Foundation Certificate in Counselling

Equivalent to a Level 3

Take your first steps towards becoming a counsellor with our Foundation Certificate in Counselling. This Level 3 equivalent course fulfils the entry requirements for our Diploma in Integrative Counselling. You will learn a diverse range of models and approaches to counselling, develop your self-awareness, and enhance your interpersonal and communication skills, empowering you to make a real difference in people’s lives. Designed and run by specialists in the therapy field, our highly experienced tutors deliver this face-to-face course at our Clapham and Tooting training centres in South London. Embark on this rewarding career path and enrol today.

Our next course starts on 13th March 2026. Courses can become oversubscribed, so we encourage early enrolment.

[email protected]

Foundation Certificate in Counselling: Course Content Overview

The Foundation Certificate in Counselling is delivered in three modules across two or three terms, each including the following main components:

Theory lectures and discussion groups
Skills practice workshops
Personal development activities

Module 1: Helping & Counselling

This module focuses on developing your understanding of what counselling is and is not and includes a workshop on how to write essays using Harvard Referencing:

What do we understand by counselling?
How does counselling differ from other forms of help?
Who can be helped by counselling?
Standards and ethics in counselling
The ‘core conditions’ of the person-centred model in counselling

Module 2: Ethics / Basic Human Development

This module introduces the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Profession (2018) and provides an overview of some key contributors in the field of basic human development:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Erikson’s psychosocial model
Freud’s psychosexual model

Module 3: Modalities of Counselling

This module of the counselling certificate introduces a range of theoretical models, including:

Gestalt Therapy
Transactional Analysis
Psychodynamic Therapy
Solution Focused Therapy
An introduction to clinical supervision in counselling

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about the training process, our team is here to answer them – big or small. Don’t hesitate to call us!

020 3051 8235

Course Fees

Our Foundation Certificate courses contain the same amount of class time and assessments. The accelerated foundation course enables you to complete the course in a shorter time and (on successful completion) move on to our Diploma course without a break. This would be a suitable option for you if you are keen to train as a counsellor in a shorter period and can commit more concentrated time to your studies.

Courses can become oversubscribed, so we encourage early enrolment. Places on each intake will be offered to applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.

Our September 2025 courses are now all full.

Foundation Certificate in Counselling (Accelerated Evenings)

March 2026 – July 2026

Friday evenings and four weekends, for four months

Dates: 13^th March – 19^th July 2026
Time: 18:00 – 21:30
Location: TAC Tooting
Fee: £2,600

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 30^th JANUARY – ENROL TODAY

Please note dates are subject to change

MODULE 1	Fridays (6pm – 9:30pm)	Saturdays (10am – 5pm)	Sundays (10am – 5pm)
Class 1	13^th March
Class 2	20^th March
Weekend One		28^th March
Class 4,5,6,7			29^th March
Class 7	27^th March
MODULE 2
Class 8	17^th April
Class 9	24^th April
Class 10	1^st May
Class 11	8^th May
Class 12	15^th May
Weekend Two		16^th May
Class 13, 14, 15, 16			17^th May
Class 17	22^nd May
Class 18	29^th May
Class 19	5^th June
MODULE 3
Class 20	12^th June
Class 21	19^th June
Weekend Three		20^th June
Class 22, 23, 24, 25			21^st June
Class 26	26^th June
Class 27	3^rd July
Class 28	10^th July
Class 29	17^th July
Weekend Four		18^th July
Class 30, 31, 32, 33			19^th July

ENROL TODAY

Foundation Certificate in Counselling (Accelerated Evenings)

March 2026 – July 2026

Friday evenings and four weekends, for four months

Dates: 13^th March – 19^th July 2026
Time: 18:00 – 21:30
Location: TAC Clapham
Fee: £2,600

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 30^th JANUARY – ENROL TODAY

Please note dates are subject to change

2026 MODULE 1	Fridays (6pm – 9:30pm)	Saturdays (10am – 5pm)	Sundays (10am – 5pm)
Class 1	13th March
Class 2	20th March
Weekend One		21st March
Class 3,4,5,6			22nd March
Class 7	27th March
EASTER BREAK 30 March – 10 April
MODULE 2
Class 8	17th April
Class 9	24th April
Class 10	1st May
Class 13, 14, 15, 16			2nd May
Class 13, 14, 15, 16			3rd May
Class 11	8th May
Class 12	15th May
Weekend Two		16th May
Class 17	22nd May
Class 18	29th May
Class 19	5th June
MODULE 3
Class 20	12th June
Class 21	19th June
Weekend Three		20th June
Class 22, 23, 24, 25			21st June
Class 26	26th June
Class 27	3rd July
Class 28	10th July
Class 29	17th July
Weekend Four		18th July
Class 30, 31, 32, 33			19th July

ENROL TODAY

Foundation Certificate in Counselling (Accelerated Evenings)

March 2026 – August 2026

Monday evenings and four weekends, for five months

Dates: 14^th March – 24^th August 2026
Time: 18:00 – 21:30
Location: TAC Tooting
Fee: £2,600

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 30^th JANUARY – ENROL TODAY

Please note dates are subject to change

MODULE 1	Mondays (6pm – 9:30pm)	Saturdays (10am – 5pm)	Sundays (10am – 5pm)
Weekend One		14^th March
Class 1, 2, 3, 4			15^th March
Class 5	16^th March
Class 6	23^rd March
EASTER BREAK
MODULE 2
Class 7	20^th April
Class 8	27^th April
Weekend Two		9^th May
Class 9, 10, 11, 12			10^th May
Class 13	11^th May
Class 14	18^th May
Class 15	1^st June
Class 16	8^th June
Class 17	15^th June
Class 18	22^nd June
Class 19	29^th June
MODULE 3
Weekend Three		4^th July
Class 20, 21, 22, 23			5^th July
Class 24	6^th July
Class 25	13^th July
Class 26	20^th July
Class 27	27^th July
Class 28	10^th August
Class 29	17^th August
Weekend Four		23^rd August
Class 30, 31, 32, 33			24^th August

ENROL TODAY

Foundation Certificate in Counselling (Accelerated Weekends)

March 2026 – August 2026

Saturdays and Sundays, for five months

Dates: 21^st March – 16^th August 2026
Time: 10:00 – 16:00
Location: TAC Tooting
Fee: £2,600

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 30th JANUARY – ENROL TODAY

Please note dates are subject to change

MODULE 1	Saturdays (10am – 4pm)	Sundays (10am – 4pm)
Class 1	21^st March
Class 2		22^nd March
EASTER BREAK
Class 3	11^th April
Class 4		12^th April
Class 5	25^th April
Class 6		26^th April
Class 7	30^th May
Class 8		31^st May
MODULE 2
Class 9	13^th June
Class 10		14^th June
Class 11	27^th June
Class 12		28^th June
Class 13	11^th July
Class 14		12 July
MODULE 3
Class 15	25^th July
Class 16		26^th July
Class 17	1^st August
Class 18		2^nd August
Class 19	15^th August
Class 20		16^th August

ENROL TODAY

Foundation Certificate in Counselling (Evenings)

April 2026 – March 2027

Thursday evenings, for eleven months

Dates: 23^rd April 2026 – 25^th March 2027
Time: 18:00 – 21:00
Location: TAC Tooting
Fee: £2,600

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 30^th JANUARY – ENROL TODAY

Please note dates are subject to change

2026 MODULE 1	Thursdays (6pm – 9pm)
Class 1	23^rd April
Class 2	30^th April
Class 3	7^th May
Class 4	14^th May
Class 5	21^st May
Class 6	28^th May
Class 7	4^th June
Class 8	11^th June
Class 9	18^th June
Class 10	25^th June
Class 11	2^nd July
Class 12	9^th July
Class 13	16^th July
Class 14	23^rd July
SUMMER BREAK
MODULE 2
Class 15	10^th September
Class 16	17^th September
Class 17	24^th September
Class 18	1^st October
Class 19	8^th October
Class 20	15^th October
Class 21	22^nd October
Class 22	29^th October
Class 23	5^th November
Class 24	12^th November
Class 25	19^th November
Class 26	26^th November
Class 27	4^th December
Class 28	11^th December
WINTER BREAK
2027 MODULE 3
Class 29	7^th January
Class 30	14^th January
Class 31	21^st January
Class 32	28^th January
Class 33	4^th February
Class 34	11^th February
Class 35	18^th February
Class 36	25^th February
Class 37	4^th March
Class 38	11^th March
Class 39	18^th March
Class 40	25^th March

ENROL TODAY

Payment options

Full payment: Initial deposit of £350 required on course agreement. Balance payment £2,250. Total – £2,600

Monthly payment: Initial deposit of £350 required on course agreement. 10 x monthly instalments of £250 by direct debit. Total – £2,850. (This increased fee includes administration costs).

Accelerated course full payment: Initial deposit of £450 required on course agreement. Balance payment £2150. Total – £2,600.

Accelerated course monthly payment: Initial deposit of £450 required on course agreement. 5 x monthly instalments of £480 by direct debit. Total – £2850. (This increased fee includes administration costs).

All fees are inclusive of 20% VAT. Deposits are non-refundable.

If you have any questions, give us a call to talk through course and payment plans on 020 3051 8235.

FIND OUT MORE

If you would like any further information, please contact the Training School team at [email protected] or call 020 3051 8235.

STUDENT REVIEWS ENROL TODAY

Our Foundation Certificate in Counselling offers a comprehensive overview of counselling in practice by discussing different theoretical approaches and processing your learning in skills practice. Students will explore their personal development within the group and write reflective journals to support their counselling journey.

To complete the course, students must attend 80% of the training and pass two written assignments of 3000 words. Students are supported by their lead tutor and peers throughout the course by having the space to reflect and process feedback. Students will also meet with their tutors for end of module tutorials. Our management team has an ‘open door policy’ to discuss any practical matters concerning your course.

To complete the course you will need to:

Attend 80% of the training
Complete a personal development journal
Demonstrate satisfactory progress in theoretical understanding, counselling skills practice, personal development, and how theory relates to personal experience. You’ll receive reflections and feedback from your tutor and peers throughout the course
Submit end-of-module reflective views
Complete and pass two assignments (3000 words each)
Attend end-of-module tutorials
Be in personal therapy or have a minimum of twelve sessions of counselling with a qualified therapist during the first term of your course. (Students will fund their personal therapy)

Academic Writing Assistance (optional)

TAC works with Ash Phipps to give students access to tuition in academic writing. Ash has 10 years’ experience teaching study skills strategies to students who want to develop their writing skills and specialises in SpLDs (dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, ADD, Autism).

For any further questions and fees, please call 020 3051 8235 or email [email protected]

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about the training process, our team is here to answer them – big or small. Don’t hesitate to call us!

020 3051 8235

Counselling: Course FAQs

Who does the teaching?

We ensure that all of our tutors are experienced counselling professionals. During the counselling course, you will attend face-to-face skills workshops and lectures provided by our specialist faculty. We strive to provide you with the most valuable training experience possible. Find out more about the faculty here.

Who can apply for TAC’s Foundation Certificate in Counselling?

You don’t need any previous qualifications or experience to enrol on this course.

What is the Enrolment Process?

Firstly, complete the online enrolment form, which includes a personal statement. You will then be invited to an online interview with a senior member of the Training School team. The interview is structured to give all students a similar experience. You will be asked questions to ensure that you have the time availability and emotional maturity to be able to commit to making the course a success.

How long is the Foundation Certificate in Counselling course?

Our Foundation Certificate in Counselling runs from one of our centres in Clapham or Tooting, south London. It is a part-time course, which provides 100 guided learning hours over ten months (or six months if on the accelerated course). You will attend face-to-face workshops and other training sessions during weekends throughout the year.

Will I gain practical experience too?

Yes. You’ll be practising counselling/helping skills with your peers throughout the course while also learning about clear, professional boundaries.

What can I study after the Foundation Certificate?

Following this course, you can enrol on the Diploma in Integrative Counselling and qualify as a professional counsellor. If you’re not sure about your next steps, you can always speak to a member of our team who will be able to answer your questions.

FIND OUT MORE

If you would like any further information, please contact the Training School team at [email protected] or call 020 3051 8235.

STUDENT REVIEWS ENROL TODAY

Student Reviews

Our Foundation Certificate in Counselling students have provided some great feedback on what developing your counselling skills can be like at The Awareness Centre. Read about their experience at The Awareness Centre Training School.

I started the Certificate in Counselling course with The Awareness Centre in January and I’ve enjoyed it so much. I feel I have learned so much in such a short time. Our tutor Bonny is excellent and is always ready to answer questions with a wealth of experience and knowledge; her passion for Counselling and for teaching our course really shines through. I’m lucky that I get to share the course with some brilliant people too, we have such a diverse and interesting group; I’ve really learned so much from everyone I’m working with.

Through the course my own personal development has been really interesting – to recognise my strengths but also areas that I was not aware of that needed more improvement, but this has still been a very positive process for me and I believe that although the work is always ongoing; I am a much better person for this course and look forward to continuing working on myself to become a good Counsellor in the future.

The training team has been excellent and very supportive and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend both TAC and the course to anyone.

W.B

I am completing the Foundation Certificate in Counselling in September; it has been a great experience so far. I enjoy the fact that it is both theoretical and practical. I enjoy the group sessions; the sessions provide the opportunity to learn from other students and practice your counselling skills without judgment. It has only been three months since I started the course, but I am already learning a lot about myself, which is vital to being a successful counsellor. The course tutor, Patrizia, is very knowledgeable; she has years of experience and is approachable.

I.C

The Foundation Course has been a great introduction to counselling, and the mix of theory, personal development and skills work keeps the sessions really engaging and rewarding. The tutors are very welcoming and enthusiastic, and I feel like I’m getting a lot out of the course.

Helen