If you are interested in becoming a counsellor or simply want to improve your communication and helping skills, then this course could be right for you. This qualification is designed to give participants the underpinning knowledge, skills and competencies to use counselling skills ethically and safely in a variety of contexts and roles. The qualification could lead to employment or increase employability for those whose role is to support others e.g. health and social care work, teaching and learning, advocacy and mediation, support and project work, other helping roles. It provides additional skills for those already in employment likely to lead to increased opportunities for promotion and advancement.

• Those who are starting out on their journey to be a professional counsellor.
• Those from other professions or helping roles that feel counselling skills would be beneficial.
• Those who wish to improve professional or personal relationships as part of their personal development.

The course covers a wide range of counselling and communication skills. Participants will cover the following learning outcomes:

• Use counselling skills ethically and safely
• Establish and sustain the boundaries of the helping role
• Work empathically as a helper
• Focus on the helpee’s needs and concerns
• Use self-awareness in helping work
• Use a range of counselling skills to facilitate the helping interaction
• Use feedback and reflection to enhance counselling skills

Participants will receive a Level 2 certificate in counselling skills from the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB).

Dominic Merchant

Dominic is a fully qualified counselor working in private practice and a PhD at LSBU. He teaches across several courses at LSBU inclduing the Psychological Counselling BSc.

Nick McCubbin

Nick is a Counselling Psychologist with almost 15 years of clinical experience. He has been teaching on counselling related course for more than 5 years and runs the Psychological Counselling BSc at LSBU.

The course is a mixture of lecture, experiential activities and workshops, skills practices and group work. You will work closely with your cohort and be supported through the experiential process by the teaching staff. 

This course is taught over 3 weeks, according to the following schedule:

Week 1

• Monday 5th August, 10am - 5pm

• Tuesday 6th August, 10am - 5pm

• Wednesday 7th August, 10am - 5pm

• Thursday 8th August, 10am - 5pm

Week 2

• Monday 12th August, 10am - 5pm

• Tuesday 13th August, 10am - 5pm

• Wednesday 14th August, 10am - 5pm

• Thursday 15th August, 10am - 5pm

Week 3 

• Monday 19th August, 10am - 5pm
• Tuesday 20th August, 10am - 5pm
• Wednesday 21st August, 10am - 5pm
• Thursday 22nd August, 10am - 5pm

Saturday sessions

• Saturday 31st August, 10am - 5pm
• Saturday 28th September, 10am - 5pm
• Saturday 26th October, 10am - 5pm

The course is assessed internally through the creation of a portfolio of evidence of learning outcomes being completed. There is also a short external assessment in the form of an 'open-book' exam, that is completed remotely.

The course is accredited by the CPCAB. LSBU is an approved provider of their courses.

For information on our policies (payment, cancellation, terms and conditions, etc.) visit our general information page.

If you have a question that we haven’t answered here, please contact lsbushortcourses@lsbu.ac.uk and we will respond to your query within 24 hours.