Counselling Courses - Your Training Pathway
Professional counselling training and personal development. Built for real people and real life.
If you’re drawn to helping others whether personally or professionally, counselling training can be a powerful place to start.
At Three Pillars Training, our counselling pathway supports people who want to develop strong communication skills, deeper self-awareness and ethical helping skills, whether they are exploring counselling as a profession or strengthening their effectiveness in a helping role.
This pathway is suitable both for those considering becoming a counsellor and for those who want meaningful personal and professional development that enhances confidence, relationships and employability.
Courses approved by:
“In my experience some counselling tutors are good therapists but can be poor tutors and do not manage courses or learners very well. I feel this is different and Sharon holds the course with confidence in turn making me feel supported.”
A Clear, Supported Route into Counselling and Personal Development
Our counselling courses follow a clear, progressive pathway, allowing learning to deepen in a way that builds understanding, confidence and capability over time. Whether your aim is personal growth, enhanced employability or professional counselling training, this pathway offers clarity and structure at each stage, allowing informed decisions as you progress.
Level 2 is helping-focused. It develops core listening and communication skills, emotional awareness and ethical boundaries that are valuable across many personal and professional contexts.
Level 3 moves into studying counselling itself introducing counselling theory, frameworks, ethics, supervision and professional understanding while carrying forward and strengthening the skills developed at Level 2.
Level 4 Therapeutic Counselling
Level 4 is practitioner training for those progressing towards client work, with appropriate readiness, placement support and ethical grounding.
Training That Respects the Person You Already Are
Many of our learners are:
Working professionals seeking a more meaningful direction
Already in helping, support or people-facing roles
Interested in counselling after their own experiences of personal growth or therapy
Looking for training that fits alongside work, family and existing commitments
You don’t need to be “the finished article” before you begin.
You bring curiosity, commitment and willingness to engage and we support the rest with our strong pillars of support. This includes clear guidance, accessible learning, structured reflection and tutors who understand the demands of adult learning.
Development happens over an amount of time that allows learning to settle, skills to be practised and confidence to grow. Please see your chosen course page for further details.
Much like learning to drive, real competence doesn’t come from a crash course. Without time to practise, reflect and integrate skills, mistakes can be much more likely. Counselling training benefits from the same steady, supported process, one that prioritises depth, safety and mastery rather than speed.
How Learning & Assessment Work
Learning on our counselling pathway is active and relational, not exam-based.
Assessment happens continuously through:
Engagement and contribution in live teaching sessions
Skills practice and experiential learning
Reflection and written portfolio work
Tutor observation and feedback
Application of counselling skills within the learning environment
You can demonstrate your development through how you think, practise and reflect, allowing growth to be seen and supported as it happens, rather than judged at a single point in time.
Professional Standards You Can Trust
All counselling qualifications are approved by the Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB). CPCAB counselling qualifications are recognised and respected by professional bodies including:
✓ British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
✓ National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS)
This ensures training aligns with national standards for ethical practice, professional conduct and progression within the counselling field.
A Supportive Environment Shaped By Lived Experience
We understand how it feels to stand where you are now; curious, thoughtful, and wanting to make a considered decision.
Our tutors have been through the training journey themselves. We know what it’s like to balance learning with life, to question readiness, and to grow into helping roles step by step.
That lived experience informs how we teach and support; with empathy, realism and respect for individual pace and development.
Taking the Next Step
You don’t need to have everything worked out before applying.
The application process allows you to express interest and reflect on readiness. Suitability meetings then provide space to explore questions, expectations and next steps ensuring the course is right for you before enrolment.
Whether you’re seeking personal development, professional skills or a future counselling role, the pathway is here when you’re ready to step into it.
Not Sure Whether Counselling or Coaching is the Right Route for You?
Many people begin by exploring counselling skills and later discover that life coaching is a better fit for how they want to work with people or they choose to train in both. Our pathways are designed to complement one another, and progression between them can be explored at the appropriate stage.
If you’d like to understand the differences between counselling and life coaching, you’ll find a clear overview on our Life Coaching page.