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 BACP accredited 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.

Led by expert tutors at our Clapham, Tooting and Nine Elms centres in South London, this course is designed to support your personal and professional growth. Our fast track options are perfect for those ready to accelerate their journey into counselling. Enrol today and take the next step towards a meaningful new career.

April courses are now fully booked. Due to high demand, places fill quickly — our next courses begin in September 2026, and we strongly encourage early enrolment to secure your spot.

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

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.

APRIL 2026 COURSES ARE NOW FULLY BOOKED – VIEW TERM DATES.

Foundation Certificate in Counselling (Fast Track Evenings)

September 2026 – March 2027

Tuesday evenings and three weekends, for six months

Dates: 22^nd September – 9^th March 2027
Time: 18:00 – 21:30
Location: TAC Clapham
Fee: £2,600

ENROL TODAY

Please note dates are subject to change

Day	Tuesdays (6pm – 9:30pm)	Saturdays (10am – 5pm)	Sundays (10am – 5pm)
Class 1	22 September
Class 2	29 September
Class 3	06 October
Class 4	13 October
Class 5	20 October
Class 6	27 October
Weekend 1		31 October
Class 7, 8, 9, 10			01 November
Class 11	03 November
Class 12	10 November
Class 13	17 November
Class 14	24 November
Class 15	01 December
Class 16	08 December
Weekend 2		12 December
Class 17, 18, 19, 20			13 December
Class 21	15 December
WINTER BREAK
Class 22	12 January
Class 23	19 January
Class 24	26 January
Class 25	02 February
Class 26	09 February
Class 27	16 February
Weekend 3		20 February
Class 28, 29, 30, 31			21 February
Class 32	23 February
Class 33	02 March
Class 34	09 March

ENROL TODAY

Foundation Certificate in Counselling (Fast Track Evenings)

September 2026 – March 2027

Thursday evenings and three weekends, for six months

Dates: 24^th September 2026 – 11^th March 2027
Time: 18:00 – 21:30
Location: TAC Nine Elms
Fee: £2,600

ENROL TODAY

Please note dates are subject to change

Day	Thursday (6pm – 9:30pm)	Saturdays (10am – 5pm)	Sundays (10am – 5pm)
Class 1	24 September
Class 2	01 October
Class 3	08 October
Class 4	15 October
Class 5	22 October
Class 6	29 October
Weekend 1		31 October
Class 7, 8, 9, 10			01 November
Class 11	05 November
Class 12	12 November
Class 13	19 November
Class 14	26 November
Class 15	03 December
Class 16	10 December
Weekend 2		12 December
Class 17, 18, 19, 20			13 December
Class 21	17 December
WINTER BREAK
Class 22	14 January
Class 23	21 January
Class 24	28 January
Class 25	04 February
Class 26	11 February
Class 27	18 February
Weekend 3		20 February
Class 28. 29. 30, 31			21 February
Class 32	25 February
Class 33	04 March
Class 34	11 March

ENROL TODAY

Foundation Certificate in Counselling (Fast Track Evenings)

September 2026 – March 2027

Friday evenings and three weekends, for six months

Dates: 18^th September 2026 – 12^th March 2027
Time: 18:00 – 21:30
Location: TAC Tooting
Fee: £2,600

ENROL TODAY

Please note dates are subject to change

2026	Fridays (6pm to 9:30pm)	Saturdays (10am to 5pm)	Sundays (10am to 5pm)
MODULE 1
Class 1	18 September
Class 2	25 September
Weekend 1		26 September
Class 3, 4, 5, 6			27 September
Class 7	02 October
MODULE 2
Class 8	09 October
Class 9	16 October
Class 10	23 October
Class 11	30 October
Class 12	06 November
Class 13	13 November
Class 14	20 November
Class 15	27 November
Class 16	04 December
Weekend 2		05 December
Class 17. 18. 19. 20			06 December
MODULE 3
Class 21	11 December
WINTER BREAK
2027 Class 22	15 January
Class 23	22 January
Class 24	29 January
Class 25	05 February
Class 26	12 February
Weekend 3		13 February
Class 27. 28. 29. 30			14 February
Class 31	19 February
Class 32	26 February
Class 33	05 March
Class 34	12 March

ENROL TODAY

Foundation Certificate in Counselling (Fast Track Evenings)

September 2026 – March 2027

Friday evenings and three weekends, for six months

Dates: 18^th September 2026 – 12^th March 2027
Time: 18:00 – 21:30
Location: TAC Clapham
Fee: £2,600

ENROL TODAY

Please note dates are subject to change

2026	Fridays (6pm – 9:30pm)	Saturdays (10am – 5pm)	Sundays (10am – 5pm)
MODULE 1
Class 1	18 September
Weekend 1		19 September
Class 2, 3, 4, 5			20 September
Class 6	25 September
Class 7	02 October
MODULE 2
Class 8	09 October
Class 9	16 October
Class 10	23 October
Class 11	30 October
Class 12	06 November
Class 13	13 November
Class 14	20 November
Class 15	27 November
Class 16	04 December
Weekend 2		05 December
Class 17. 18. 19. 20			06 December
MODULE 3
Class 21	11 December
WINTER BREAK
2027 Class 22	15 January
Class 23	22 January
Class 24	29 January
Class 25	05 February
Class 26	12 February
Weekend 3		13 February
Class 27. 28. 29. 30			14 February
Class 31	19 February
Class 32	26 February
Class 33	05 March
Class 34	12 March

ENROL TODAY

Foundation Certificate in Counselling (Fast Track Evenings)

September 2026 – March 2027

Friday evenings and three weekends, for six months

Dates: 18^th September 2026 – 12^th March 2027
Time: 18:00 – 21:30
Location: TAC Nine Elms
Fee: £2,600

ENROL TODAY

Please note dates are subject to change

2026	Fridays (6pm to 9:30pm)	Saturdays (10am – 5pm)	Sundays (10am – 5pm)
MODULE 1
Class 1	18 September
Weekend 1		19 September
Class 2, 3, 4, 5			20 September
Class 6	25 September
Class 7	02 October
MODULE 2
Class 8	09 October
Class 9	16 October
Weekend 2		17 October
Class 10, 11, 12, 13			18 October
Class 14	23 October
Class 15	30 October
Class 16	06 November
Class 17	13 November
Class 18	20 November
Class 19	27 November
Class 20	04 December
MODULE 3
Class 21	11 December
WINTER BREAK
2027 Class 22	15 January
Class 23	22 January
Class 24	29 January
Weekend 3		30 January
Class 25, 26, 27, 28			31 January
Class 29	05 February
Class 30	12 February
Class 31	19 February
Class 32	26 February
Class 33	05 March
Class 34	12 March

ENROL TODAY

Payment options

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

Fast-track 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. Your statutory rights remain unaffected and are detailed in the contract you will receive upon enrolment.

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 thoroughly enjoyed my time at TAC. My tutor Bonny, not only is she such a warm, bubbly character, she is also exceptionally knowledgeable about the counselling course she lead. We her students mattered to her. Bonny is passionate about what she does, and she takes her students along with her.. I have learnt so much on this foundation course, and it has changed me for the better as a person. I would thoroughly recommend anyone who is thinking about enrolling on a counselling course, to enrol with TAC. I promise you will not regret it. I look forward to going on to study the Diploma level with TAC too.

C.K-K

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 exceeded my expectations! The course content is well-structured, and The Awareness Centre’s learning experiences are well-balanced between theory and practical tasks. Karen Dempsey, our tutor, is an experienced and competent counsellor who provided us with numerous examples from her own work. She expertly guided our group, resulting in lively debates and in-depth learning. As a result, the vast majority of us have chosen to enrol in The Awareness Centre’s Counselling Diploma Programme. This training comes highly recommended!

A.G