How to Train as a Counsellor: Choosing the Right Path with CPCAB and BACP Approval

Training to become a counsellor is not just an academic exercise - it is an apprenticeship of the heart. It demands patience, curiosity, and courage; a willingness to listen, not only to others, but to oneself. The route may seem confusing at first, with its various qualifications, awarding bodies, and professional memberships, but with the right guidance, it unfolds as a deeply transformative path.

Begin with the Right Foundation

In the UK, one of the most respected and accessible routes into counselling is through CPCAB (Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body) qualifications. CPCAB courses are specifically designed for those wishing to develop as professional counsellors, and they are widely recognised by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) - the leading professional body in the field.

A typical training pathway might look like this:

1. Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills – an introduction to the art of listening and presence; learning to hear beneath words.

2. Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies – where theory, ethics, and reflective practice begin to intertwine with developing skills.

3. Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling – a two-year professional qualification that includes supervised client work and prepares you for membership with the BACP.

Each stage is designed not only to train your mind, but to shape your way of being with others - and with yourself.

BACP: The Gold Standard of Ethical Practice

The BACP sets the ethical and professional standards that underpin counselling in the UK. Training on a BACP-approved or aligned course ensures that your learning meets the criteria for registration and future accreditation.

After qualifying, you can apply to become a Registered Member (MBACP) - a mark of professionalism that shows clients and employers that you are working within recognised ethical frameworks and standards of competence.

Other Professional Bodies

While the BACP is the most widely recognised, it is not the only governing body. Depending on your interests or therapeutic orientation, you may also consider:

• NCS (National Counselling Society) – known for its inclusive approach and accessible training routes.

• UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy) – a natural progression for those who later wish to undertake longer-term or integrative psychotherapy training.

• COSCA (Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland) – for those based in Scotland, with its own highly regarded standards and frameworks.

Each has its own pathways, but all share the same commitment: safe, ethical, and effective practice.

Choosing the Right Course and Modality

When choosing your course, it’s important to consider not only the practical details - cost, location, and placement opportunities - but also the modality, or theoretical approach, being taught.

There are many modalities in counselling - Person-Centred, Psychodynamic, Gestalt, Transactional Analysis, CBT, Integrative, and more. Each offers a different lens through which to understand human experience.

Before committing, take time to research these approaches: read introductory texts, attend open days, or listen to practitioners speak about their philosophy and style. You’ll begin to sense which language of therapy resonates with you most.

That said, my own view - shared by many in the profession - is that the Person-Centred approach provides the best grounding for anyone beginning this journey. Rooted in the work of Carl Rogers, it emphasises empathy, authenticity, and unconditional positive regard - the very attitudes that form the foundation of all therapeutic relationships. Once qualified in a Person-Centred modality, you can always extend and refine your practice through Continuing Professional Development (CPD), exploring other schools of thought with confidence and discernment.

Good training doesn’t confine you; it equips you with the roots from which to grow.

Part II: A Personal Reflection – The Inner Journey

Looking back, I often say that training as a counsellor was one of the most profound - and one of the hardest - experiences of my life.
The classroom was not just a place of learning; it was a mirror. Each session seemed to hold up a reflection of who I was, what I feared, and how I related to the world.

The introspection demanded by the training - the journals, the process groups, the self-analyses - can be relentless. You are asked, again and again, to turn inward, to understand your own shadows before sitting with someone else’s. There were times when I felt raw, exposed, and unsure whether I wanted to continue. Yet, it was precisely through that discomfort that growth occurred.

You begin to notice subtle shifts.
Your conversations change.
Your tolerance for inauthenticity lessens.
The way you see relationships - with colleagues, friends, lovers, even family - begins to alter.

Some of those relationships will not survive the course. It is not because they were bad or wrong, but because you have changed. Training as a counsellor reconfigures your inner landscape. It deepens empathy but also heightens awareness - and with awareness comes choice. Some connections deepen beautifully; others fade quietly. It is part of the cost and the gift of becoming a counsellor.

By the end of the training, you may find yourself less certain of who you are, but more honest about what truly matters. That is the quiet alchemy of this work.

In Closing

To train as a counsellor is to embark upon a pilgrimage - part professional qualification, part personal transformation. The CPCAB and BACP pathways provide a trusted and ethical route, but the real training happens in the heart: in the slow practice of listening, reflecting, and daring to meet both yourself and others with compassion.

It is not an easy path. But if you feel called to it, it will change you - and through you, it may change the world in small, immeasurable ways.