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Our largest Counselling programme to date...

Are you always being told you’re a good listener?
Do you work in a role where you are supporting others or giving advice? 

Join one of CPCAB’s biggest training centres in Yorkshire to solidify your skills and take steps towards changing your career with a Counselling qualification. 

Learn…

… from specialist adult learning tutors who are fully qualified counsellors
… in a group of likeminded individuals with a shared goal
… with support to overcome your barriers to learning
… in a model that blends high quality online teaching with face to face learning
… at an organisation focussed on your success.

Level 2

The next Level 2 courses will be starting in September 2025. This will include a choice of daytime and evening sessions, and a variety of delivery style. To receive further details please email us at yorklearningcounselling@york.gov.uk.

We plan to run more classes starting in January 2026. Please register your interest here.

This one year part time qualification is designed to give learners the underpinning knowledge, skills and competencies to use counselling skills ethically and safely in a variety of contexts and roles.

This qualification is for:

  • Those starting the first level of training as a professional counsellor
  • Those who want to learn counselling skills in other professional or helping roles
  • Those who want to improve their professional and personal relationships as part of personal development

Click here for a detailed overview of the Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills offered by York Learning and to learn more about what it is like to study with us.

Level 3

The next Level 3 courses will be starting in September 2025. This will include a choice of daytime and evening sessions, and a variety of delivery style. To receive further details please email us at yorklearningcounselling@york.gov.uk.

To register your interest for courses starting in September 2025 please click here.

This one year part time qualification is intended for candidates who have already acquired a recognised Level 2 qualification in counselling skills and want to:

  • take the next step in training to become a counsellor
  • learn more about counselling theory, ethics and mental health
  • be prepared for future work as a professional counsellor in an agency setting

This qualification does not lead directly to employment as a counsellor but can lead to employment in a related field.  It is primarily designed as a ‘pre-practitioner training’ for a professional counselling qualification such as the Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.

Click here for a detailed overview of the Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies offered by York Learning and to learn more about what it is like to study with us.

 

Level 4

Upcoming courses:

  • Tuesdays, 10am – 5pm, blended (online and at The Centre@Burnholme).
    Starting September 2025, to July 2026

The application window is now closed for September 2025.  Please email yorklearningcounselling@york.gov.uk  to join our waiting list.

This two-year part time professional qualification will provide you with the knowledge, skills and competencies to work as a therapeutic counsellor within an agency context initially, and the structure to progress to independent private practice with additional experience, support from a clinical supervisor and continuing professional development.

The course is based on a relational philosophy of counselling, primarily using the Person Centred Approach.  However, you will also study and practice other ‘self with other’ counselling theories that underpin and complement the Person Centred Approach, such as Attachment Theory and Transactional Analysis, to give you a robust foundation for your professional counselling practice and a framework to integrate other theories and modalities in the future if you wish to do so.

The course is BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) recognised which means that during your training you are eligible to apply for student membership to the BACP. On successful completion of the course you will gain approved qualified counsellor status and be eligible to become a full member of BACP and work towards accreditation if desired.

Click here for a detailed overview of the Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling offered by York Learning and to learn more about what it is like to study with us.

What's next?

Learners who have completed Level 4 courses move into a variety of pathways, including many into professional counselling roles including private practice and specialisms. Listen to Roberta, sharing her journey since completing her course with York Learning in 2018. 

We are considering offering a Level 5 Diploma course to support the ongoing CPD of qualified counsellors in line with current local and national priorities for mental health provision.  If you are interested in undertaking a Level 5 course in the future then please complete this online form so that we can gauge interest – this will then help to shape and inform our next steps.

Teaching Venues

We use a blended model for most courses, which combines high quality interactive online teaching (via Zoom) with face to face training at The Centre @ Burnholme. You can find out more about the rooms we use at The Centre @ Burnholme (usually rooms 11 and 9) by clicking here.

If you need support and guidance to use Zoom for online classes, you can contact our Digital Skills team on ictskill@york.gov.uk or by calling 01904 554277. 

Quality Assurance & CPCAB's approach