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New bursary scheme removes financial barriers for prospective child counsellors

Place2Be recently launched a new bursary scheme to help improve access to qualify as a children and young people’s counsellor.

A man wearing blue looking at a woman with brown hair who is speaking to a room full of people.

These bursaries will support eligible and aspiring children and young people’s counsellors to begin, or continue, their training journey.

Part of Place2Be's wider ambition is to grow the children's mental health workforce and increase diversity within the profession. These new bursaries will support those who are passionate about working therapeutically with young people and find the financial requirement a barrier to entry.

There is little funding support available for prospective counsellors and therapists, with the cost of qualifying ranging from £20,000 to £70,000 (depending on the route taken to qualification). 

Place2Be's bursaries are partially funded by a multi-year commitment from Morgan Stanley. They will enable more people to train as counsellors – helping to grow the workforce and meet the rising demand for children's mental health support.

Bursary applications are now open

Place2Be's bursaries are now open for applications for the: 

Applications for the Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling and Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools will open later in the year.

You can read more about our bursaries as well as a helpful guide in how to apply for one on our website.

Find out more about Place2Be's bursaries

We’re delighted to be able to offer these bursaries for aspiring child counsellors. We know the difference that access to the right support in a timely way can make in a child’s life. We also know that the current mental health workforce is neither sufficiently large, nor representative of the children and young people in need of support. Chief Executive of Place2Be, Catherine Roche
1 in 5 children and young people now have a probable mental health condition, and the need for specialist child counsellors has never been greater. That’s why building a diverse and inclusive children’s mental health workforce is a key priority for Place2Be over the coming years, and these bursaries are just the start. Chief Executive of Place2Be, Catherine Roche

How Place2Be have supported students in the past

These bursaries build on work Place2Be has previously done to offer bursaries to eligible prospective students. To mark its 25th anniversary in 2020, the charity worked with the Wolfson Foundation to offer funded bursaries. The partnership supported 27 aspiring children and young people’s counsellors to begin, or continue, their training.

In 2023, the charity offered significant bursaries for students on the Level 4 Diploma and the Postgraduate Diploma. This was offered thanks to funding from a number of supporters including the AIM Foundation and The Rare Impact Fund.

Find out more about Place2Be's bursaries

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