Counselling Courses in London – What One to Take?
Dr. Sheri Jacobson
March 8, 2023
By: DAVID HOLT
by Andrea M. Darcy
Trying to decide what counselling course in London is for you can be seriously overwhelming.
First, there is the decision between training to be a counsellor or a psychotherapist (for more on the differences in the UK, read our article on ‘Counselling vs Psychotherapy‘).
Then there is the sheer number of courses. There are many schools on offer, with more springing up every few years (and others closing).
What are the main schools to consider for a foundation counselling course in London? And what do they offer once you are done with the foundation year?
(*please note the date this article was written and that this information changes yearly, so use it as a guideline but be sure to do your own research on each institution).
Counselling Courses in London
*Below you will find just London counselling course programs. If you are also interested in psychotherapy programs, sign up to our blog now for an alert when we post the next piece in this series on psychotherapy courses in London.
CITY LIT
City Lit is known for their longstanding person-centred counselling program. City Lit is by Holborn and very central, although the classrooms themselves can be dated.
The competition for the level 3 foundation year is high, and involves a written application followed by both a group interview and individual interview.
You also have to have finished an introduction to counselling certificate either at City Lit or elsewhere.
Their foundation years involve both theory, group work, and also experiential groups, where the larger group divides into two and spends time each week talking about their personal progress. While attending therapy yourself in the first/ foundation year of the program is optional, it is a prerequisite from second year onwards.
- foundation: person-centred
- format: 30 weeks, once a week with some weekends
- price: lower
- future study with City Lit: person centred or integrative counselling diploma
- accreditation: no, but follows BACP framework.
MARY WARD CENTRE
By: David
Mary Ward centre offers their integrative counselling course in pleasant, centrally located buildings (note that not all counselling courses run in their main building which is a pretty old house).
They don’t take many students a year, and it’s reasonably competitive, although they still do interviews for spots as late as July.
They do expect you to have an introduction to counselling certificate already from their school or another one.
Their level 3 foundation course looks at person centred, psychodynamic and CBT approaches. But it could be said there is a psychodynamic leaning.
- foundation: integrative
- format: weekly
- price: average
- future study at Mary Ward: level 4-6 integrative counselling diplomas
- accreditation: BACP.
UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON
UEL don’t really do an intro certificate or foundation year, they rather combine this into their longer programs.
For example, they offer a 3-year counselling program that is actually a BSc bachelor’s degree, or a 2-year Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy that prepares you for a MA. Both courses are integrative with the BSc for example covering person-centred counselling, psychodynamic counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy and existential counselling.
- foundation: integrative
- format: once a week (BSc) or twice a week and a few weekends (diploma)
- price range : average considering it’s a degree
- future study at UEL – BSc Counselling, PGDip Counselling and Psychotherapy, MA Counselling and Psychotherapy, MSc Integrative
- accredited – BACP.
BIRBECK UNIVERITY
Birbeck university lumps together their intro course with a foundation year, making it a 2-year certificate program. The first year, Introduction to Counselling, can be taken either once a week for 30 weeks, or once a weekend monthly for seven months, but the second year requires weekly attendance.
It is an integrative approach, covering person-centred, psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioural counselling. But if you do stay on at Birbeck for your road to being a therapist, the focus then shifts firmly to psychodynamic.
- foundation: integrative
- format: once or two evenings per week plus some weekends
- price range : average considering it’s a degree
- future study at Birbeck: psychodynamic counselling BA, psychodynamic MSc
- accreditation: BACP and BCP accredited.
GOLDSMITHS UNIVERSITY
Goldsmiths offers a ‘graduate certificate’ in humanistic and psychodynamic counselling. You don’t have to have an Intro to Counselling certificate to apply.
The entry to the foundation year is by written application then short group interview, with no one-to-one interviews. The courses are held in one of the more pleasant older buildings of Goldsmith’s rambling modern campus.
Note that this foundation year does not involve an experiential group but simply lectures and some group work. You also are not obligated to attend therapy sessions in the foundation course. So while it makes you eligible to continue an MA at Goldsmiths, it might not make you eligible to then transfer to another school for your MA.
- foundation: integrative
- format: 26 weeks, once a week, no weekends
- price range : lower
- future study at Goldsmiths: MA in Counselling
- accreditation: no.
THE MINSTER CENTRE
The Minster Centre is famous for being the most ‘intense’ program that becomes a ‘lifestyle’. They openly aim to be the most rigorous school available, and are firmly on the more expensive end of the spectrum.
While they really are a psychotherapy school, they are mentioned here as their program has two ‘strands’, meaning you can finish in less time with a counselling diploma should you decide not to pursue to the very end with a counselling and psychotherapy MA.
Their foundation year involves both theory, group work, and experiential groups, and you must personally attend therapy weekly. They invite interested participants to an open night, after which you send a written application and pay to have an interview.
You are expected to have already done an intro to counselling certificate or their intro week, or, if you have suitable experience, such as being a volunteer listener, they might accept that.
Run out of a private building in west London, the foundation year is also offered in an intensive format, meaning that you can attend over a series of weekends instead of once weekly (might be more suitable for people who aren’t London-based, or who travel often, for example).
- foundation: integrative
- format: weekly, or an intensive format where you go one weekend a month
- price range : high
- future study at Minster Centre: counselling diploma or counselling and psychotherapy MA
- accreditation: BACP.
METANOIA
Run out of an old house in West London, Metanoia is highly regarded.
While they are seen as a psychotherapy school, they actually offer several counselling strands. These all start with a foundation certificate in counselling skills. It is integrative, but chooses to look at the schools of therapeutic thought that their MAs cover, namely Gestalt, Humanistic, Integrative, Person-Centred, and Transactional Analysis.
There are benefits to this foundation year. For example, there is actually no written work on the course, but you do have to do a presentation at the end. And there is an option to take the entire course just on weekends.
But while the foundation certificate is setup to prepare you for further study at Metanoia, in might not meet requirements to then transfer to a diploma program at another school, and appears to fall somewhere between in introduction certificate and a typical foundation year. On the other hand, some of Metanoia’s programs can be applied to without a foundation certificate if you have relevant experience.
- foundation: integrative
- format: weekly, or over weekends
- price range : low for foundation, high for further study
- future study at Metanoia: a large array of MAs in both counselling and psychotherapy
- accreditation: BACP.
HIGHGATE COUNSELLING CENTRE
This is a small, firmly psychodynamic school in an handsome old house in North London, and the course has been running for a long time. If Maslow, Erickson, and Freud are your thing, then this might be the foundation year for you.
Their foundation year is fairly thorough. You must keep a personal journal, do one written assignment, and the course includes a personal development group.
- foundation: psychodynamic
- format: weekly in the evening
- price range : low
- future study at HCC: diploma in psychodynamic counselling
- accreditation: BACP.
But I found a school that isn’t on this list…
This list is by no means exhaustive! There are others, and they might be right for you. Things to look at include:
- how long the school has been running
- if the course or at least the following diploma courses offered are accredited by the BACP or other registering body
- if it makes you eligible for the diploma or MA you then hope to pursue
- if it suits your schedule and wallet
- if it is the therapeutic school of thought you like.
The best advice is to attend the opening houses. They tend to have not only the teachers present but sometimes a graduate or current student you can ask questions of. Not only that, you can see the premise itself, which you will be spending considerable time in if you stay at one school for the length of your counselling studies.
If a school doesn’t have an open house and it’s a college or university, you can often request a campus tour, or you can call and ask to speak to the course administrator. Don’t be shy – it is, after all, your future you are investing in.
Went to a school on this list and want to tell others about it? Or want to share another counselling school in London you interviewed at? Share with our readers in the comment box below.
I took an introduction to couple counselling and psychotherapy course at Tavistock Relationships and I found it very interesting and educating. Although its primary focus was on couple relationships, there was a fair amount of seminars and lectures about individual counselling and psychotherapy too. Their institution could be a good addition to this list and I totally recommend their course to anyone who’s looking for a foundation in counselling and psychotherapy. (http://tavistockrelationships.ac.uk/introduction-to-couple-counselling-and-psychotherapy)
I have found Birkbeck to be a professional and well structured training. It’s thorough but also something more human about the teaching. It’s easy to get lost within the theory as it’s so fascinating but Birkbeck keep it realistic and the focus is strongly on self development which is imperative.
Wow, great to hear Ruari! Very useful to our readers, thank you.
Thank you so much Alex! Very useful to our readers, we appreciate your sharing. It’s already in our upcoming piece on psychotherapy courses, but we’ll try to get it mentioned it here to, good point.
I am interested in your counseling training
Hi Adata, we don’t offer counselling training. We are a therapy practise who connects with clients with therapists. This is just an article on the different training available. All the best in finding a course that works for you.
Hello, would you have an updated article for courses for 2018-2019? This has been very helpful so far so any additional, more recent information will be highly appreciated.
Thank you and regards,
Sophia
Hi Sophia, we haven’t got one at the moment but it’s an idea for the future. But that said counselling schools don’t change that much, and it was only written one year ago so should be relevant. In any case deadlines would have all passed for 2018-19, most do their intake well in advance and they are very competitive so there are no last minute spots. So you’d be looking at 2019-2020 at this point, unless you sign up for a psychotherapy course. They are more expensive so have more last minute places.
Hi Harley – I was looking at the Regents University. Was wondering if you might know anything about them? Thanks! Anna
Hi Anna, we have an article on psychotherapy courses that talks about Regents, which does not offer a counselling certification. The article is here https://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/psychotherapy-training-courses-london.htm good luck!
Thanks Harley, will have a look!
by the way, thank you so much for all the articles. they are so helpful!
Glad to be of help!
Hello, I am interested in your input in experiential schools (art therapy, play therapy, sandplay, and so on). Thank you.
PS: I find your articles really useful. Grateful for that.
Hi Florina, unfortunately we aren’t experts on schools for experiential therapy as we don’t offer it in our company, but there are probably some good ones out there… maybe find a therapist who offers what you are interested in and look to see where they studied? Good luck!
This is a great post, thank you. I’m trying to choose which course/programme route to head down to do counselling or psychotherapy including the courses above. I wonder how much weight is put on the qualifications of a potential counsellor? How are the different qualifications or institutions regarded by employers or recruiters? E.g. would having the diploma from City Lit hold me back as compared to having the PGDip/MA from Uni of East London? They both bring full qualification and registration with BACP, but the later is a higher level qualification. Thank you!
Hi Nathan, many people who graduate from City Lit go on to do a MA elsewhere. This means you can qualify at a lower cost and see if you like working as a counsellor and then make the choice to do a MA or PhD. As for how things are regarded, that entirely depends on the employer, who also will look at things like your years of clinical practise and these days the reviews you have from clients. Other things to consider are that if you take a counselling course, you are a counsellor. If you take a psychotherapy course, you can call yourself a psychotherapist or a counsellor, if that matters to you. Finally, the model that is taking over is what we have on our harleytherapy.com platform, where as a therapist you register with large scale platforms representing therapists UK wide. So then what would matter more is how good of a therapist you are and reviews by clients, as it’s the clients hiring you not really the employer, once you pass qualifications to register on the site in the first place. So while at present the very high end companies on Harley Street generally look for a MA or PhD and years of experience, by the time you graduate they may be fewer or non existent. In summary, before you overthink this, go visit the schools. They all have open houses. You need to like the school and teachers. Then consider your budget and your level of certainty that this is the career for you. A large percentage of people who go to school to be a therapist never end up practising in the end. Aim to enjoy the experience, to develop into the best therapist you can be.
Thank you, that’s an incredibly helpful response!
Glad to be of help! We really again do urge you to contact schools. Open houses might understandably be on hold because of coronavirus, but see if they are doing any sort of virtual meet and greet or tours or ask when the next open house is. Training to be a counsellor or therapist can be a very intense experience, and you’ll spend a lot of time with your fellow students and at school, who all have their own ethics, politics, and setup. So you need to feel it’s the right one for you. Saving money, for example, is one thing, but if you don’t feel comfortable at the school or with the way they operate and end up dropping out you end up losing time, which is money.
Hello, I have a BSc Hons degree in Psychology from Birkbeck, University london, 1000hrs of experience as an assistant psychologist at CAMHS and a Grad Cert in Psychodynamic Practice, also from Birkbeck, what would be the most appropriate route for me to become a counsellor?
Hi Helena, given that you have an MA in psychodynamic practice, contact BACP and / or UKCP to see about registering and getting accredited. Then you can set up a private practice listing yourself on any of the directories. Best, HT.
Hi I’ve a Business and Marketing degree and PGCE and have been a teacher for 16 years but I am interested in training to be a psychotherapist. I would need to do that part time. Could you suggest the best route to do this? I have seen a psychology conversion course 2 years part time, is that necessary?
Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated
Hi Stephanie, if you want to be just a psychotherapist you don’t have to go the psychology route. You can, you can become a counselling psychologist and that is really the same job as a psychotherapist just a different education route. Or you can go directly to school to be a psychotherapist, doing 4 + years of training at a psychotherapy school. If you are on a low budget you can do 3+ years of counselling training which can be cheaper then do a psychotherapy MA at the end of that. Note that this all pertains only to the UK we have no idea about America or other countries which can be very different. All psychotherapy schools tend to only have classes once a week at most so students can also have jobs, as most students are older with some life experience. Even then it’s a lot of work, so they then also mostly offer a part-time pathway. Each school will clearly have their application requirements on their website. No psychotherapy or counselling school requires a psychology conversion course, instead you have to take an introduction to counselling or psychotherapy course which tends to be part time over 6 months. Best, HT.
This is a very useful resource. I didn’t quite understand that it means by the City Lit course not being accredited? Does that mean that if someone completes the level 3, they won’t be qualified to be a counsellor or they won’t be able to register with the BACP?
Hi there Mohammed, glad it’s helpful. So the BACP has a list on their site of schools they currently ‘acknowledge’. It changes all the time, so always worth going to their site to check updates, particularly as this article is now a few years old. Just because a school no longer has their accreditation doesn’t mean you can’t be accredited in the future when you put together your dossier and apply. It’s more that the BACP rates schools and keeps their list to keep them on their toes and living up to a standard, if that makes sense. Best, HT.
This was so incredibly helpful – thank you! I am currently doing my certificate course at a local college and I am looking into the diploma courses now so I can start applying. It is such a minefield to navigate! I really like both the psychodynamic and person-centred approaches, but it is difficult, as I don’t feel like I know either in-depth enough. Thank you for your help – I will keep hunting!
It’s definitely confusing, there is no doubt about that! It’s a really really good idea to visit the school’s ‘open houses’ when possible, of course with the pandemic that likely won’t be. If there is any sort of online way to meet teachers, it’s a good idea. Psychodynamic and person -centred are quite different, psychodynamic is very past focussed and person-centred tends to be a bit more on the present, on recognising the resources your client has, and being present for whatever they want to talk about. They could work together if you were an integrative therapist. So you could either take one and take an ‘add on course’ later on in the other kind of therapy, or you could go to a school that is integrative and covers both….What we’d suggest is also to just call up therapists who offer these modalities and just be honest that you are thinking of training yourself, then try some sessions. The best way to understand when it comes to therapy is to jump in, and if you are in therapy it will stand you in good stead for your entrance interviews ;). It’s almost always a question they ask, if you have tried therapy, are in therapy… One more note, in London the choice of psychodynamic/person centred is also a budget choice. You can do person centred at City Lit and end up with a counselling degree, then do an add on MA in psychotherapy, if you need to save money. Although where possible best to prioritise a school and school of thought you like. Best, HT.
This is such a helpful article – thank you! I am just starting to research how to become a counsellor. I have a degree in Applied Psych and a MSc in Psychoanalytic Developmental Psychology. Since graduating from my MSc I’ve worked in a SEN school and privately for a family supporting their son with ASD. I originally planned to go down the Ed Psych route but after 2 years of applying I didn’t get in but I’m thankful now as I don’t think it was the right path for me. I was looking at the part time doctorate in counselling at London Metropolitan University and wondered if you knew much about it? I will contact the schools above to enquire for tours and more info in my search for an intro to counselling course – great advice! Also, so you don’t need a doctorate to call yourself a counsellor or psychotherapist in the UK?
Many thanks again for a great article!
Hi there Oonagh, glad it was helpful. No, you don’t need a doctorate to be a counsellor or psychotherapist. In fact you don’t need a doctorate to be a therapist in any country that we are aware of, you simply need the training in being a counsellor or psychotherapist, a doctorate is an additional choice over a requirement. Unfortunately nobody in the office today went to London Metropolitan so we can’t give any useful feedback, but going to visit is a great idea, they usually have a student or graduate on hand to ask questions of as well, we aren’t sure how it works at the moment given the pandemic etc but we are sure the schools will have something in place. Best, HT.
Hi HT,
Really helpful article as others have all said. One more question about getting accredited by BACP. Should I complete a diploma at CityLit, how long would it then take to gain accreditation by BACP? And am I right in thinking that if I completed a diploma at an organisation that is BACP accredited e.g. Minster Centre, then I would be able to become a BACP accredited counsellor more quickly (due to having completed training at an accredited organisation)?. Thanks very much.
Hi there Jack, we highly advise you go to the BACP site where it explains in detail all you need to know. To become a registered therapist it’s really filling out an online multiple choice assessment, called ‘the certificate of proficiency’, if you didn’t go to a BACP accredited school. So not really a big deal if you have your heart set on a certain school that has recently lost accreditation. Accreditation as a therapist is not about what school you go to, you do need to have the training that counts including the right amount of hours in class etc, but accreditation then comes from the hours you have of client work and supervision etc. Again, all explained on the BACP site. If we are correct that’s probably still at 450 hours of client work, so more to do with how many clients you have and how much time you have for work etc. It does not come fast, it’s a lot of work and commitment to get accreditation over just being registered. The best advice we have here is to stop looking at ‘how fast’ and look at becoming a talk therapist as a journey you really, REALLY want to take. Being a therapist is not a get rich scheme, and the process, the training etc, is itself a path of self development that will be intense at times and involve you yourself doing therapy. Only a relatively small percentage of those who take training end up actually working as talk therapists, the rest end up realising they were actually on a journey of self, and though they thought they wanted to help others they just really needed to help themselves. Also note many people find the process so intense they decide to take a year out, or go part time over full time. Some people take up to seven years to be a fully qualified psychotherapist (although yes counselling can be faster). We don’t at all say this to be discouraging, but just as approaching it with speed in mind might be a red flag to question what your intent is here, is this the right journey? Also note that the competition for schools is VERY high, City Lit for example involves both personal interviews and group interviews and they reject a lot of people. So best to apply for several schools and hope one takes you and decide from there. Best, HT.
A couple of people mentioned Regent’s University, where I studied. It’s located in Regent’s Park itself, about a ten minute walk from Baker Street tube.
While the majority of the Regent’s student population are (rich) overseas students, this is not the case for the School of Psychology and Psychotherapy. The psychotherapy side was founded by a wonderful Existential therapist and academic called Emmy van Deurzen, and another English psychotherapist and academic Ernesto Spinelli. Get hold of Everyday Mysteries by van Deurzen for a wonderful view into the process of therapy, against a rigorous academic interpretation. It’s a short, hugely readable book. Emmy and Ernesto have moved on to focus on other things.
The school now covers a very rich academic and practice/experiential programme. (1) Psychoanalytic/ psychodynamic
(2) Existential
(3) integrative.
One full term on each, in year one, going through the founding thinkers and practitioners. Year two is current theory and practice..
All of the lecturers are practising therapists and I found all of them to be inspirational teachers. It’s a gruelling course, and frankly, it should be. We are being trained how to hold other people’s pain and confusion, how to support them and help them to navigate difficult (often harrowing) emotional issues, while holding onto ourselves throughout the process.
The academic side is hugely important to understand what school of thought/mode of practice appeals to you, and to frame and underpin your work as a therapist. The experiential work (from year two, in trainee placements as clinical practitioners in charities etc.) is likewise gruelling. You have to walk a path of openness with yourself and your course cohort and it is difficult. Also, the most rewarding and enriching experience of my life.
It’s expensive but it’s an MA at an incredibly well-regarded academic institution and, if you can afford it, it is worth every penny.
Oh, and they run the course starting in both September and January.
Thanks for the share Denise! We agree, it’s a good school. Best, HT.
Hi,
Your article has been very helpful but I was hoping to ask for some advice. I have an MSc Psychology (Conversion) from Birkbeck, and as I already studied there, I was hoping to pursue counselling there as well. Would I be able to proceed straight to their MSc counselling course? I know you mentioned financial concerns, as to why one may not want to pursue the academic route initially, but if putting financial considerations aside, which is the best route? Thank you!