Course details

Please see the Programme Specification for the courses aims and learning outcomes.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for people who:

• want to become a safe and ethical qualified counsellor with a focus on working with children
• wish to learn vocationally within a school setting to work therapeutically with children and their families
• want hands-on experience in the practical management of a whole-school service
• are interested in pursuing a career with Place2Be in roles such as a Mental Health Practitioner or School Project Manager
• are ready to take on an intensive fast-tracked, full-time study option
• are at a point in their life and learning journey where they are ready to undergo self-discovery that will be both challenging and rewarding.

What will I get from the course?

On our Level 4 course, you will:

• gain a therapeutic counselling qualification with a focus on working with children in a school environment, with skills to run a whole-school approach to supporting children’s mental health
• develop a theoretical knowledge and understanding of our Therapeutic Approach and clinical delivery model and practical skills to deliver a counselling programme in a primary school
• develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to operate safely, ethically, autonomously and accountably as a child counsellor, making use of the BACP ethical framework, relevant laws and safeguarding policies
• develop the skills necessary to deliver mental health support in schools, demonstrating self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems
• actively engage with therapeutic interventions, including assessment and formulation, parent and carer meetings and reviews, safeguarding practices, multi-agency working, group work, one-to-one counselling, drop-in services and teaching/school staff consultations
• actively develop an awareness of intersectional identities and differences to develop anti-oppressive practices.

What is the course structure?

This full-time course runs for a full calendar year. The timetable below shows an example of what a week might look like. You'll see that there is flexibility in the schedule, and also time for independent study. 

• Monday: 9am-5pm in-person tutor directed learning 
• Tuesday to Thursday: Two days in clinical placement 8:30am-4:30pm (variable depending on placement school) and one day self-study. 
• Friday: 9am-12:30pm online tutor directed learning with the afternoon for self-study, incl. therapy.  

You'll take part in interactive skills workshops and pre-professional training sessions during half-term breaks. There will be two 2-week holiday breaks throughout the course, at winter and spring holidays.

Our next course starts in September 2025 and finishes in late summer 2026.

Where is the course run?

We're running our current Level 4 Diploma classroom-based workshops in:

• London: Place2Be, 175 St John St, London, EC1V 4LW 
• Manchester: Venue to be confirmed 

School placements are taking place in surrounding areas. While we will do our best to match you with a Place2Be school close to you, we can’t guarantee this. You need to be prepared to travel up to 90 minutes by public transport to attend your school placement.

What happens after I qualify?

Once you've graduated, you will have a Level 4 Counselling Diploma with a special focus on working with children and in a school environment. This qualification will allow you to provide one-to-one therapeutic support to children.

You will receive career support throughout the course. We hope you continue your career journey with Place2Be by applying for a counsellor role with us at the end of your course. If not, your options include:

• applying for various counsellor roles, particularly roles working therapeutically with children
• gaining additional training and support to progress to working as an adult counsellor. 

For information about the kinds of roles this qualification can lead to outside of Place2Be, please see the jobs listed on the BACP website.

While receiving your qualification is an essential part of becoming a counsellor, it’s important to remember that it’s the first step on a lifelong learning journey. To have a successful career as a safe and ethical counsellor, you must commit to the continuous process of self-discovery and developing your learning over time.

Helpful links 

You might find our Level 4 Diploma FAQs helpful.

Entry requirements

To be eligible for a place on the Level 4 Diploma course, you'll need to meet the following criteria, whether you're a self-funded or bursary applicant.

Essential

You must have:

• a Level 3 Certificate in counselling completed face-to-face over 9-12 months with Place2Be or another accredited training provider* (your course must be due to finish by 31 March 2024 to apply)
• completed at least six counselling or psychotherapy sessions yourself (individual, couples or group) to demonstrate your personal development and self-discovery journey
• an interest in pursuing a career supporting children and young people’s mental health as a qualified counsellor
• a commitment to self-reflection and engagement in self-development, including the ability and willingness to complete personal therapy during your course
• a willingness to be playful and creative within your mobility
• experience working with or having meaningful interactions with children and/or young people that demonstrate your ability to achieve the standards of the course
• spoken and written English to GCSE level
• the ability to travel to and around either Manchester or London for both classroom workshops and school placements
• the ability to take up full-time (Monday to Friday) learning if offered a place on the course.

Please note that our course requires assignments to be submitted online, there is an expectation that all students can use and are familiar with Microsoft office to type their assignments and submit them.

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

• at least 10 hours of clinical skills practice
• 92 hours of theory-guided learning, with at least 65 of those hours being in-person training
• in-person delivery, with no more than 30% of the course taught online
• evidence of self-awareness through a reflective journal or group process
• an overview of safe and ethical therapeutic practice.

Please note that, unfortunately, we are unable to accept courses that have more than 30% taught online.

Desirable

We would like it if you also have the following:

• attended a Taster Day with Place2Be; while not mandatory it is highly recommended for those new to Place2Be and school-based child counselling
• an interest in difference and anti-oppressive practices as shown through reading, listening and viewing for personal interest.

You can find information about Eligibility Requirements for the financial support packages on our Bursary Pathway page.

References

We need two references to support your application for the Level 4 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. Once you have applied you can send the reference request form to your referees.

Get started with our Level 2 Award and Level 3 Certificate

If you haven't already completed a Level 2 Award or Level 3 Certificate counselling course, you can start your training with Place2Be. Our Level 2 and Level 3 courses are delivered in London and Manchester. You can apply for our Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling while completing our Level 3 course if your Level 3 intake is completed before 31 March 2025. We will check your certificate before the beginning of the Level 4 Diploma.

Find out more about how you can become a child counsellor with Place2Be.

Fees and funding options

London course cost for 2025/26: £10,000

Manchester course cost for 2025/26: £6,000

If you're offered a place on our Level 4 Diploma, we'll ask you to confirm your place by enrolling on one of the following payment plans:

1. the full course fee of either £10,000 (London) or £6,000 (Manchester)
2. five monthly payments of either £2,000 (London) or £1,200 (Manchester)
3. ten monthly payments of either £1,000 (London) or £600 (Manchester).

Financial support through Place2Be's bursary scheme 

We want our Level 4 Diploma to be as accessible as possible, so we're offering financial support packages (bursaries) for eligible students. You can apply for a bursary when completing the Level 4 Diploma course application form. Bursary applicants must meet all of the course eligibility requirements, plus the bursary eligibility requirements.

For more information about our bursaries, take a look at:

• our bursaries page, including information about eligibility
• our bursary application guide, which includes everything you need to include in your application.

We offer four options of financial support for our Level 4 Diploma Bursary:

1. your course tuition fee
2. living expenses over the 12-month course (this could be up to £23,000 - the actual amount would be determined by your personal circumstances)
3. a subsidy for personal therapy
4. further options to reclaim some travel and resource costs.

If you're offered financial support through our bursary scheme, we'll ask you to pay a £200 administration fee to confirm your place. If you're unable to pay this, we're happy to talk about a manageable payment with you.

Application process and questions

Applications for our September 2025 intake are now open!

Application Questions

You will be asked the answer to the following questions as part of this application. We advise preparing this before submitting it. Each question has a 1,500-character limit (this is between 215 and 375 words with spaces included).

• Question 1: Why do you want to undertake this training and what do you hope to gain from the course?
• Question 2: Why do you feel that now is the right time to begin?
• Question 3: What skills and knowledge do you have that you have already used when looking after or working with children?
• Question 4: In what way does your own experience of childhood influence the way that you interact with children?
• Question 5: Outline your developing understanding of the nature of oppression and bias, and how this understanding has influenced your work with children and young people who are different to you?
• Question 6: Describe some activities that you engage in which promote personal development and self-awareness and outline how this benefits you

Application process

1. Submitting your application

Your first step is to submit your application form online, which we will post a link to on this page. There are two parts to this application - please ensure you complete both. We will assess application forms on a rolling basis. Applications will close once all the available places have been filled, so make sure you apply as early as possible so you don't miss out.

2. Attend your interview(s)

If you have completed Place2Be’s Level 3 Certificate and are shortlisted after submitting your application, we'll invite you for an online one-to-one interview between January and February 2025.

If you have completed an external accredited Level 3 programme, we'll invite you to an in-person group interview, followed by a one-to-one interview. Both will take place in early 2025.

3. We'll confirm your eligibility for a bursary (if applicable)

If you've also applied for a bursary, you'll be required to complete further checks on your bursary eligibility through our third-party administrator. This will take place in March 2025 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.

4. You'll be offered a place

If you secure a place on our Level 4 Diploma, we'll contact you letting you know in April or May 2025.

Course accreditation

Our Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling is accredited by the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB). The course includes 413 Guided Learning Hours and 100 Placement Hours.

We are working with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) to ensure our programme meets their criteria and requirements.

Have questions, or not sure which qualifying course to apply for?

If you'd like to know more on each qualification, we advise you to sign up to our information evening on Thursday 5 December from 6pm-7pm.

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.

Not quite ready to apply?

If you're not quite ready to apply, make sure you register your interest in our course to receive information about any future intakes!