Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award)

Overview

Following the Taster Day, the Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award) is our entry-level course. This course will introduce you to counselling theories and techniques used by our mental health professionals in schools. You will develop communication skills, self-awareness and creative strategies for working with children and young people.

Our Introduction course (Level 2 Award) is ideal if you:

• have completed our Taster Day and want to continue training as a child counsellor with Place2Be

• want to build a foundation of counselling skills to use in your professional or everyday life, supporting children and young people 

• want to continue your training journey at Place2Be

• are seeking to develop counselling skills, self-awareness and a basic understanding of counselling theory 

• are interested in understanding what it's like to be a child counsellor and the counselling profession 

• want to progress to further counselling training courses with Place2Be that will qualify you to practice as a child counsellor.

By pursuing a career as a child counsellor, you'll make a profound impact on the lives of children and their families. You'll be there to guide them through challenging times and help them develop healthy coping strategies and ultimately build bright futures. Through your work, you’ll witness the growth and resilience of young minds and find fulfilment and purpose in making a lasting difference to those who need it the most.

Course details

Structure

We offer our Introduction course (Level 2 Award):

• one day a week for eight or

• one evening a week for 16 weeks.

To receive certification for the course, you must attend all sessions, complete all coursework, and meet all criteria. 

Weekly training sessions

This course involves attending weekly training sessions at your chosen venue in London or Manchester. Sessions include counselling theory, group discussion, experiential exercises, skills role play, a check-in, and a closing circle.

Independent study time 

Throughout this course, you will be expected to study independently outside of your training sessions. The amount of independent study you complete will be unique to you. Ideally, we would like you to complete 2–6 hours of independent study time each week. Independent study will give you time to:

• work on your coursework

• complete any reading relevant to the course

• continue your personal development journey. 

Assessed coursework

During the course, you will be required to submit coursework on our e-learning platform, Moodle. Our tutors will assess your written coursework against criteria agreed with the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB). Assessed coursework includes reflective assignments, reading groups, skills practice, tutor observation and a final essay. 

Tutorials

Tutorials will be conducted both halfway through and at the end of the course. During tutorials, you will have the opportunity to discuss your coursework and personal development with a tutor one-on-one.

Certification 

Your certification will follow the completion of all coursework, meeting all criteria and having attended all classroom workshops and tutorials. Once we complete our quality assurance, you’ll receive an accredited Level 2 Award certificate from CPCAB

Entry requirements

Essential

To be eligible to book a place on our Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award), you must:

• have completed our Taster Day in the past 18 months at the time of booking

• be willing to be playful and creative 

• be passionate and motivated about helping to improve children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

• be able to attend all sessions unless there are exceptional circumstances

• have basic IT literacy skills, confidence in using word processing software and the ability to navigate our e-learning platform

• the ability to speak and write English to GCSE level

• have sufficient internet access to use our e-learning platform.

Desirable

Being a counsellor involves a lifelong journey of personal development and self-discovery. That's why we suggest you receive counselling yourself while starting your training journey. You must have completed at least six counselling or psychotherapy sessions to progress onto our Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate).