The short answer is yes! Our Foundation in Counselling (Level 3 equivalent) is the perfect course to prepare you for a professional level qualification such as our accredited two-year Advanced Diploma in Counselling – NCPS Accred (Level 4 equivalent), which will qualify you to work as a professional counsellor. Very soon you could be making a living out of something you love!

Explore our courses here.

You may also find the following links useful if you are interested in becoming a counsellor (links to third party websites):

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/counsellor

https://www.ucas.com/ucas/after-gcses/find-career-ideas/explore-jobs/job-profile/counsellor

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/counsellor

Yes, we offer a range of post qualifying courses at equivalent Levels 5 and 6.

These are:

• Advanced Specialist Diploma in Psychotherapy
• Advanced Specialist Diploma in Relationship Counselling
• Advanced Specialist Diploma in Counselling Young People
• Advanced Specialist Diploma in Clinical Supervision

We also have a range of CPD workshops aimed at qualified counsellors.

Yes, our tutors offer tutorials on request to support you as you go (included in fees) and also give plenty of additional course materials which are designed to supplement your learning. We also offer mentoring free of charge, where we feel it would be helpful to your progress on the course. We can also offer some learning support to students who will find this beneficial.

Our team are also here to help you. You can contact them on 01803 865 464 or enquiries@heartwoodcounselling.org, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Our main training centre is on the beautiful Dartington Hall Estate in Dartington, near Totnes, South Devon. We also run courses online, as well as in Regent’s Park, London.

Our training is now also available in our newest venues in Wakefield, West Yorkshire and Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Find out more about our locations here.

On completion of the Foundation in Counselling (Level 3 equivalent) Course you will receive a Foundation Certificate in Counselling which is quality checked by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society.

On completion of the Advanced Diploma in Counselling – NCPS Accred (Level 4 equivalent) you will receive a Advanced Diploma in Counselling – NCPS Accred (Level 4 equivalent) accredited by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. This will enable you to apply to be included on the Accredited Register recognised by the UK Government through the Professional Standards Authority.

We also offer courses at equivalent Levels 2, 5 and 6. Find out more by visiting the course you are interested in from the courses page.

The Introduction to Counselling (Level 2 equivalent) course is studied weekly for 6 sessions.

The Foundation in Counselling (Level 3 equivalent) consists of 12 sessions, either taken one per week for 12 weeks or 6 two-day weekend sessions per month.

We also run the Foundation in Counselling (Level 3 equivalent) nationally online, one evening a week for 19 sessions and one full day session.

The Advanced Diploma in Counselling – NCPS Accred (Level 4 equivalent) consists of 40 sessions taught over two years. There are three options available with courses running for one day per fortnight; one evening per week; or one weekend per month.

The Advanced Specialist Diploma in Psychotherapy runs fortnightly for 12 sessions.

The Advanced Specialist Diploma in Relationship Counselling runs one weekend per month for 6 months (12 sessions).

The Advanced Specialist Diploma in Counselling Young People runs one weekend per month for 6 months (12 sessions).

The Advanced Specialist Diploma in Clinical Supervision runs fortnightly for 12 sessions.

The recognised path is to progress from the Foundation in Counselling (Level 3 equivalent) onto the accredited Level Advanced Diploma in Counselling – NCPS Accred (Level 4 equivalent), which opens the door into a counselling career, and allows you to work doing something you love, employed by an organisation or running your own private practice.

The governing body is the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).

Our courses are either quality checked (Level 2 and Level 3 equivalent) or accredited (Level 4 equivalent) by NCPS, or have Advanced Specialist Training recognition with NCPS (Advanced Specialist Diploma in Psychotherapy, Advanced Specialist Diploma in Relationship Counselling and Advanced Specialist Diploma in Clinical Supervision courses).

Securing a place on your chosen course is on receipt of a non-refundable deposit. The remaining balance can then be paid before starting the course, or via a monthly payment plan (T&Cs apply). Deposit payments or payments of the full course fee can be paid online via our website.

You can find the exact fees for each course on the relevant course pages, in the ‘Fees’ tab.

Payment of the deposit is required to secure a place on a course, and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. You can book online.

Upon booking you can select your chosen payment method for the remaining fees. Once you have paid a deposit your place will be secured upon receipt of completed application form and ID. 

Where a pre-course interview is required, your booking will be reserved until you have been accepted onto the course. 

The information you provide upon enrolment will be passed to the interviewer, who will arrange a time for a short face-to-face interview with you at the centre (this can be carried out over the phone or video call if visiting the centre is problematic).

At the interview, the interviewer will be interested to hear about your experience and training, and will want to ensure the course you have applied for is the right one for you. If you have completed the Level 3 course with another provider, they will also look at this provider, the awarding body, and may ask about the syllabus.

Most of the assessments are done ‘in house’ by our team, however on the Diploma courses you will also be required to submit a case study which will be externally assessed. This case study can be written at a time to suit you, and although it does not have to be written under exam conditions it must be your own work. You have two years after your Diploma finishes to complete this case study.

The two-year Advanced Diploma in Counselling – NCPS Accred (Level 4 equivalent) is accredited by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) and, subject to their Terms & Conditions, is a route onto a national register of counsellors which is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) and will qualify you to work as a professional counsellor.

The Foundation in Counselling (Level 3 equivalent) Course is Quality Checked by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).  As well as attendance-based, this course is also available to study online wherever you are on our virtual learning platform – this has been Online Quality Checked by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). This course alone is not a route to the Accredited Register nor does it fully equip a graduate to practice as a qualified counsellor. This course gives you the essential theories and skills involved in becoming a counsellor. This course offers you a direct route onto our Advanced Diploma in Counselling – NCPS Accred (Level 4 equivalent) course. 

The Introduction to Counselling (Level 2 equivalent) course we offer is also quality checked by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).

Our Advanced Specialist Diploma in Psychotherapy, Advanced Specialist Diploma in Relationship Counselling and Advanced Specialist Diploma in Clinical Supervision courses have Advanced Specialist Training recognition with National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).

Yes, both of these membership bodies accept (at their discretion) our students. It is a matter of personal choice as to which organisation would suit your needs best. The BACP and the NCPS are the two largest organisations and many counsellors choose to register with either one or both – this is really a personal decision.

Our courses are very experiential, and therefore there is a minimum attendance required from 85% – 90%.

Don’t worry we will do our best to help! While we cannot guarantee to find you a placement, we do have connections with agencies which take our students on placement. These agencies include: schools, colleges, universities, doctors’ surgeries, prisons, hospices, youth support, domestic violence and abuse services, bereavement charities, and others.

Some of our students secure their own placements. If you find your own placement, we will take the placement provider through an agency approval process; this is a short process and can be completed in a couple of weeks. We are creating new links all the time.

It is recommended that you are supported in a way that feels right for you whilst you are on the course. We request a minimum of 20 hours of personal therapy, and in some cases you may be required to have more.

There is no deadline for applications but our courses are popular and places are limited. Course places are filled on a first-come, first-served basis with places being allocated only after the deposit has been paid.

You will need to have completed a Level 3 Counselling Certificate or equivalent course to apply for the Advanced (level 4) course.

In some cases, students of Heartwood Foundation in Counselling (Level 3 equivalent) courses may begin their application prior to completion of their course. Students will need to be a minimum of three quarters of the way through their studies before starting their application.  

After you have paid your course fees you will also need to budget for your personal therapy, and in some cases (where not provided by your chosen placement) you may also need to pay for supervision.

We do not charge any extra for assessments, registrations, tutorials, case studies or mentoring.

Please note that you will be responsible for paying your membership fee for any governing body that you choose to join.

Our courses are often fully booked, however we create reserve and waiting lists for each course in order to give speedy access to your desired course should a space become available.

If the course you would like to attend is fully booked, you are still able to pay a deposit and attend an interview to be placed on our reserve list (interview required for Advanced Diploma). You will be advised if a space becomes available before or possibly shortly after the course commencement date (we would help you catch up on any sessions missed).

If you are not successful in securing a place on the fully booked course, your booking will then be automatically transferred to the next available course.

If you do not wish to pay a deposit, you can request to be placed on the course’s waiting list. You would then be contacted when new course dates are released, or if no-one on the reserve list is able to take an available space.

Deposits cover admission administrative processes and any interviews required and must be paid to secure a student’s place, and are non-refundable as outlined in our Terms and Conditions. A deposit may be refunded at the discretion of Heartwood where a student has applied and been unsuccessful in securing a place after the interview stage.