Course details

Course breakdown

• 400 hours of contact time with tutors and 100 supervised clinical hours over the two years
• at least 30 hours a year of personal therapy
• one day of tuition and one day on placement in a Place2Be school
• two training weekends in Year 1 and three training weekends in Year 2
• substantial reading and written work outside of contact hours.

Topics covered

A combination of academic and experiential learning, covering a range of topics, including:

• the use of play and creativity
• self-awareness
• child development and observation
• counselling skills using an integrative therapeutic approach
• person-centred, psychodynamic, systemic, transcultural work and attachment theories
• assessment, referral and multi-agency working.

Useful for those who want to:

• become a qualified and registered child counsellor
• learn how to work therapeutically with children and their families within a multi-agency setting
• receive training in child development, systemic thinking and integrative theory
• develop skills as a creative and reflective counselling practitioner
• apply for clinical roles at Place2Be.

Helpful documents

Download full course specification (PDF 198KB)
Meet our Postgraduate Diploma team

Entry requirements

To submit your application and meet the entry requirement for this course, you must have or completed all of the following:

1. A Place2Be Taster Day

You must have attended a Place2Be Taster Day within 18 months of enrolling on the Postgraduate Diploma course unless you have completed Place2Be's Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate). 

2. A counselling certificate 

You must have, or are studying towards, at least one of the following:

• Place2Be's Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate)
• a Level 3 certificate in counselling completed face-to-face over 9-12 months, including theory, skills practice and evidence of self-awareness
• a Diploma in Counselling (Level 4 or above in England and Wales, or equivalent diploma at SCQF Level 9-11 in Scotland)
• a degree or masters in Counselling, Psychotherapy or Art Therapy.

Please note that, unfortunately, we are unable to accept online courses. 

3. A degree and/or professional qualifications 

You must have a degree or equivalent professional qualification. If you have not completed a degree, you can still apply, but you must submit a 1,500-word essay as part of your application. Your essay will be titled My Philosophy of Counselling. Your typed essay should include a minimum of three sources and a bibliography. 

4. Additional skills and experience

You must have the following: 

• received counselling or psychotherapy yourself 
• significant experience working with children or young people 
• a willingness to be playful and creative 
• a commitment to be self-reflective and committed to self-development 
• spoken and written English to GCSE level. 

References

We need two references to support your application for the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools. We will ask you to give these during your application. One reference must be from a previous employer, and the other must be a clinical/tutor reference. Please note that we will only contact these references if you are offered a place on the course. Your place will be conditional on receiving satisfactory references.

Course fee

The fee for the Postgraduate Diploma is £6,365 per year. You have three options to pay the total course fee.

Payment options

Each payment option includes a non-refundable deposit of £636.50 as part of your first instalment.

Payment will be required only if offered a place to study.

Option A

2 Payments of £6,365 one year apart (full course fee).

Option B

6 payments of £2,122 every four months (termly).

Option C

20 payments of £636.50 (monthly).

Financial support through Place2Be's bursary scheme

If you struggle to fund this level of training, you can apply for a financial support package.

We offer three options for our Postgraduate Diploma bursary, which give you different levels of financial support:

1. a partial tuition fee bursary
2. a full tuition fee bursary, but you’ll have to pay £100 to secure your place on the course
3. a support fund, which you can use to cover costs of personal therapy, travel and learning materials.

For more information, look at our information about:

• our bursaries, including information about eligibility
• applying for your bursary, including a helpful guide about everything we ask about on the application.

More information

For more information, please read our counselling training FAQs or get in touch through our enquiries form. You can also call us on 0207 923 5558.

Accreditation

Our Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools is:

• accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
• awarded by the University of East London (UEL).