To download our brochure (approximately 16 MByte - about a minute on broadband), please click here. The brochure contains details about CTPDC, our courses and application forms.
If you prefer to fill in the application form on line, please click here.
You can request a hard copy of our brochure by contacting us.
Below we listed the questions that are the most commonly asked by people inquiring about our diploma in counselling courses.
Is it an accredited course?
Our Diploma in Counselling courses are accredited by ABC (Centra), an independent organisation that accredits courses, including counselling courses, nationwide, unlike some accrediting bodies that moderate courses for a single organisation.
How is it then related to BACP?
Contrary to the popular perception, BACP is not a mandatory or regulatory body of counselling and psychotherapy in the UK. It is a professional body, a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity that also accredits courses. Although our courses are not accredited by BACP, if you complete our diploma in counselling course, you will meet one of the key requirements of the to be a BACP accredited counsellor, thus meet the requirements many employers set when recruiting counsellors. We recognise the importance of BACP in setting standards, thus CTPDC is an organisational member of BACP and all our tutors are MBACP.
Why is it a three-year course, when most diploma courses are two-year ones?
We believe that a coherently built three-year course provides a better training system than taking two (often independent) courses. Three years allow people to develop their counselling skills to the required level, to explore their own personality, to gain a thorough understanding of counselling theories and to test their knowledge on a research project. We are convinced that as a result of a three-year programme, students are more likely to complete their training as a reflective, theoretically educated, rich-in-skills counsellors - that is, meeting important requirements of BACP accreditation.
I have done an Intermediate Counselling Skills course elsewhere. Do I have to do your three-year diploma course?
No. Providing you have done 150 hours of guided counselling training, you can apply to join the second year of our diploma course (APL your intermediate course). You will have to demonstrate that your skills, knowledge and personal development are at the level we expect from our own students in a three-hour session (that includes a formal interview).
How do I enrol to your Diploma in Counselling course?
First, you have to let us know of your interest (you can fill in the application form on-line or you can contact us by other means). You will be invited to a presentation. Attendence is compulsory. After the presentation you can fill in the application form enclosed in our brochure (you will get a copy at the presentation, but you can also download it by clicking on the link on the left). On receipt of the application form, you will be invited to an interview, where you will be interviewed by a panel consisting of tutors of CTPDC and professionals who are independent of CTPDC. Once you are offered a place on the course, you can enrol. You can also find these details here.
What are the costs? Are there any hidden costs?
All costs are detailed here. We believe that our fee and payment structure are competitive for what we offer. Our offer can be summarised as follows. We guarantee that.
Your course requirements seem to be different from that of other courses. How is it possible?
All courses are different. The accrediting body sets only the minimum requirements. CTPDC considers its assignment structure to best suit to the design of our Diploma in Counselling courses, while it meets the requirements set out by ABC (Centra) and BACP. To complete the course and gain your diploma, you will have to meet our requirements.
You organise workshops for students. Are these compulsory?
Yes. In order to meet BACP's requirements of the number of guided learning hours, we devised these workshops. In our view, attending these workshops will not only contribute to your learning, but also to your personal development.
Is attending the residential weekend compulsory?
Yes. If you do not attend the first year residential weekend, you will be asked to leave the course. The second year residential weekend will provide you with an experience that will enhance your understanding of difference and divergence.
In your Diploma in Counselling course students have to complete a lot of assignment. Do students get any help?
Yes. Students can arrange a number of one-to-one tutorials with the tutors and CTPDC will also seek to provide support to acquiring basic skills if it is necessary. You can also find all the refereed counselling journals and a comprehensive selection of counselling books in CTPDC's library. In addition, to support the students in their final assignment, there are two full-day workshops on doing a literature survey and doing fieldwork in social research.
Aims of the course