Specialist Certificate in Counselling Children and Young People

The programme is designed around three key areas:

• Theoretical understanding: key theoretical concepts, their relevance and integration for working with children and young people
• Professional and clinical competence: the therapeutic conditions, therapeutic processes and ethical practice
• Personal development: the development of self-awareness and self-reflection as a counselling practitioner

The programme is informed by the BACP Counselling Children and Young People training curriculum (4-18 years) and is designed to provide a comprehensive professional training in counselling for young people aged 10-18 years. Academically, the programme will focus on examining key theoretical frameworks which are relevant for working therapeutically with children and young people. The philosophical approach of the programme offers an integration of an evidence-based Resilience Framework and the therapeutic conditions hypothesised by Carl Rogers (1957), (Rogers, C. R. (1957) Journal of Consulting Psychology, vol. 21, No 2,)

This 6-month programme comprises of two modules, each consisting of five days:

Module 1 Theoretical Orientation & Principles

Weekend: Saturday May 18^th and Sunday May 19^th (9.30 – 4.30)

Weekend: Saturday June 1^st and Sunday June 2^nd (9.30-4.30)

Study Day: Saturday June 22^nd (9.30-4.30)

Module 2: Case Work and Learning from Experience

Weekend: Saturday August 24^th and Sunday 25th (9.30-4.30)

Study Day: Saturday September 21^st (9.30-4.30)

Study Day: Saturday October 19^th (9.30-4.30)

Study Day: Saturday November 16^th (9.30-4.30)

The programme has a blend of formative and summative assessment processes structured to provide ongoing support for the participants developments.

Module 1: A presentation of learning and development with reference to theory and application of theory to practice: June 22^nd

Module 2: A written Case Study describing the therapeutic process with one child/young person (5000 words)

Clinical Practicum: Participants are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of counselling with children/young people (4-18 yrs) and have completed at least 5 episodes of counselling (+4 sessions) with five clients.

Entry Requirements:

Applications are invited from counsellors and psychotherapists who are seeking to extend their practice to include children and young people, either in private practice or in an educational setting. In order to be eligible for the programme, candidates need to have completed a recognised counselling qualification at diploma level or the equivalent, and gained a minimum of 50 hours of practice, post qualification, have membership of a professional association (e.g. BACP/COSCA), and be in regular clinical supervision. Candidates will also require to be registered with the PVG scheme.

Application Process:

Applicants are required to submit an application form and attend an interview with the one of the training team. Interviews will be online and begin in March. Closing date for applications is Monday April 15^th 2024.

For full course information document please click here.

Programme Costs:   

The cost of the training programme is £1,200. An initial deposit of £250 is required to secure a place on the programme. Fees are required to be paid in advance at the beginning of each module. Please note: The course is not SAAS funded.

Additional Costs:

Once participants have started their clinical practicum in August, they are required to be in monthly supervision with a supervisor who has experience of working with children and/or young people.