Starting out in
counselling training.
FOUNDATION IN COUNSELLING SKILLS
A substantial introduction to counselling skills, self-awareness and reflective practice for people beginning their counselling journey.
Learn through teaching, discussion, live skills practice, reflection and feedback in a small, supportive group environment.
Starting January 13th 2027
9.30am - 2.30pm
Isleworth,
West London
Small group learning
18-week course
Is this course for you?
This course is designed for people who want to understand themselves and others more deeply while developing practical counselling and communication skills. It sits at the stage commonly associated with Level 2 counselling.
It is an independently designed Level 2-equivalent foundation programme, providing a strong basis for personal development, professional use and further counselling study.
It runs every Wednesday morning 9.30am-2.30pm for 18 weeks.
No previous counselling training required.
Exploring counselling
You may be curious about counselling and want to understand more about how people think, feel and relate. This course offers a grounded introduction to counselling skills and the kind of reflective learning that sits behind them.
Working with people
You may already work in a role where listening, communication and relationships matter. This course can help you become more thoughtful and skilful in the way you respond to others, while developing a clearer sense of boundaries and responsibility.
Developing personally
You may be interested in understanding yourself more deeply — your patterns, assumptions, responses and ways of relating. Personal development is an important part of counselling skills training and runs alongside the practical learning throughout the course.
Considering further training
You may be thinking about progressing towards professional counsellor training in the future. This course is designed to give you a strong foundation in counselling skills, self-awareness and reflective practice before progressing to the next stage of counselling training.
The shape of the course.
WEEKLY CLASSES
One taught session each Wednesday, with time between sessions for reflection and independent learning.
FACE-TO-FACE
Learning combines teaching, discussion, skills practice, personal reflection and feedback.
SMALL GROUP LEARNING
A limited group size gives everyone space to participate, practise and contribute.
SPRING GROVE HOUSE
Training takes place in person at Spring Grove House, Isleworth.
WHAT YOU'LL EXPLORE
A deeper understanding of people, and how we relate.
Across the course, you’ll begin to develop the core skills used within helping relationships — listening attentively, responding, reflecting, paraphrasing, summarising and using questions thoughtfully.
Alongside the practical skills, you’ll explore empathy, boundaries, confidentiality and ethical awareness, while considering how your own values, assumptions and experiences can influence the way you listen and relate to others.
You’ll also be introduced to some of the ideas and theory that underpin counselling practice, and begin connecting what you learn in the classroom with what happens between people in real interactions.
ASSESSMENT & COMPLETION
How you'll be assessed.
Assessment gives you the opportunity to demonstrate how your understanding and counselling skills have developed throughout the course.
You'll complete:
Live skills assessment
An observed helping-skills session where you can demonstrate the skills you've developed during the course.
Written assessment
A short written assessment exploring key ideas from the course and your understanding of counselling skills and practice.
You'll also have one opportunity to resit an assessment if needed.
Your foundation certificate.
Learners who successfully complete the course and meet the attendance and assessment requirements will receive The Frederick School Foundation in Counselling Skills certificate, confirming 90 guided learning hours of Level 2-equivalent counselling skills training.
Where can the certificate in
counselling skills take you?
Personal and professional development
Counselling skills can be valuable for many different reasons. For some learners, this course is the beginning of a longer training journey towards becoming a counsellor. For others, the aim is to become a more thoughtful, confident and effective communicator within the work they already do.
The listening, communication, relational and self-awareness skills developed through counselling training can complement work in areas such as healthcare and social care, education, HR and people management, mental-health and wellbeing support, advocacy, youth and community work, support services, volunteering and other roles involving people.
They can help you approach difficult conversations more thoughtfully, listen with greater attention, recognise boundaries and respond to people without immediately moving into advice-giving or problem-solving.
Continuing your counselling training
If counselling itself becomes the direction you want to pursue, the Certificate in Counselling Skills provides a foundation for further study. The usual next stage is Level 3, where counselling skills, theory, ethics and self-awareness are developed in greater depth before progressing towards practitioner-level training.
The Frederick School offers Level 3-equivalent training for learners who are ready to continue that journey.
Counselling training is something you take part in - not something you simply attend.
This is an experiential course. Regular attendance matters, and you'll be expected to take an active part in discussion, paired work and live counselling-skills practice.
Counselling training also involves learning about yourself - noticing your own responses, assumptions and ways of relating, and being open to feedback as your skills develop.
You don't need to arrive confident or already knowing how to counsel. What matters is a willingness to participate, reflect, practise and learn alongside others in a supportive group.
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT
You'll need to attend at least 16 of the 18 sessions to successfully complete the course.