COUNSELLING & PSYCHOTHERAPY CENTRAL AWARDING BODY
THE ONLY AWARDING BODY IN EUROPE
TO SPECIALISE IN THE FIELD OF COUNSELLING
Level 3 Certificate
in Counselling Studies
Do you want to take the next step in counselling training?
Would you like to learn more about yourself?
Do you want to learn about counselling theory?
Would you like to prepare for work, as a trainee counsellor, in
an agency setting?
To view this short presentation, please click the arrow ...
Level 3 Certificate
in Counselling Studies
During this short presentation you can:
 Get a sense of what happens on a counselling studies course and
understand its main purpose.
 Find out how this training might benefit you.
 Learn more about the qualification.
To continue, please click the arrow ...
Navigation
Click on any heading you like, or else click the
orange arrow below to see the 1st item in the list …
What’s the aim of a course leading to this qualification?
Will this qualification make me a counsellor?
Counselling theories (videos)
About the qualification (fit-for-purpose and safe)
Who is it for?
Its place in the wider plan (and steps to becoming a counsellor)
What sort of things might I be doing during course sessions?
What sort of work outside the course would I need to do?
How would I be assessed?
Students, in their own words (video)
About the actual certificate …
What’s the aim of a course
leading to this qualification?
The main purpose is to prepare students for work
(as trainee counsellors) in an agency setting. This
includes:
 Preparing to work within an ethical framework for counselling.
 Understanding the counselling relationship.
 Understanding theories of counselling and mental health.
 Developing self-awareness in counselling practice.
 Developing enhanced therapeutic skills in practice sessions.
Will this qualification make me a counsellor? …
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Will this qualification make
me a counsellor?
No, not by itself ….
 Counsellors complete additional, in-depth
training.
 Counsellors work with clients in formallycontracted counselling relationships.
 Counsellors use theory and research to understand human development
and problems - and use associated specific skills/techniques.
However, whilst this counselling studies qualification will not (by itself)
turn you into a counsellor, it will introduce you to counselling theory,
develop your therapeutic skills and prepare you for work (as a
trainee counsellor) in an agency setting.
And now for something more visual …
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Counselling theories …
There are many different theoretical approaches to
counselling … psychodynamic, gestalt, humanistic,
cognitive-behavioural etc.
This 10 minute video, for example, looks at
transpersonal counselling …
Please click me
Whilst this 10 minute video (the first half of a longer video), for
further instance, concerns person-centred counselling …
Please click me
So what about the counselling studies qualification itself? …
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About the
qualification …
 Based on a course of at least 90 guided learning hours, usually run in
sessions lasting 3 – 6 hours per week.
 Accredited into the government’s Regulated Qualifications
Framework.
 Designed and supported by experienced counsellors, counselling
tutors and counselling programme managers.
 Awarded by CPCAB: the only awarding body to specialise in the
counselling field.
There’s more …
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Safe ...
It’s a safe qualification because it provides for:
 Preparing students to work within an ethical framework for counselling.
 Explaining the importance of working within the limits of proficiency.
 Describing the legal and procedural framework in which counselling
agencies operate.
 Demonstrating an understanding of client assessment and referral in an
agency setting.
And it’s fit-for-purpose …
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Fit for purpose …
It’s a fit for purpose qualification because it is:
 Well-designed to fit within a coherent progression route that provides
step-by-step learning.
 Needed: provides the knowledge, skills and self-development
necessary for starting work as a trainee counsellor in an agency setting.
 Up-to-date, integrating the latest research.
 Based on a unique practitioner training model: developed over 20
years, with more than 100,000 trainees.
Continue on to find out who this qualification is for …
]
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Who is this qualification for?
It’s for those who want to:
 Take the next step in training to become a counsellor
(having already acquired a measure of counselling skills).
 Learn about counselling theories and how to integrate
these into enhanced practice skills.
 Learn more about (and prepare for) working in a
counselling agency.
 Learn more about themselves.
So how does it relate to other CPCAB qualifications? …
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Where does this
qualification fit
in the wider
plan?
Following on from gaining
counselling skills, it’s the lastbut-one step towards becoming
qualified to practise as a
counsellor in an agency setting.
]
Level 3
Certificate in
Counselling Studies
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To see a guide to becoming a counsellor, continue …
A guide towards becoming a
counsellor …
To see a short, interactive guide about the steps to
becoming a counsellor, please click ...
So what sort of things might I learn or be doing during counselling studies
course sessions? …
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What sort of things might I be
doing during course sessions?
Counselling studies are not about academic ability.
Whilst they include learning about counselling theory,
the key focus is always practical: learning how to
engage in therapeutic interactions with clients.
Course sessions might include (for example only):
 Practical exercises and role play, often in groups of three:
‘counsellor’, ‘client’ and observer.
 An exploration of your co-students in order to learn more
about diversity … the different beliefs and behaviour.
 Learning how to manage stages in the counselling
relationship.
There’s more …
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What sort of things might I be
doing during course sessions?
 Making a practice “case presentation” (talking about, for example, your
experience of a counselling practice session).
 Engaging in simulated group training supervision.
 Exploring the limitations of counselling in relation to client expectation
… given a range of different agency settings (e.g. rehab centre, GP
surgery, drop-in centre).
 Developing your ability to give verbal feedback to peers at the end of
counselling practice sessions.
 Taking part in group work and discussions.
What sort of work outside the course would I need to do? …
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What sort of work outside the
course would I need to do? …
Your work outside of the course would include:
 A weekly, reflective journal.
 Written assignments (e.g. an essay and a case study).
Your homework might optionally also include such things as:
 Researching into the policies and procedures of a range of different
counselling agencies.
 Doing some further reading.
To successfully receive a certificate, how would my proficiency be
assessed? …
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How would I be assessed?
To achieve the qualification, you have to be assessed
as ‘Proficient’ in both tutor assessment and CPCAB
assessment.
Tutor assessment:
You’d keep a portfolio of coursework (including records of
feedback on your role-played counselling practice), so that
your tutor can see what you’ve learnt.
CPCAB assessment:
You’d watch a 15-20 minute video of a counselling session and then write
your answers to (CPCAB-supplied) questions about what you’ve seen.
If I receive a certificate from CPCAB, what would be its value ? …
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Students, in their own words …
Here’s what some CPCAB-registered students say about
the training they’ve received and experiences gained …
Please click me
(a 2 minute video)
More about the value of a CPCAB certificate …
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About the CPCAB certificate …
Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies:
 Accredited into the government’s Regulated Qualifications Framework.
 Based on learning to integrate theory with skills and using these
competently, safely and ethically.
 Refined over two decades and research-based, e.g. seven processes that
contribute to effective counselling practice.
 Developed by the only awarding body to specialise in the counselling field.
OK, you’ve reached the end. To find out where your nearest counselling
studies course is running, please click here.
Or else click the arrow below to return to the Navigation page.
http://www.cpcab.co.uk/learners/centrefinder.php