Certificate in Counselling Skills & Theory (Levels 2 and 3)
Basingstoke Counselling Service, based in North Hampshire, offers a Level 2 and 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills & Theory. This runs twice per year as follows:
- A one-year course running from September to July on a Thursday evening.
- An intensive course, which takes place over four months, starting in February of each year on a Wednesday evening and all day Saturday.
Both courses cover the same material, just in different timeframes.
What does the course cover?
This course has multiple aspects to it, including:
- to provide a basic training in counselling skills and theory
- to develop an understanding of counselling and the counselling situation
- to develop an understanding of the psyche
- to build awareness and understanding of self in relation to others
- to develop an understanding of human development
- to develop study skills
To gain a more in-depth understanding of what the course involves please click here.
Is this course for me?
People’s motivations for undertaking this course vary, such as:
- an interest in a career in counselling and psychotherapy
- a desire to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your personal relationships, and how you interact with others
- a curiosity in group dynamics and your own position within a group
- an interest in exploring counselling skills from the perspective of people’s life experiences and how they have impacted them
- a wish to enhance skills in a profession or helping role where listening and communication skills are important
- a desire to develop your professional potential in a management role through the use of counselling skills in the workplace
If any of these reasons resonate with you, please see below to find out more about achieving your personal and professional goals and how to apply.
A Certificate in Counselling Skills is also a prerequisite for those wishing to pursue further counselling training. It is a mandatory step on any progressive training journey, including that offered by Basingstoke Counselling Service, which leads to status as a qualified counsellor.
Course Structure
Intensive course
The course takes place from February to May. There are eleven weekly sessions that take place on a Wednesday evening and nine full Saturdays. There is a break over the Easter holidays.
There will be just one group on the intensive course. The Wednesday evenings run from 5.40 pm to 9.20 pm and the Saturdays run from 9 am to 5.20 pm. Seminars and an experiential group take place on all dates.
One year course
The course takes place over one academic year. There are thirty once-weekly sessions that take place on a Thursday evening and three weekend workshops spread over three ten-week terms. There is a half-term break in each term in line with Hampshire school holidays.
The course is split into two groups. Group One takes place between 5.45 pm and 9.00 pm and Group Two runs from 6.30 pm to 9.45 pm. Each evening is divided into two sessions: a seminar and an experiential group.
There will be one weekend workshop per term. These workshops run from 10 am to 4 pm.
More details on dates for both courses can be found below.
Entry Criteria
The selection process is by means of an application form and interview. No formal qualifications are required. The selection of candidates will be based upon an individual’s personal attributes and their intellectual and emotional capacity to work with the content of the course.
Completion of an Introduction to Counselling course prior to applying for the Certificate in Counselling Skills & Theory is recommended but not essential.
Applicants must be aged 18+ to apply for this course.
Seminar Leaders and Teaching Methods
All seminar leaders are experienced counsellors or psychotherapists and skilled trainers. They all adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions or an equivalent ethical body. Teaching is through seminar leader presentation, experiential exercises, role-play, and small and large group discussion.
The Experiential Group
This part of the training offers an opportunity in which to explore feelings and relationships within the group. The content of the course can be emotionally challenging and this group supports participants in their journey to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the group dynamics involved. Many people find this a rich and personally rewarding experience. The group is facilitated by a skilled group psychotherapist.
The Team
Catherine Butler MBACP
Certificate and Introduction Course Manager and Seminar Leader
Catherine Butler is the Certificate and Introduction Course Manager and is responsible for all aspects of these courses. She is an experienced Psychodynamic Counsellor and in addition to working at BCS, she has a thriving private practice. Catherine has a background in training; this experience combined with extensive subject knowledge, a good sense of humour, and excellent communication skills give her the ability to enthuse, encourage, motivate, and nurture others.
Catherine teaches on both the one-year and the intensive Certificate course.
Julia Charlesworth MBACP
Seminar Leader
Julia is an experienced Psychodynamic Counsellor, with experience of working in a number of clinical settings, including NHS, private practice and charitable organisations. She has also previously managed the Diploma Course at Basingstoke Counselling Service. She uses this experience to help students play to their strengths, whilst challenging themselves to explore their growth points, using a variety of engaging teaching methods.
She now holds the role of Co-Director at BCS and teaches on the intensive Certificate course.
Graham Cleaver MBACP
Seminar Leader
Graham is an experienced counsellor, practising at and co-managing a thriving psychodynamic therapy centre. He also has a background in teaching and enjoys responding to the diversity of individuals in their experiential learning. In meeting the challenges of a clinical training, Graham
seeks to facilitate the experience of a supportive environment in which faith in the process of what we do can be developed, bringing personal qualities of good humour, curiosity and compassion.
Graham teaches on both the one-year and the intensive Certificate course.
Jill Fowler UKCP
Seminar Leader
Jill is an Analytic Psychotherapist with 30 years of clinical experience gained in both the public and private sectors. Alongside her clinical work, Jill has conducted postgraduate research into depression and addiction and, for several years, was a tutor on the Postgraduate Diploma/Masters Course in Psychodynamic Counselling at the University of Reading.
Jill teaches on the intensive Certificate course.
Charlotte Medlicott MBACP
Seminar Leader
Charlotte is a qualified counsellor with a background in the visual arts and modern languages. She brings to her teaching role a passion for communication and encourages students to be as curious as they can about themselves in their learning journey. Charlotte fosters a space in which both challenge and support of one another contribute to the feeling of an open, engaging space in which to learn.
Charlotte teaches on the one-year Certificate course.
Experiential Group Facilitators
Bożena Skarbek-Cielecka UKCP: Experiential Group Leader on the intensive Certificate course.
Karin Smith BPC: Experiential Group Leader on the one-year Certificate course.
Reading and Written Work
Students are expected to engage in reading relevant to the course and will need to either purchase the core course books or borrow them from a library. Further reading suggestions will be provided at the beginning of the course and electronic copies of papers for discussion are also distributed throughout the course where appropriate.
There is one written assignment of 2,000 words which is completed in the final term. Students are also asked to keep a record of their personal learning journey throughout the course. Learning journal summaries are submitted at the end of each term.
Students will be supported throughout their learning by a personal tutor and will have a formal tutorial at the end of each term.
Assessment
In addition to the above academic requirements, assessment of a student’s personal development is continuous throughout the course and consists of self, peer, and staff evaluation.
Counselling and Therapy Requirements
Students are not required to be in their own counselling or therapy during the Certificate course. However, this is encouraged at this stage if you are considering going on to further counselling training.
Award of Certificate
Students must demonstrate to a satisfactory degree an ability to use counselling skills and an understanding of self and the counselling process. They must also attend and participate in seminars, workshops, groups, and tutorials. All written work must be completed to a satisfactory standard. All fees must be paid. This course does not give qualified status as a counsellor.
Course Fees
Intensive course (starting February 2024)
Standard £1,995
A reduced fee of £1,750 is offered to those students who have attended the Introduction Course with BCS.
One-year course (starting September 2024)
Standard £1,995
Late application (received after 30/04/24) £2,095.
A reduced fee of £1,750 is offered to those students who have attended the Introduction Course with BCS.
There is also a non-refundable application fee of £30, which is in addition to the fees above.
Please note that our fees are reviewed every year, and the information above only relates to the entry dates stated.
Course Dates
Intensive course (starting February 2024)
Module One
21st February 2024 – 9th March 2024 (inclusive)
Module Two
9th March 2024 – 20th April 2024 (inclusive)
Easter break: 29th March 2024 -13th April 2024 – no sessions
Module Three (including assessments)
24th April 2024 -15th May 2024 (inclusive)
One-year course (starting September 2024)
Autumn Term 2024
26th September 2024 – 5th December 2024 (inclusive)
Reading week: 31st October 2024 – no sessions
Workshop: Sat/Sun in November (TBC)
Spring Term 2025
9th January 2025 – 20th March 2025 (inclusive)
Reading week: 20th February 2025 – no sessions
Workshop: Sat/Sun in March (TBC)
Summer Term 2025
17th April 2025 – 26th June 2025 (inclusive)
Reading week: 29th May 2025 – no sessions
Workshop: Sat/Sun May (TBC)
Application process
Please click here to apply for the intensive course starting in February 2024.
Interviews for the Intensive training will take place on Thursday 11th January 2024.
Applications for the one-year course starting in September 2024 will be opening soon.
Interview dates for the one-year training TBC.
As the application form requires you to complete it in one go, in preparation for applying, a copy of the form can be found here, but please be aware that this PDF version is just for information, not for completion.
Applicants successful in moving to the next stage will be invited to interview. Interviews will contain both group and individual activities.
The deadline for applications for the intensive course is 5th January 2024, and for the one-year course is 30th April 2024. Due to the popularity of this course, there is no guarantee that places will remain after the application deadline has passed.
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
We understand that discrimination and inequality exist in our society. As an organisation, we aim to treat everyone with dignity and respect, and therefore challenge ourselves regularly to ensure we achieve this. We do this by listening and responding to feedback and regularly reviewing our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Basingstoke Counselling Service assures you that any information you provide here will only be used for statistical monitoring and to monitor the effectiveness of our policies.
Please note that this form will not form any part of the process of your application. People will not be excluded on grounds of gender, marital status, physical ability, race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.
Your response to this form will be completely anonymous.
Any questions
If you have any questions about any aspect of the course or the training journey we offer, please contact us on 01256 843125 or training@basingstokecounselling.org.uk.
Terms and Conditions
Payments
Payment for the course can be made in two ways:
- Full payment of the course fee by yourself or your employer upon acceptance of a place on the Certificate course.
- Payment of a securing deposit, upon acceptance of a place on the course, followed by regular Direct Debit payments for the duration of the course.
Refunds
Basingstoke Counselling Service makes a commitment to each student who accepts a place on this course. We, therefore, require a reciprocal commitment from each student.
Acceptance of a place on the course enters a student into a financial contract with Basingstoke Counselling Service. This commits the student to payment of the full course fee. Should a student not take up an accepted place or leave during the course of the training for any reason, no refund can be given, and any outstanding fees will remain due to Basingstoke Counselling Service.
Rights
Basingstoke Counselling Service reserves the right to modify its training courses in line with BACP requirements.
Should exceptional circumstances arise, Basingstoke Counselling Service reserves the right to cancel the course. In this situation, any students already enrolled in the course would have their full fees refunded.