Your next step after completing our Taster Day will depend on where you are in your counselling training journey. Options include our:

• Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award) if you have no prior counselling experience

• Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate) if you have a Level 2 Award in counselling (with Place2Be or elsewhere) and meet the entry requirements

• Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling if you have a Level 3 Certificate in counselling (with Place2Be or elsewhere) and meet the entry requirements

• Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools if you have a Level 3 Certificate in counselling (with Place2Be or elsewhere) and meet the entry requirements.

You do not need to attend a Taster Day if you are applying for our:

• Level 5 Certificate in Working Therapeutically with Children and Young People in Schools

• Counselling Supervision Certificate (Level 6 Certificate).

If you are a qualified adult or child counsellor, you can apply for our:

• Level 5 Certificate in Working Therapeutically with Children and Young People in Schools

• Counselling Supervision Certificate (Level 6 Certificate).

You can also apply to join us as a Counsellor on Placement at one of our Place2Be partner schools. As a Counsellor on Placement, you can access free training and e-learning to support your clinical work with children and young people.

We encourage you to join our Mental Health Professionals Network to stay current with Place2Be's latest news, developments, and updates.

If you are interested in employment opportunities, you can explore our current vacancies.

The main difference between adult and child counselling courses is the content of the course itself. Child counselling courses are designed to help you understand and navigate the many developmental stages of childhood. Course content often includes teaching you how to work with dependents, such as parents, carers and other adults in children and young people's lives.

We want to ensure our counselling courses provide you with the best possible start to being a counsellor to children and young people. That's why we incorporate the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) children and Young People core competencies, which include:

• knowledge of development in children and young people and of family development and transitions
• ability to recognise and respond to concerns regarding child protection
• ability to engage and work with children, young people, parents and carers
• ability to communicate with children and young people of differing ages, developmental levels and backgrounds
• play in therapy
• ability to work within a school context
• ability to promote emotional health in schools.

Our qualifying courses will qualify you to work with adults, children, and young people. It's important to know that our courses will best prepare you for a career in counselling children and young people between the ages of 4 and 18.

Our qualifying courses are:

• Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy for Children and Young People in Schools  - this course is taught at Level 7 and is based on the core conditions of counselling, which can be applied to any age group

• Level 4 Diploma - this course focuses more on the operational management of a whole-school service and learning Mental Health Practitioner responsibilities.

Once you've completed one of our qualifying courses, your options include:

• applying for a clinical role in one of our schools

• remaining on counselling placement with us

• pursuing interests that will further develop your skills as a child counsellor.

  Continue your training with further certificates, for example:

  • Level 5 Certificate in Working Therapeutically with Children and Young People in Schools

  • Counselling Supervision Certificate (Level 6 Certificate).

Some of our alumni have set up their own private practice or gained employment in other institutions.

We do not accept online courses. The only exception to this is for face-to-face training courses that temporarily moved online during COVID-19 restrictions.. This is because Place2Be’s training is highly experiential and requires a certain number of guided learning hours set by our accrediting bodies, CPCAB and BACP. While online courses may offer many benefits and flexibility, letting someone apply who has not completed in-person training would be a disservice to them, and they would struggle with the pace and self-reflection.

Unfortunately, we do not consider degrees in related subjects equivalent to a counselling qualification. This includes degrees in:

• Psychology
• Teaching
• Childhood and Youth Studies
• Social Work
• Sociology
• Criminology.

Without any prior counselling qualifications, you would need to start from the beginning of Place2Be’s training pathway to become a child counsellor.

If your previous qualifications contained specific counselling modules, please refer to the entry requirements for each course.

We accept all applicants who meet the entry requirements for our courses. For our courses that include a placement, the placement requires the applicant to currently be living in the UK and be eligible for BACP membership. However, Place2Be is not involved in the visa application processes required for a right to work or study in the UK.

The following courses are accredited by the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB):

• Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award)

• Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate)

• Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Counselling

• Level 5 Certificate in Working Therapeutically with Children and Young People in Schools

• Counselling Supervision Certificate (Level 6 Certificate).

Our Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy for Children and Young People in Schools course is awarded by the University of East London and accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). 

We want our counselling training courses to be as accessible as possible. That’s why we provide bursary/scholarship funding for five of our courses:

• Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award)

• Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate)

• Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Counselling

• Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy for Children and Young People in Schools.

• Counselling Supervision Certificate (Level 6 Certificate).

You'll need to meet certain requirements to apply for a bursary or scholarship. Take a look at our bursary eligibility requirements on Our bursaries and scholarships page.

Yes, you are given the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments or learning support in the course booking and application forms.

If you have any questions about our reasonable adjustment or learning support processes, please submit an enquiry and the team will be in touch.

If you are already studying with us, make sure to submit this form to request support.

You can book onto our Taster Day all year round. We deliver Taster Days monthly, and publish dates for the current and next month on our website for you to book onto.

Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award)

We run several intakes for our Level 2 Award a year. We publish course dates for the academic year each April for you to book your space. Register your interest to stay informed when bookings open and new dates are published.

Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate)

We run several intakes for our Level 3 Certificate a year. We publish course dates and open applications each April for the academic year ahead and new dates are published.. Register your interest to stay informed when applications open.

Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling

Our Level 4 Diploma has one intake per academic year in the Autumn term. Register your interest to stay informed when applications open.

Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy for Children and Young People in Schools

Our Postgraduate Diploma has one intake per academic year in the Autumn term. Register your interest to stay informed when applications open.

Level 5 Certificate in Working Therapeutically with Children and Young People in Schools

We run several intakes for our Level 5 Certificate a year. Register your interest to stay informed when applications open.

Counselling Supervision Certificate (Level 6 Certificate)

We run several intakes for our Level 6 Certificate a year. Register your interest to stay informed when applications open.

Place2Be delivers counselling training in London and Manchester. Please view the individual course pages to see where each course is delivered.

All of our training courses are available in both London and Manchester, with the exception of the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools, which is currently delivered in London only.

Unfortunately, we do not currently offer our introductory and qualifying counselling training in Scotland. If you're in Scotland, you can find training on the Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA) website, Scotland's professional body for counselling and psychotherapy training.

Most of our counselling qualifications are accredited by:

• Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB)

• British Association of Counsellors and Physiotherapists (BACP).

Both these organisations accredit courses throughout the UK. If you choose to qualify as a child counsellor with us, you will also be qualified to work in Scotland.

We offer counselling placements in Place2Be partner schools in Scotland, which include access to free clinical training and workshops.

Place2Be's training, consultations and resources are available to all.

Unfortunately, we do not currently offer our counselling training in Wales. If you are in Wales, we suggest you search for training courses on:

• Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB)
• British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Both these organisations accredit courses throughout the UK, including our qualifying courses. If you choose to qualify as a child counsellor with Place2Be at one of our training venues in England, you will also be qualified to work in Wales.

We offer counselling placements in Place2Be partner schools in Wales, which include access to free clinical training and workshops.

Place2Be's training, consultations and resources are available to all.

Any changes in our training provision will be reflected on our website.

All our qualification courses have online elements, but teaching and skills practice all take place in person. Our counselling training professional qualifications are classroom-based and take an experiential and integrative approach.

Please get in touch with our team as soon as possible if you can no longer attend the course dates you have booked, you can email the team on qualify@place2be.org.uk. The relevant programme team will then be able to explain what your options may be.

Please refer to our terms and conditions for more information about our refund and transfer policies.

We publish Taster Day dates monthly on our website. 

Taster Days get booked on a first-come, first-served basis. We receive high volumes of bookings, and any cancellations and subsequent availability will be reflected on the website. 

Please note we currently offer Taster Days in London, Manchester and Huddersfield.

Due to high demand and volume of bookings, we do not have waiting lists for any of our courses. Taster Days get booked on a first-come, first-served basis. We will list any cancellations and subsequent availability on our Taster Day course page. 

When booking, please ensure you are available to attend all course dates. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for information about cancellations and transfers.

Your Taster Day attendance is valid for 18 months.  

In short, no. You only need to make one booking for your Taster Day. Your booking is for the date of the classroom-based workshop, Module 2 (in-person).

Booking onto this will automatically enrol you onto Module 1 (e-learning). Once booked, we will provide you with information on completing Module 1 (e-learning) before attending Module 2.

We strongly advise everyone to complete Module 1 (e-learning) before attending Module 2 (in-person) for the best learning experience. We recommend completing the e-learning before attending Module 2 because our tutors do not cover any of the content of Module 1 (e-learning) during Module 2 (in-person). All Module 2 attendees will have access to Module 1 for two weeks after the workshop date.

Due to high volumes, we do not have waiting lists. Your Taster Day attendance is valid for 18 months, so you have a year and a half to enrol on an available course or apply for a course starting at a later date.

Our Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award) and Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3) courses have several start dates in the spring and autumn terms. We publish all available dates on our website.

When booking, please ensure you are available to attend all course dates. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for information about cancellations and transfers. 

Our Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate) course does not qualify you as a counsellor. Place2Be’s Level 3 Certificate allows you to develop key counselling and therapeutic play skills to support your work or everyday life with children and young people. 

Your options after completing Level 3 with us are to:

• apply for Place2Be’s qualifying courses (Level 4 Diploma or Postgraduate Diploma)
• apply for a qualifying counselling course elsewhere (Level 4 Diploma or above)
• upon tutor recommendation, apply to become a Counsellor on Placement with us.

The Monday all-day training will run from 9am to 5pm.

The Friday online training will run from 9am to 1pm.

You'll also have a placement either one or two days a week from 8:30am to 4:30pm, on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Once you complete your course, we hope that you will choose to apply for a Place2Be role, such as a Place2Be Counsellor in one of our schools. Unfortunately we can't guarantee these roles, as they are based on role availability.

We are working with schools to find the most supportive placements for students on the Level 4 Diploma.

We'll aim to place you somewhere close to where you live, but please note that you might be expected to travel for up to 90 minutes using public transport to your placement if needed.

Our Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy for Children and Young People in Schools and Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling courses are similar in that they both:

• qualify you to become a counsellor

• include placements in Place2Be schools.

The main things that make these two qualifications different are:

• our Postgraduate Diploma course takes place over two years, and the awarding body is the University of East London

• our Level 4 Diploma takes place over 18 months, and the awarding body is the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB)

• The Level 4 assignments are criteria based, like the Level 2 and 3, and the Postgraduate Diploma assignments are percentage-based.

Our Level 4 Diploma course also focuses more on the operational management of a whole-school service and learning Mental Health Practitioner responsibilities.

Please read through all the information about the training provider and the courses you are interested in before applying. 

Some things you might want to consider when deciding which qualification is right for you might include:

• time commitments

• if you wish to study part-time or full-time

• your budget and what payment options are available

• what qualification you will get at the end of the course.

Place2Be works in primary, secondary, high and all-through schools. Our Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling focuses on finding placements for our students in primary schools. We have made this decision because primary schools have a placement model that appropriately complements our Level 4 Diploma.

Yes. Our students will not have school or training on bank holiday dates.

It is a requirement for all applicants to complete a Level 2 Award or Level 3 Certificate before applying for the course, either with Place2Be or elsewhere*.

*If you completed your Level 3 Certificate elsewhere, the course must have included:

• at least 10 hours of clinical skills role-play practice

• 92 hours of theory-guided learning

• evidence of self-awareness through a reflective journal or group process

• an overview of safe and ethical therapeutic practice.

Please note that you must complete your Level 3 Certificate before a set date to be eligible to apply for the September intakes of our qualifying courses. Please refer to the course page for that date.

Yes, our Level 4 Diploma is accredited by the Counselling and Psychology Central Awarding Body (CPCAB).

We submitted our application for BACP accreditation in August 2024 and are currently progressing through the application process.

Our Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling meets all BACP ethical standards and guidelines. Once you complete the course, you can apply for BACP membership.

As an organisation, we have a reasonable adjustments policy, where we will try our best to make adjustments that suit you given enough notice. Please note in your application if you think you will need any reasonable adjustments.

Yes, that should be fine as long as you're in a primary school. We need to confirm that your School Project Manager can support your learning throughout the programme. We encourage your SPM to contact our team via their Area Manager to discuss what this will involve.

You can download our Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling Programme Specification, which provides an overview of the types of assessment you will need to complete. Our programme specifications can also be downloaded from the Level 4 Diploma webpage.

You may be in one or two schools over the  duration of the course depending on placement availability.

Yes. Once completing the course, you will be qualified to work in private practice and child counsellor roles with Place2Be or other organisations.

While we have renamed our qualifying course bursaries to scholarships, the application process and information we require remains the same. Please see our Bursary and scholarship application guide. 

If you've applied for a scholarship, you'll be required to complete further checks on your eligibility through our third-party administrator. This will take place in XXX 2026 by a separate organisation that will perform assessments on our behalf to inform our bursary award decisions, including the amount of living support you may receive. 

Please be aware that if you are offered a bursary, it is a requirement that your school placement is East London. 

Without any previous counselling qualifications, yes.

It is a requirement for all applicants to complete a Level 2 Award or Level 3 Certificate before applying for the course, either with Place2Be or elsewhere*.

*If you completed your Level 3 Certificate elsewhere, the course must have included:

• at least 10 hours of clinical skills role-play practice

• 92 hours of theory-guided learning

• evidence of self-awareness through a reflective journal or group process

• an overview of safe and ethical therapeutic practice.

Please note that you must complete your Level 3 Certificate before a set date to be eligible to apply for the September intakes of our qualifying courses. Please refer to the course page for that date

We run the course on a Thursday from 10:30am – 4pm. If we have enough successful applicants at the interview stage we also run the programme on a Tuesday from 9:30am – 3pm. The Tuesday cohort is only confirmed to run once there are enough students to make it feasible

You'll also have a placement one day a week on one other weekday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

The course will run on a Thursday and we will only run a cohort on a Tuesday if we have enough successful applicants at the interview stage. While you can indicate a preferred group to join, we cannot guarantee you will be placed in your preferred group. We can only confirm which group you have joined on acceptance of the offer.

We are working with schools to find the most supportive placements for students on the Postgraduate Diploma.

We'll aim to place you somewhere close to where you live, but please note you might be expected to travel for up to 90 minutes using public transport to your placement if needed.

Yes, we accept Level 3 Certificates completed elsewhere as long as the course meets our entry requirements. Our Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools course page has more information about how to apply. 

If you have completed Place2Be's Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate) course, you are also eligible to apply for our Postgraduate Diploma.

In short, no. We have placements across the UK. Find a Place2Be partner school near you on our page about where we work.

You can apply for a placement on our website.

Yes. If you are an applicant without a degree or equivalent professional qualification, you must submit a 1,500-word essay with your application form.

As an organisation, we have a reasonable adjustments policy, where we will try our best to make adjustments that suit you given enough notice. Please note in your application if you think you will need any reasonable adjustments.

Yes, that should be fine as long as you're in a primary school. If you are in a secondary you will need to change to a primary. Please be aware you will be in a secondary school placement in your second year.

We run our Child Counselling Skills for Adult Counsellors (Level 5 Certificate) course with two intakes each year:

• Spring to Summer intake: School placements start in January, with course dates running from March to September.

• Autumn to Winter intake: School placements start in September, with course dates running from November to May.

There are seven course sessions for the Level 5 Certificate, held once a month. Three of these sessions will take place online via Microsoft Teams. The locations for in-person sessions depend on placement availability and may include London, or Manchester.

This course setup ensures a blend of online flexibility and in-person engagement across different regions.

Our Child Counselling Skills for Adult Counsellors (Level 5 Certificate) is exclusively for qualified adult counsellors who have at least six months of post-qualification by the time of application. If you are not qualified, your options are to: 

• apply for Place2Be’s Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools
• apply for a qualifying counselling course elsewhere (Level 4 Diploma or above).

No. You can either apply with an existing placement that meets our requirements or apply for a placement through Place2Be.

If you apply with an external placement, it must meet our placement, supervision and safeguarding requirements. Full details can be found in Application Process section.

All students must remain on placement for the duration of the course and complete a minimum of 40 clinical hours. If you have not completed your hours by the end of the course, you may need to remain on placement until they have been achieved.

If you apply for a Place2Be placement, you will be asked to complete a Counsellor on Placement application form. During your interview, you can discuss any placement requirements, such as preferred days of the week or general location. We will do our best to accommodate these preferences, but placements are subject to availability.

No. Once a placement has been assigned, changes can only be made in exceptional circumstances. Failure to accept an assigned placement may result in your course offer being withdrawn.

Yes. If you are allocated a Place2Be placement, you must complete all onboarding requirements before starting. This includes induction training, background checks and a Right to Work check.

You can view our Place2Be Partner Schools Map to see where our partner schools are located. Please note that not all schools on the map will have placement opportunities available.

The Level 6 Certificate course has one intake each year:

• Autumn to Winter intake with course dates running from October to June.

The course includes 19 sessions in total, delivered through a blended format:

• 7 full-days, in‑person Friday sessions

• 12 half-days, online sessions delivered via Microsoft Teams

In‑person sessions take place in London or Manchester, depending on the cohort.

This blended structure provides a balance of online flexibility and meaningful in‑person learning experiences across different regions.

Yes, as part of the Level 6 Certificate in Therapeutic Counselling Supervision course, you will need to self-source:

• supervision hours: You are required to self-source a minimum of five supervisory hours with a senior/experienced clinical supervisor. These hours can be in the form of either group or one-to-one supervision
• supervisees: You will also need to self-source counsellors to supervise as part of the course unless you are in a supervisory role, such as a School Project Manager.

This requirement ensures you gain practical experience in both receiving and providing supervision, essential for the development of your skills as a supervisor.

You must conduct 15 hours of supervision over the course and have at least 5 hours to discuss this during your own supervision.

To complete this course, you will need:

• at least 450 hours of counselling and therapeutic experience with client  

• to have been qualified at Level 4 (Diploma level) or higher for at least two years  

• to have had and continue to have supervision for your counselling work  

• to self-source a minimum of five supervisory supervision hours with a senior/experienced clinical supervisor in the form of group and/or one-to-one supervision   

• to self-source counsellors to supervise as part of the course - unless you are in a supervisory role such as a School Project Manager, you would need self-source counsellors to supervise as part of the course  

• to be able to provide 15 hours’ supervision for at least 2 counsellors’ work while on the programme

Yes, we offer bursaries covering 50% of the total course fee for eligible students. You can apply for a bursary as part of the Level 6 Diploma application process.

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a UK resident.

• Be able to demonstrate genuine financial need (with a gross household income of less than £43,000 or £38,000, depending on the course location).

• Meet the entry requirements for this course.