Guide to Counselling Qualifications on the Qualifications and Credit Framework

There are several awarding bodies in the UK offering an array of approved counselling qualifications on levels two, three and four. As you will see, these qualifications often differ widely in such key elements as guided learning hours, assessment method and structure.

Tutors, curriculum managers, department heads, or anyone in need of clear information in order to make an informed decision on which counselling courses to run, will find this guide provides a succinct and thorough comparison of the options that are on offer. These are tabulated by essential course elements, such as Guided Learning Hours, Internal and External Assessment, and Client Hours. If you are trying to make sense of the options available to you at this time of change and transition, and are unsure of the best solution for your centre’s unique requirements, this guide of options available fromCSCT will prove invaluable in helping you along the way.

Factors as diverse as trainees’ preferences and backgrounds, socio-economic environment, and even geographical location may all have a bearing on your choice, in particular as it relates to the awarding bodies’ external assessment requirements. You may find that you are working with a highly committed group of trainees who would relish the chance to shine in an audio taped assessment as prescribed by the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB). Or, alternatively, your college’s resources may mean that it is better for your trainees to be externally assessed through their written work, as is the requirement of the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA).