Level 3 Diploma in Counselling Skills

17/09/2025
Format
03/06/2026
Wednesday - 17/09/2025 at 18:00 PM till 20:30 PM
BHSL3007 (2025/2026B)
Accrington & Rossendale College, Accrington & Rossendale College, Broad Oak Campus,Accrington,BB5 2AS
Fee for non-Lancashire Residents: £4450.00
Fee for Lancashire Residents: £2225.00

You may be entitled to a discount if you are in receipt of one or more benefits:

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If the above applies to you, you will be asked to provide evidence of this before you make a payment. You will find further instructions after you have completed the enrolment steps.

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You may be entitled to this course for free. There are two cases where you may qualify for this:

If you are currently unemployed, are looking for work and are in receipt of one or more of the following benefits you may qualify for a discount:

Tuitfeintrowaiver

If the above applies to you, you will be asked to provide evidence of this before you make a payment. You will find further instructions after you have completed the enrolment steps.

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We are sorry but you are not able to enrol onto this course online as the course has now started and we have passed the deadline allowed for late enrolments to be taken online. In some cases (depending on the course) it may be possible for you to still enrol if you contact us by phone and speak to a member of the enrolment team.

Cant Enrol Reason

Please note that the College is only able to offer this course at the rates publicised on this website to those individuals aged 19+ or over on 31st August 2025 whose home address is in areas of England outside of the devolved authority areas of: Cambridge and Peterborough, Greater Manchester, Greater London, Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley, West Midlands and West of England. Where an individual resides outside of England or in one of the devolved areas then the College reserves the right to charge you for the delivery of the course at a rate of £11.75 per hour. This is in line with the College’s Fees Policy which is published on our websites.

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Overview of Course

Overview of Course

This Diploma aims to provide learners with in-depth knowledge of the use of counselling skills in everyday life and work and the approaches that underpin the use of these skills. This qualification does not qualify learners to practise as a counsellor.

Learners on this course come with three different main aims.
• To progress onto a first degree or other higher education course within the field (i.e. you want a career in counselling and need a degree)
• To prepare for a post graduate qualification within the field (ie. you already have a (unrelated) degree but want to progress onto a MA in the field)
• To increase skills and knowledge that will enhance your current role (i.e. professional development) and/or increase job opportunities.

If you’re aged 19-23, or if you already have a level 3 qualification and are unemployed, or on low income, you could access a level 3 qualification for free. This is part of the support available from the government to help you gain the skills you need to get the job you want - whatever your stage of life.

A level 3 qualification is equivalent to an advanced technical certificate or diploma, or A levels.

The qualifications could help you:

Gain skills that employers value
Improve your job prospects
Earn a higher wage

If you’re eligible, you will not have to pay for your level 3 qualification. The government will pay the course fees. For more information, and to check the full eligibility criteria see the Lifetime Skills Guarantee

Course Overview

What you will learn

What you will learn

This qualification will build on the knowledge and skills acquired on the level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills. Rather than describing, you will now start to evaluate some of the major debates within counselling. Learners will gain an understanding of a wider range of counselling skills and have the opportunity to examine some of the various schools of thought and theoretical models associated with them.
Personal development and practicing skills are a central aspect of the course and therefore you are required to keep an enhanced learning log.

What Will I Learn

Entry Requirements

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements are assessed on an individual basis. However, you should have GCSE/ Level 2 Functional Skills in English in place before beginning the course and good IT skills. Ideally you should have L2 Maths and an ICT qualifications, or willing to study these alongside the Counselling Diploma.

For those who already have a degree, we need you to check and provide evidence of the entry criteria to study an MA. Some universities require specific GCSE/ Level 2 Functional Skills qualifications and grades. It is a good idea to check with your chosen universities before beginning the L3 Diploma in Counselling Skills.

Entry Requirements

How Your Course Will Be Assessed

How Your Course Will Be Assessed

Throughout the course you will take part in a range of activities, for example, presentations, group work, research, independent learning, triads etc. You will be taught by experienced tutors, who will model their counselling skills and show you practical examples. You will use your learning log to reflect on your learning journey. This includes tasks you conduct outside of the classroom.

Assessment Methods

How will I know if I'm making progress?

How will I know if I'm making progress?

You will have frequent assignment submissions and receive written feedback from your tutor. In addition, your tutor will give you verbal feedback on practical skills and have 1:1 tutorials about your progress and discussions on progression. You are asked to keep a record of all feedback and discussions and reflect on this in one of the assignments.

Progress

What coursework will I be expected to complete?

What coursework will I be expected to complete?

You are expected to attend 3-hour classes every week in term time. Your coursework includes a variety of assessments including: learning-log, portfolio, presentation, seminar, essays, triad notes and reflections and an reflective essay.

Required Coursework

Additional information

Additional information

It is important to note that his qualification does not qualify learners to practise as a counsellor. However, this qualification might help you to enhance your career prospects. The level 3 Diploma in Counselling Skills is recognised by various HE providers as an entry criteria for a degree or other higher education qualifications.
Please note, some universities require specific GCSE/Level 2 Functional Skills qualifications and grades. It is a good idea to check with your chosen universities before beginning this course. This qualification has been allocated UCAS points. Please refer to the UCAS website for further details of the points allocation and the most up-to-date information.

Additional Information

Careers progression

Careers progression

Learners who achieve this qualification could progress to level 4 counselling qualifications. Those who already have a degree but desire to study for an MA in the field are urged to contact universities to ensure this is the right qualification that meets entry criteria.

Nelson and Colne College Group offers the FdA in Counselling Studies and BA (Hons) in Counselling and psychotherapy Studies. After successfully completing the FdA, you have the opportunity to top-up to a full BA (hons) Counselling and Psychotherapy. Both qualifications are validated by Liverpool John Moores University. Other opportunities within the college Group that might be of interest are: BA (Hons) Health and Applied Social Studies, FdA Mental Health Work, FdA Alcohol and Substance Misuse Work, FdA Criminology and Criminal Justice, FdA Teaching & Learning Support and CertHE and FdA Working with Children Young People and Families.

Careers Progression
This course has now started and we can no longer accept applications online.
Cant Apply Reason
The online application and enrolment process is really simple, once you have clicked the “APPLY" or "ENROL” button you will be redirected to the portal where you either log in or create an account (if you haven’t done so previously). We will then ask you to give us a couple of bits of information like address, mobile phone number ect and that’s it.
Once your applications has been made the next step will be for you to book yourself onto one of our interview evenings, depending on availability you might be able to do this straight away but otherwise we will get in contact to arrange when you come in for an interview.
At any point you can log back into the portal throughout the year, update information like your predicted GCSE grades, update contact and consent information and keep a live track of your application.
If you have any questions or run into any problems when using the portal please get in contact with us and we will help

Location Map / Directions to College

Location Map / Directions to College