs to get started. Let us know in the comments whether you've been able to find success with other blogs, we'd love to hear!

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50 Best Counseling, Therapy and Mindfulness Blogs - Therachat Blog

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Blogs are one of the best resources out there for learning new things- they can help you with all sorts, from that vegan carrot cake recipe you've always wanted, all the way to fixing your mountain bike. Whilst we gain value from all of these blogs, we also get to know the characters behind the words ...

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ACA

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The American Counseling Association (ACA) defines counseling as the process of building therapeutic relationships that help individuals reach goals in their mental health, education and/or careers. Counseling is a collaborative partnership between counselor and client, in which the client can be an individual, couple, family or group. It is typical for counselors to engage with more than one type of client over the course of their careers. ¹

While all counselor-client relationships may strive for similar big-picture goals, each type of relationship has specific characteristics and desired outcomes:

Individual counseling focuses on an individual's mental health and is the most common type

Couples counseling focuses on overcoming conflict and building a stronger relationship between romantic partners

Family counseling explores the social dynamics between multiple family members, oftentimes for the purpose of assessing each member's effect on the family structure

Group counseling focuses on the interaction of unrelated individuals in a variety of social settings

While a number of general counseling processes can be applicable in any situation, each type of counseling requires its own unique skill set, comprised of techniques designed to best reach certain kinds of clients. Below, we offer a brief overview of both general processes and skills that can help you on your developing counseling career, regardless of the type of client encounter you see in your future.

General Processes

Traditionally, the counselor/client encounter can be divided into the following six components: ²

1. Opening: The initial portion of the counseling process is one of the most important because it provides both counselor and client the opportunity to get to know each other. It also allows the counselor to set the tone for the therapeutic relationship.

2. Exploring Client Understanding: Counselors begin to understand their clients at this stage by exploring their past and their current situation. The counselor and client also work together in this component to establish their goals and expectations for the therapeutic relationship.

3. Understanding: In this stage, the relationship between counselor and client develops further as counselors demonstrate their understanding of the client's needs and desires. Attentiveness to both verbal and nonverbal cues is key to helping forge this understanding.

4. Intervention: At this point in the process, counselors must choose the specific technique or techniques that they believe will be most effective in promoting growth in their client. The techniques chosen can vary greatly between clients, depending on their background and personal attributes.

5. Exploring Problems: In order to move the client toward real personal growth, counselors must learn more about their clients, especially the reasons for which they're seeking counseling. This allows the counselor to understand their clients' thoughts and feelings regarding their most pressing concerns.

6. Empowerment: Finally, the desired outcome of the counseling encounter is for the counselor to provide clients with the means to find their own solutions to their problems, and to ease their reliance on others to provide specific answers for them.

Essential Skills

Each component of counseling requires a specific skill or set of skills, which students should continue to develop throughout the course of their career. The most important counseling skills include the following:

1. Listening: Listening skills do not just refer to aural attention, they also include observation of the client's appearance and behavior. These are some of the most valuable skills a counselor can have, and they may be further classified into the following forms: ³

Verbal listening is an audible demonstration that you're listening and encourages the client's continued exploration. Verbal cues can be simple statements like "go on," or may include repeating important things the client has just said

Active listening is about listening with all your senses, providing full attention and listening for meaning beyond what is said, which can involve the counselor speaking to ensure they've properly understood their client

Attending involves the counselor's physical presence with the client and includes giving the client undivided attention, which can be demonstrated through nonverbal responses like eye contact, nodding and body language

2. Asking Questions: Questions allow counselors to learn more about their clients and set the tone for the counseling process. The types of questions that a counselor asks in a session may be classified into: ⁴

Open questions, which cannot be answered "yes" or "no." They should begin with "how" or "what," and they can prompt detailed responses that result in exploration and reflection

Closed questions, which can be answered with a definitive "yes" or "no." Counselors generally avoid asking closed questions, as they can discourage clients from deeply exploring issues

3. Reflection: Reflection is the process of responding to the client's feelings rather than the content of their statement. It's used in therapeutic settings to guide the client toward greater self-awareness and understanding. Reflection techniques may be classified into the following categories: ⁴

Affirmation: Encouraging clients in some way, whether for improvements in their behavior, choices or knowledge, can help foster the bond between counselor and client

Restating: Repeating a client's statements can let the counselor better understand the message that a client is trying to convey, either explicitly or implicitly

Reflecting feelings: Allowing clients to hear the feelings they have just expressed can help them better understand their emotional responses to various stimuli

Restating: Tying multiple client statements together in your own words can help them develop a more holistic understanding of their personal issues

4. Self-Disclosure: Counselors may disclose personal information about themselves to a client under limited circumstances, but this is a difficult skill to master. It should only be used if it benefits the therapeutic process and if it appears essential to help counselors relate to the client more effectively. ⁵

5. Genuineness: Being genuine is the process of creating congruence between what you think and what you do, including verbal and nonverbal cues. Genuineness is essential for all forms of counseling to build a solid foundation of trust between yourself and your clients. ⁵

6. Empathy: Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else's place. This is distinct from sympathy, which is the expression of sadness for someone else's problems. True empathy requires the counselor to show a real understanding of the client's situation and an appreciation of the complex feelings and behaviors it produces. ⁵

7. Unconditional Positive Regard: Unconditional positive regard is the demonstration of your acceptance of your clients for who they are. By expressing warmth and respect for the client, regardless of their words and actions, you can promote their own sense of self-worth and set them on the path to personal growth. ⁵

Develop Your Counseling Skill Set With William & Mary

If you are interested in transitioning into a career in counseling or improving your existing counseling skills, the Online Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counseling from William & Mary can give you the support you need. Learn more about the two concentrations in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling that we offer in this flexible online program.
1 Retrieved on June 12, 2018, from counseling.org/aca-community/learn-about-counseling/what-is-counseling/overview
2 Retrieved on June 12, 2018, from onlinecounselingprograms.com/resources/counseling-skills-techniques/
3 Retrieved on June 12, 2018, from people.vcu.edu/~krhall/resources/cnslskills.pdf
4 Retrieved on June 12, 2018, from mhinnovation.net/sites/default/files/downloads/innovation/tools/PMHP-Basic-Counselling-Skills.pdf
5 Retrieved on June 12, 2018, from people.vcu.edu/~krhall/resources/cnslskills.pdf

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Counseling Skills in a Therapeutic Relationship

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The American Counseling Association (ACA) defines counseling as the process of building therapeutic relationships that help individuals reach goals in their mental health, education and/or careers. Counseling is a collaborative partnership between counselor and client, in which the client can be an individual, couple, family or group.

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Apply now...

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Online course

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Check out our latest events!

Choosing what to study can be challenging. Speak to one of our advisors to find out what your options are.
Advice & Help Centre

About the course

Counselling is helpful at different points in peoples lives, including for their mental health, experiencing bereavement or loss, processing significant life events, or overcoming trauma. The Level 3 Diploma in Counselling Skills, is a great way to gain the knowledge required to help you to support people to improve their well-being and also gain a recognised qualification.

The course is designed to support learners that are using counselling skills as part of their functional role in a wide range of sector areas or are looking to progress towards accredited counsellor status with one of the counselling professional accrediting bodies.

The counselling skills in this course could prepare you for further study to become a qualified counsellor, with job roles such as Counsellor, Youth Worker or Psychotherapist.

Entry requirements
You must meet the following eligibility criteria in order to access this course:
Learners must meet the following eligibility criteria to access this course:

must have been at least 19 years of age by 1 August 2024

Nationality: Learners must have lived within the UK or EEA for at least the last 3 years

Learners will be required to complete an electronic enrolment form.

Learners will be required to complete a student declaration.

Learners must have a good level of reading and writing English skills and undertake a math's and English skills checker. (initial online course only)

Learners will be required to attend an online induction session

Learners will be required to attend a 1-1 session with the assessor, once enrolment is complete.

Apprenticeships: Please contact us regarding the funding rules for apprentices

*Due to funding criteria we are unable to accept learners who already hold a Full Level 3 Qualification; however, we accept those who wish to self-fund - please enquire for more information.

Qualifications

NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Counselling Skills

What you'll learn (core modules)

To be awarded the Level 3 Diploma in Counselling Skills, learners are required to successfully complete 5 mandatory units:

Unit 01 Developing counselling skills

Unit 02 Theoretical approaches in the use of counselling skills

Unit 03 Working ethically with counselling skills

Unit 04 Counselling skills and diversity

Unit 05 Counselling skills and personal development

How will I be assessed?

This qualification is assessed via an internally assessed portfolio of evidence which is submitted to your tutor using the online portal.

One of the requirements of this qualification is to demonstrate your practical counselling skills, this will be assessed via an online 1-1 session with your tutor.

Where is the course delivered? (facilities/classrooms)

All learning is completed online (self-study) at a time that suits you without the need to attend college.

At the start of the course and you will be allocated a designated tutor who will support you through your qualification.

Where will this course take me?

Learners who achieve this qualification could progress to Level 4 counselling qualifications.

Once you have completed your course with us, you may feel that you would like to progress with your studies or develop skills in another area and take up another course. Please select the link below to view all our other online courses:

Level 2 Online Courses - Level 2 - Online Courses

Level 3 - Online Courses - Free qualifications - Lifetime Skills Guarantee (wsc.ac.uk)

How much will it cost?
This course is funded (free) for anyone who meets the following criteria:

Is aged 19 or over on 31st August 2024

And

Has been resident in the UK or EEA for the past three years.

And

Meets the minimum requirements for maths and English, as set and assessed by the college.

PLUS at least one of the following:

Is in employment earning less than £25,000

or

In employment earning less than £30,491.00 and living within the Cambridge & Peterborough Catchment Area â€" post codes CB/PE.

or

Is unemployed and in receipt of a means tested benefit.

If you do not meet these conditions, you may still enrol for the course but will need to self-fund. You may be able to do this through the Advanced Learner Loan ( https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learner-loan The current cost for the L3 Online courses is £811.00 per course.

If you need help with funding
Student Finance (wsc.ac.uk

I'm interested. What should I do now?

Please select "apply online" and complete the application, once we have received this, we will contact you with further enrolment information.

Days & times
Please contact us for dates and further information

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Our integrative approach to counselling is a widely recognised counselling method. Developed over the past half century, the model draws on a range of theories that explore how human beings develop as people, how personality and emotional challenges emerge, and how we each act in the light of univer…

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Complete Guide to Psychology for Students, Educators & Enthusiasts. Find psychology articles, student resources and learn about the theories and perspectives that have shaped the discipline