Across our society today, we’re increasingly looking to counselling services as a way to cope with the trials of daily life. Whether we’re trying to heal from traumatic experiences in our past or we’re simply navigating the day to day challenges that we all face, counselling can provide the techniques and strategies to help us to both survive and thrive.
If you feel like a career in counselling is your calling, then you might feel overwhelmed by the various routes you can take into this profession. In particular, you may find that a university or college course isn’t suitable for you, either due to time constraints or the pressure of examinations.
In these contexts, a Key Counselling Training course could provide you with the skills and resources you need to excel in the mental health industry. Read on to find out more about our Level 4 Diploma in particular, with a look at the content you’ll learn and the advantages of choosing this course.
What You Will Learn
In order to undertake our Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, you will need to have completed up to our Level 3 certificate.
The Level 4 course blends two key methods of therapy:
Transactional Analysis - A Freudian approach that explores the self and how the patient communicates with others, where this involves an analysis of the ego states.
Gestalt Therapy - An approach which focuses on the whole person rather than individual components, with an emphasis on the present moment and personal responsibility.
We will teach you both these models in order to help you to practise as a well-rounded, integrative counsellor.
As a part of this course, we will cover a wide range of counselling concepts and specialisms, including:
● Legal & ethical issues
● Safeguarding & mental health assessments
● Diversity & cultural awareness
● Cycles of development & perception
Level 4 Diploma Units
We’ve broken down this counselling course into units to make the learning process easier to understand. As such, the diploma consists of the following parts:
Unit 1: Professional Organisational Issues in Counselling
Unit 2: Power & Diversity
Unit 3: Theory & Philosophy - Transactional Analysis, Person Centred Approach, Gestalt
Unit 4: Advanced Counselling Skills with Theoretical Applications
Unit 5: Self-Awareness & Personal Development
Unit 6: Research
Unit 7: Counselling Placement & Portfolio
The Qualification Process
A stand-out feature of our course is that it is exam-free. Instead of studying for long hours and memorising factual information, your goal will be to complete a portfolio of placement hours in order to qualify for your diploma.
More specifically, you will need to achieve 100 hours of supervised practice. When you work with us, we can provide you with up to 45 hours of practice time, where we can then assist you in finding a location to complete your hours at a placement near you.
In addition to this, you will also be required to complete written assignments of 3000+ words, where specific instructions will vary according to the question you undertake.
At Key Counselling Training, we’re proud of the flexible learning opportunities we provide for our trainees. We deliver 30% of this course online via a remote learning platform, while the remaining 70% will be delivered via in-person teaching.
Our teaching approach can also be adapted according to specific needs and requirements, where we may be able to offer weekend and evening classes if necessary.
Once you’ve completed all the requirements for this course, you will receive 62 OFQUAL credits.
Where Level 4 Can Take You
Completing this advanced counselling course will help to cement your professional standing in the mental health industry, where you can expect to feel more confident in your skill set going forward.
In particular, undertaking the Level 4 Diploma will result in the following benefits:
After Enrollment
Upon enrollment on this course, you will be able to access 25 hours of personal therapy included in the cost of your training. We believe that the best counsellors also look after their own mental health, where working with another qualified professional in the industry can help to ensure that you’re in the best place to support other people.
Membership Bodies
After beginning your counselling placement, you will be eligible to apply for the counselling membership body of your choosing. You may wish to choose from the BACP, UKCP or the NCPS.
Joining a professional body helps to show potential patients that you’ve undertaken a high standard of training, whilst your chosen organisation can also offer career development opportunities and professional guidance.
Job Opportunities
Once you’ve achieved your Level 4 Diploma, you will be an industry-recognised, qualified counsellor. As such, you will be able to use your membership body status to find a career with an established organisation, or you can choose to set up your own private practice.
Further Qualifications
Additionally, once you’re qualified you may wish to pursue further career development courses with Key Counselling Training. This may be your preferred next step if you’re hoping to specialise further, or if you’d like to cement what you’ve learnt so far.
You might choose to undergo Integrative Psychotherapy Training, allowing you to deepen your theoretical knowledge and develop your technical approach. Learners on this course will find out more about attachment theory, trauma vulnerability and group therapy methods, as well as a variety of other specialist topics.
Alongside or instead of this, you could also pursue our Supervision Diploma, which will allow you to provide supervision to our upcoming learners. This will enable you to share what you’ve learnt with other students, helping to encourage the next wave of aspiring counsellors in their career journey.
Specialist Training Days
We want to give you ample opportunity to specialise in your counselling career, which is why we offer an additional perk in the form of free training days with our experts.
Upon completion of your Level 4 Diploma, you will be eligible for 7 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training sessions, helping you to grow your knowledge base and learn more about particular mental health treatments.
There are a range of CPD events on offer that you can choose from once you qualify, where some of our training day topics include:
● Understanding Eating Disorders
● Understanding Substance Misuse & Addictions
● Phobia Cure Techniques
● Tackling Imposter Syndrome
● Bonding & Attachment Theory
These training days will vary depending on demand and availability, so it is always best to check with our course providers ahead of time to see what we currently have on offer.
Key Counselling Training: Industry Recognised Courses To Further Your Career
Our Level 4 Diploma in Counselling is designed to give you a deep understanding of therapeutic treatment and techniques, helping you to support your clients and patients with confidence.
Whether you aspire to work within an existing organisation or you want to set up your own counselling business, this course can provide you with the foundational understanding you need to succeed as a mental health professional.
This Level 4 Counselling Course with online and in-person learning will help you to acquire a profound knowledge base without the pressure of exams or traditional teaching hours. As such, we hope you will feel confident to undertake this councillor course whatever your circumstances or limitations.
We also offer Counselling Level 2 training online, as well as Level 3 Certificates, helping you to boost your knowledge base as you pursue our more advanced diplomas.
In 2024, we won numerous awards for our courses, including Most Engaging Counselling Training Provider. This demonstrates our commitment to your learning experience, where we endeavour to support our counsellors every step of the way.
We encourage you to reserve your place on the Level 4 course as soon as possible to ensure that you don’t miss out, as the number of places we can offer will be limited. Please be aware that a non-refundable deposit will be required when you book, following the completion of our interview process.
Get in touch with us today to find out more about our training, where our expert team will be on-hand to answer your questions before you decide on a particular course.