HND Counselling
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HND Counselling
Overview
Counsellors play a crucial role in improving the health and wellbeing of our society. The Higher National Diploma in Counselling is taught by practising, experienced, and professionally registered counsellors, using a range of assessment methods including case studies, essays, and reflective accounts.
To be eligible for this programme, candidates must have successfully achieved the HNC in Counselling qualification.
Throughout the course, students attend college two days per week and are also required to complete a minimum of 100 hours of supervised counselling practice as part of their professional training. The placement element often extends beyond the one year taught element of the course.
On successful completion, students will hold a qualification that meets the training requirements for membership of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) — the professional body that sets standards for counselling and psychotherapy in the UK.
Entry
Entry Requirements and Expectations
To be eligible, applicants must have successfully completed a full-time HNC in Counselling.
Important notes:
Successful candidates need to get student membership of the BACP and have the right indemnity insurance before starting direct practice. A PVG Disclosure is also required. While personal therapy is recommended, it’s not mandatory. During the course, students must complete at least 100 hours of supervised placement and 400 taught hours to be eligible for the BACP Certificate of Proficiency (CoP) online exam. You’ll arrange a placement in a formal counselling setting once enrolled — there’s no need to contact placements beforehand.
Candidates should be self-aware, emotionally mature, and open to learning from life experience. You should be able to reflect on your own development, manage the emotional and academic challenges of the course, and build supportive, helping relationships with others. It’s also important to be open to feedback, aware of issues around equality and diversity, and willing to seek personal and professional support when needed.
Additional course costs may include supervision fees, travel expenses to and from placement, study materials, and BACP student membership. Further information on BACP Student registration is available on their website.
Learn
Some of the subjects you will study:
- Values and Principles of Practice
- Self Evaluation for Counsellors
- Supervised Practice
- Personal Development in a Therapeutic Setting
- Group Experience: Humanistic Approach
- Research Skills
- Contemporary Humanistic and Pluralistic Counselling Theories
- Psychopathology
- Professional Standards
- Working with Addictive Behaviour
- Working with Substance Misuse
- Graded Unit
