We are a training provider of counselling courses at Foundation and Diploma level. Here I will answer some questions regarding training at Foundation level in Counselling Skills & Theory.
If you have no previous training in Counselling Skills & Theory you will need to begin with a Foundation course. Our Foundation course is an academic year, part-time and term time only following the Sheffield Schools calendar. The full term dates are provided at the start of the academic year.
We run two groups which start annually in September. There will be two morning groups this year. Monday morning 9.30-1pm and Friday morning 9.30-1pm. There are also a couple of Saturdays 9.30-4.30pm.
We start accepting applications for the 2024 intake in January and the deadline is at the end of June. We also hold online open evenings from February onwards which we recommend you attend so you can meet staff and gather information on what is involved in training to become a counsellor. Sign up for to our mailing list to be notified when these take place by emailing counsellingacademy@gmail.com
The Foundation course is a pre-requisite to applying for a Diploma level course. However, not everyone who applies to do the Foundation course has the aim of continuing on the Diploma to be a qualified counsellor. Many of our trainees on the Foundation course see it as a stepping stone in their current role, it enhances the work they already do, it can be for personal development reasons, to improve communication and relationships or as a route to a change in employment.
Whilst on the Foundation course we do recommend you have somewhere outside of the course that you can practice your listening skills. The Foundation course is about ‘listening skills’ and being a ‘listening helper’. We recommend the book, by our Programme Director Gail Evans, in the ‘For Dummies’ range which is an Introduction to Counselling Skills & Theory. To be a qualified Counsellor you would need to successfully complete a Diploma course. For information about the Diploma course see a separate post.
There is information to download on the website if you visit the ‘courses’ page and click on ‘downloads’. Here you will find information on course fees, calendars, and details of the modules. We advise reading the documents before applying. Application forms can also be downloaded on the website and submitted electronically to counsellingacademy@gmail.com.
It is possible to sign up just for the first module of the Foundation initially as a ‘Taster’ before committing to the whole year. This module is called ‘Introduction to Counselling Skills’ and is a five week course.
When completing an Application Form please make it clear which group you would wish to join. If you apply for the full Foundation course you will need to be interviewed. This will happen after the deadline. We ask that people submit their applications early so we have a sense of numbers and whether it’s viable to run the course.
If your question has not been answered here then please do get in touch by emailing Sally at counsellingacademy@gmail.com
07977 287485
enquiries@counsellingacademy.org