Introductory Certificate in Counselling

January 2025 Start (Tuesday Evening)

About this course

Our NCPS Quality Checked Introductory Certificate in Counselling is the perfect opportunity to see if counselling is a good fit for you as you learn and try out skills that can be applied to various helping roles. Over ten three-hour sessions, we will introduce you to some core counselling skills and look at some of the ideas involved in counselling theory and practice. This course aims to provide an introduction to essential communication skills, personal development and self-care.

The pace and content of the Introductory Certificate in Counselling are ideal for students who are new to counselling or have not been in a formal education setting for several years. It is also appropriate for learners as the first step towards becoming a professional counsellor or for those wishing to improve their self-confidence and interpersonal skills.

Course Entry

There are no specific recommended prior learning requirements for this qualification. Applicants will be aged 19 and over, and be willing to engage in personal development, complete the written work and be computer literate. Entry is at the discretion of Devon Counselling College.

We take equality, diversity and inclusion very seriously at Devon Counselling College. As well as integrating the concepts of equality, diversity and inclusion into all of our courses, we welcome students from diverse backgrounds in the spirit of integration, non-oppressive practice and safety.

Outcomes

The Introductory Certificate in Counselling aims to:

• Introduce the skills and theory which will enable you to safely listen and respond in a helping relationship
• Help you to develop a basic understanding of what counselling is about and be able to compare and contrast counselling with other forms of helping activities
• Enable you to develop an understanding of what counselling training entails and assist you in making a more informed choice, and prepare you to progress onto appropriate further qualifications
• Introduce you to experiential learning, which includes an element of personal growth work, developing your self-confidence

Assessment

Assignments

There are two assignments on this course which will be marked by your tutor.

Journals

You will need to write a short reflective learning journal after each session which will be looked at by your tutor. Your tutor will guide you on this at the start of the course.

Attendance

To be awarded this qualification, you must maintain as close to 100% attendance as possible. If attendance drops below 80%, a tutorial will be arranged to discuss this.

Related/Extra Costs

There are no relational or other costs associated with this course other than books that you may wish to buy. We also have a small library of books that are available for students to borrow on a short-term basis whilst they are on the course.

Progression

The Introductory Certificate in Counselling can be used as a progression towards the Foundation Certificate in Counselling or to enhance your listening skills as part of your personal or professional development. The valuable communication skills learned in the course are transferable to a range of career and educational settings.

NCPS Quality Checked Training

This course has been quality-checked by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). This means that the NCPS have looked at the course program, learning materials and overall quality of the course and deemed it as offering valuable training equivalent to an Ofqual level 2 qualification.

This qualification does not qualify learners to practice as a counsellor, nor is it a direct route to the accredited register.

Dates

September 2025 Start
21 January 2025 – 1 April 2025
Weekly Tuesday evening 18:00 – 21:00
10 Sessions

Course fees

Option 1
Early Payment Fee £300
Pay £100 deposit to secure your place on the course, followed by one payment of £200 made by BACS prior to course start date.

Option 2
Course Fee £350
Pay £100 deposit to secure your place on the course, followed by 2 monthly standing order payments of £125.

Costs included in course fees

Costs not included in the course fees

• Purchase of books

Please contact us for more information.