We are working on expanding the programme in a financially sustainable way around the UK to reach as many communities as possible. If we are not yet in your area, do take a look at our alternative counselling routes which might be operating near you:

• Taster day
• Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award)
• Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate).

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

The Friday online training will run from 9am to 12:30pm.

You'll also have a placement 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 Children 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 12 months, and the awarding body is the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB).

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*. Please note that you must complete your Level 3 Certificate by 31 March to be eligible for the September 2025 intake of our qualifying courses.

*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 by 31 March to be eligible for the September 2025 intake of our qualifying courses.

We've submitted our application for BCAP accreditation, which could only be done once we completed our first academic run of this programme, in August 2024.

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.

We have been working closely with the BACP and following their guidance to ensure they will support us in the future.

We have submitted our application for BACP accreditation, which could only be done once we completed our first academic run of this programme in August 2024. 

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.

We have been working closely with the BACP and following their guidance to ensure they will support us in the future.

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 days.

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

Your next step after completing our Taster Day will depend on where you are in your counselling training journey. Options within Place2Be’s training pathway after completing a Taster Day are the following:

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

Please note that if you are applying for our Child Counselling Skills for Adult Counsellors (Level 5 Certificate) or Counselling Supervision Certificate (Level 6 Certificate), you do not need to attend a Taster Day. Instead, we will require you to attend a webinar to meet eligibility. 

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

• Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools
• Child Counselling Skills for Adult Counsellors (Level 5 Certificate).

Both courses include or have a prerequisite for being a Counsellor on Placement with us. For more information about placements and how to apply, please visit the Counselling Placements in schools page or contact the team directly at placements@Place2Be.org.uk. 

Qualified or qualifying adult counsellors can also apply for the Counselling Supervision Certificate (Level 6 Certificate).

The following courses are Level 2, 3, 5 and 6 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)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools
• Child Counselling Skills for Adult Counsellors (Level 5 Certificate). 

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

Place2Be's qualifying courses are aimed at counselling children and young people, primarily between ages 4 and 14. This is in line with our school service model.

While we focus on counselling children in schools using play and art therapy, our qualifying course, the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools, is taught at Level 7 throughout. This course is based on the core conditions of counselling, which apply to all age groups, from children to adults.

The BACP and CPCAB accredit Place2Be's qualifying courses, and once you are qualified, you will also be qualified to work with adults.

Place2Be’s qualifying course is the Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools, taught at a Level 7 throughout. We encourage our Postgraduate Diploma graduates to apply for a clinical role in one of our schools. Graduates can also remain in placement with us or pursue their interests to complete further studies. Some of our alumni have set up their own private practice or gained employment in other institutional settings.

If you already hold an adult counselling qualification, you can:

• apply to be a Counsellor on Placement with us 
• apply for the Child Counselling Skills for Adult Counsellors (Level 5 Certificate)
• apply for the Counselling Supervision Certificate (Level 6 Certificate).

Qualified counsellors can also apply for a clinical role in one of our schools. 

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.

Read more about BACP's competencies

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

• Introduction to Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award)
• Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate)
• Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling
• Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools.

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

We accept all applicants who meet the entry requirements for our courses. However, Place2Be is not involved in the visa application processes required for a right to work and/or study in the UK.

Due to the different approaches, we do not consider the above fields of study equivalent to counselling. 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 do not accept online courses unless your training provider moved face-to-face training online during COVID-19 restrictions. Place2Be’s training is highly experiential and requires a certain number of guided learning hours set by our accrediting bodies, CPCAB and BACP. 

Place2Be have two training venues:  

• London - Place2Be, 175 St. John Street, Clerkenwell, London, England, EC1V 4LW
• Manchester - Citywise, 6 Oxford Place, Rusholme, Manchester, M14 5RZ.

We offer the following qualifications at both locations:

• Taster Day
• Child Counselling Skills (Level 2 Award)
• Intermediate Child Counselling Skills (Level 3 Certificate)
• Child Counselling Skills for Adult Counsellors (Level 5 Certificate)

We offer the following qualifications in London only:

• Level 4 Diploma in School-Based Child Counselling
• Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Children in Schools and Counselling Supervision Certificate (Level 6 Certificate).

We encourage attendees to take public transport to our training venues wherever possible.

There is pay and display parking around our London training venue. Please be aware of the daily congestion charge when driving into central London.

There is on-street parking and limited parking spaces on-site at our training venue in Manchester.

In Huddersfield, there is paid parking opposite our training venue.

Unfortunately, we do not currently offer our 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. We deliver our classroom-based training in London and Manchester only. 

Place2Be’s Mental Health Champions Foundation Programme is 100% online and suitable for people working with children and young people. Please note that this isn’t a qualifying counselling course but an introduction to mental health or a tool to refresh your knowledge.

If we have to cancel training, we will let you know as soon as possible to discuss next steps.