Being a counsellor in the UK is not a protected title which means that anyone can call themself a counsellor and practice.  The more you know about counselling the more you know that is really scary!! So, if you are considering getting some training then you are already demonstrating that you want to work ethically and safely so let me help you explore some of the language you might come across while you are searching for training.

After that I will help you understand what good training is, what you are looking for in a course and then what you will need to explore and understand before you are ready for the Diploma

Good counselling training isn’t just about getting a certificate at the end, and it isn’t about how quickly you can move through levels, because in an unregulated profession those things can be misleading. You can technically practise without much training at all, and at the same time there are people committing years to doing this properly, so the quality of training matters more than most people realise.

At its best, training is about depth and integration rather than speed and information. You are not just learning what to say, you are learning how to think, how to sit with uncertainty, and how to make ethical decisions in real time. That means theory needs to be connected to practice in a way that actually holds up when you are in the room with a client who doesn’t follow a neat structure.

Good training also has a clear pathway, so you are developing over time rather than collecting disconnected certificates, and it is delivered by people who are still grounded in practice and able to translate what they teach into real-world work. Alongside that, ethics and self-awareness are not treated as add-ons, but are woven throughout, because who you are and how you think will always shape the work you do.

Ultimately, it should leave you thinking more deeply, not relying on scripts or formulas, and feeling more grounded in your role rather than more uncertain about it.

Once you understand what good training looks like in principle, the next step is working out how to spot it, because on the surface a lot of courses look very similar and it is not always obvious where the differences actually are.

One of the first things to look at is whether there is a clear structure and progression, because a good course should feel like part of a pathway rather than a standalone product. You want to be able to see where it leads, how it builds on previous learning, and what it is preparing you for, rather than feeling like you are making it up as you go along.

It is also worth paying attention to how theory and skills are taught, because there is a difference between being given information and being helped to use it. Look for courses that link what you are learning to practice, that include skills work, reflection, and opportunities to apply your thinking, rather than just delivering content.

The experience and approach of the tutors matters more than people often realise, because trainers who are still working with clients tend to teach in a way that is grounded, realistic, and sometimes a bit more challenging. You are not just learning what the theory says, you are learning how it actually plays out, including where it gets messy.

Ethics should be visible throughout the course, not just in a single module, and that includes how the course itself is run. Things like transparency, expectations, feedback, and how students are supported all give you clues about the values behind the training.

It is also important to look at how much emphasis is placed on self-awareness and reflection, because becoming a counsellor is not just about gaining knowledge, it is about understanding yourself in relation to others. If that space is missing or rushed, it is worth asking why.

And finally, trust your sense of fit, because you are not just choosing a course, you are choosing a learning environment. You should feel able to ask questions, to not know things, and to develop over time, rather than feeling like you have to perform or keep up.

When you put all of that together, you start to get a much clearer sense of which courses are actually focused on developing practitioners, and which ones are more focused on delivering a product.

This is one of the biggest questions people ask, and understandably so, because it can feel like you are choosing between flexibility and quality. In reality, it is less about “online versus face-to-face” and more about how the training is delivered and whether it meets professional expectations.

Face-to-face training offers something that is difficult to fully replicate, because you are physically in the room with other people, you are experiencing real-time relational dynamics, and you are learning not just from what is said but from what is felt. That matters in counselling, because the work is fundamentally relational, and developing presence, awareness, and responsiveness alongside others is a key part of becoming a practitioner.

Online training, when it is done well, can still be thoughtful, structured, and engaging, and it has opened up access for people who might not otherwise be able to train. It can also reflect the reality that a lot of counselling now takes place online, so there is value in learning how to work in that space. However, “online” can mean very different things, from live, interactive teaching with skills practice and feedback, through to pre-recorded content with very little engagement, and those experiences are not equivalent.

This is where professional standards come in, because both the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy are clear that core counselling training should not be fully online. They expect a significant proportion of training (more than 70%) of core training (diploma level) to be face-to-face or live and interactive, because developing practical skills, self-awareness, and relational competence requires more than passive learning.

So while online elements can absolutely be part of good training, and in many cases enhance it, a course that is entirely online with no live, relational component should raise questions, particularly if it is being presented as a full professional training route.  The NCPS and BACP will not let you join if your Diploma learning is entirely online.

What really matters is whether the course gives you enough opportunity to practise, to be observed, to receive feedback, and to reflect on your development in a meaningful way. Counselling is not something you can learn purely by watching or reading, so if those elements are missing, the format becomes less relevant because the depth of learning will be limited.

There is also a question of readiness, because some people benefit from the structure and containment of being in the room, especially at the start, while others need some level of flexibility to make training possible. A good course will be clear about how it balances this, and why.

In the end, it comes back to the same principle, which is that good training is about how you are developed, not just how the content is delivered. The format should support that development, not replace it.