Certificate in Counselling Children and Young People

Network is delighted to be working in partnership with Let’s Talk Well and CPCAB to deliver the Level 5 Certificate in Counselling Children and Young People.

Children and Young People today are facing complex mental health issues, and so it is vital that counsellors are equipped with the skills and knowledge to confidently face these increasingly severe issues. This course will prepare already qualified counsellors to work therapeutically with Children and Young People, meeting the BACP Competences Framework for counselling Children and Young People.

• Explore and define the skills and knowledge participants already have.
• Contextualise therapeutic work with young people in the UK.
• Examine developmental theories and current neuroscience research, particularly research on the ‘teenage brain’.
• Equip therapists with the therapeutic skills needed to work with children and young people.
• Educate therapists in regard to the legal position and the specific ethical considerations of working with young people.
• Identify approaches to contracting, confidentiality and assessment.
• Develop a toolkit of creative and cognitive strategies specifically aimed at this age group.
• Encourage a proactive humanistic integrative approach towards their work with young people.
• Integrate counsellors’ initial therapeutic model with skills of young people counselling.
• Work with and develop skills and competency in work with a range of client presentations.

The course follows the BACP Curriculum for Working with Children & Young People and consists of:

• 77 hours (14 training days) of taught modules
• 50 hours of supervised placements working therapeutically with young people (11-18 years), plus independent learning

Each taught day will be made up of a mixture of theory, experience and reflection encouraging thorough engagement with the material. Use of peer support groups as part of the learning process will be included.

The training dates for the 2026-2027 course are as follows:

• 21 & 22 November 2026
• 12 & 13 December
• 16 & 17 January 2027
• 13 & 14 February
• 13 & 14 March
• 17 & 18 April
• 15 & 16 May

100% attendance is desirable, and only in exceptional circumstances should you miss a training day, as missing a day/seminar means you miss out on essential learning.

Training days will take place at Network Counselling & Training, Elm Park, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7PS and will be taught by the Let’s Talk Well tutor team who have many years’ experience working as counsellors with both adults and children & young people.

Assessment requirements include:

• 3 x reflective journals (1000 words per journal)
• One essay (3000 words)
• A case study (3000 words)
• Tutor skills observation

To apply you require a counselling qualification at diploma level or above and must be a registered member of an appropriate professional body, e.g. BACP, NCPS etc.

All applicants are required to attend an interview.

The 2026-27 course fee is £2,650

A deposit of £375 is payable upon enrolment, and the remaining balance can be paid as one lump sum (for which we offer a discount of £100), or in 7 monthly instalments of £325.

In addition, students are required to register with the CPCAB, costing £190.

If you’re interested in finding out more, or submitting an application, please email training@network.org.uk