No formal educational qualifications are necessary; however, you should make it clear on the application form why you wish to take the course, by answering each question fully, as your reasons are important as a selection criterion. Brief responses may be detrimental to your application.

You may also be required to attend an informal interview as part of the selection process to clarify points raised in your application or seek further information.

If you have had a significant traumatic life event or a recent bereavement, then please make this clear within your application.

English language requirements

You will need a suitable minimum level of competency in the English language if your first language is not English or if you have not been educated wholly or mainly in the medium of English.

With the course emphasis on listening, on a variety of sensitive subjects, and responding clearly and with tact, in practice and assessment and including oral presentation and essay preparation, the Centre requires a minimum overall score of IELTS 6.5 with a minimum IELTS 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. Tests are valid for two years and documentary evidence is required to support your application.

Online Attendance

Online requirements for participation. This is for online courses and for attendance at online guest speaker sessions thus you must have:

• A suitable device e.g. PC, laptop, iPad or tablet (a mobile phone is not suitable).
• Broadband with a reliable wi-fi connection.
• Private space to engage in Zoom meetings and skills practice, free from interruption and to maintain confidentiality.
• The Zoom app (free 40-minute version) for skills practice – installed on your device.

Prior to the course commencement, you will be sent the following:

• COSCA guidelines, contract and data sharing agreements. These must be read and returned to CLL before the course starts.
• An emailed link to One Drive to view a video by Pam Dawson, Course Leader, on the course content.
• A welcome email with commencement information.
• Two emails from IT Services with your username and password to access Myplace.
• An emailed link to One Drive to view a Myplace video, detailing how to access the virtual learning environment (VLE), navigate it and view the content.

The course consists of four modules, each comprising 30 hours of formal instruction. Over the course duration, these are accumulated to gain the Certificate in Counselling Skills. The four modules each contain elements of skills, knowledge and self-awareness, which includes an element of self-reflection within a confidential environment. There are four themes associated with the modules:

• Module One: Listening
• Module Two: Responding
• Module Three: Self-reflection
• Module Four: Integration

These themes develop an understanding of how counselling skills can be applied in a variety of situations such as relationships, managing change, stress, and bereavement and loss. The syllabus provides an important perspective on the difference between Counselling, a professional activity, and Counselling Skills, which could prove valuable for people in many occupations.

COSCA (Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland) provides a COSCA Counselling Skills Information Leaflet

Guest Speakers

Formal instruction will be further enhanced by guest speakers, who are Counselling practitioners. These sessions will be delivered online via Zoom on Monday evenings from 6.30-8.00pm.

The subjects of these talks are:

• Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
• Attachment Theory
• Sexuality (Gender)
• Person Centred Therapy (PCT)
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Transactional Analysis (TA).

There are three elements in the assessment process for each module:

• Skills assessment (based on performance criteria demonstrated within listening practices, audio and video).
• Oral assessment (individual presentation).
• Written assessment at the end of each module.

Oral assessment and written work enable the tutors to decide if participants have developed an acceptable level of understanding of the knowledge content within the course. They also provide tutors with evidence of the participant’s level of self-awareness.

The use of counselling skills is generally assessed by observation of competence. Video and audio recordings are used to decide whether participants have reached the competence in counselling skills laid down in the performance criteria set by COSCA.

The application link for the January 2026 courses activates at 9am on Tuesday 16 September 2025.

The deadline for January 2026 applications is Friday 28^th November by 12pm.

If you are interested in courses commencing from April 2026 then please email cll-counselling@strath.ac.uk  and ask to be added to the alert list. You will be informed when these courses are about to become visible for booking.

January 2026 commencing courses:

CS10 Tuesdays (full day) ON CAMPUS, 10.00am-12.30pm (morning) and 1.00-3.30pm (afternoon). Commences 13/1/26 and ends on 07/07/26. (Please check the course timetable.)

CS11 Thursdays (full day) ONLINE, 10.00am-12.30pm (morning) and 1.00-3.30pm (afternoon). Commences 08/01/26 and ends on 25/06/26. (Please check the course timetable.)

CS12 Thursdays (full day) ON CAMPUS, 10.00am-12.30pm (morning) and 1.00-3.30pm (afternoon). Commences 08/01/26 and ends on 25/06/26. (Please check the course timetable.)

Important: Please check your availability/commitments against the timetable as you cannot miss any more than 2 units within each module or you will have to leave the course. Each module consists of 12 units. Attendance at a minimum of 85% is critical.

SAAS Part-time Fee Grant Funding

January courses are eligible for the SAAS Part-Time Fee Grant (PTFG), which is £428.00 in 2025/2026.

The full fee for the course is £1,964.00, payable over 4 modules at £491.00 per module and prior to commencement of each module.

Offers (including refund policy)

Prior to offer, and if applicable, you will be asked to provide any supporting documentation that is required e.g. evidence of English proficiency or residency in the UK where applicable

On an offer being made, you have 5 calendar days in which to pay the Module 1 fee of £491.00* to secure your place on the course.

Subsequent fees (Modules 2-4) are payable prior to the start of each module and all modules are paid by card through the University’s Online Shop.

Withdrawals and refund prior to commencement

Note that £245.00 half-fee is the deposit element for Module 1 and this deposit is non-refundable should you withdraw up to two weeks before Module 1 commences, unless on medical grounds and evidence is provided to confirm this.

If you withdraw from Module 1 within two weeks of commencement then the fee of £491.00 is non-refundable, unless on medical grounds and evidence is provided to confirm this.

If you withdraw from Modules 2, 3 or 4 after their commencement date, we will retain the full fee for that module.

Invoice payment

Invoice payment can be arranged if your employer is funding the course for you in full or in part. However, you will be asked to pay for Module 1 upfront to secure your place on the course and once payment is received from your employer then you will be reimbursed any funds due from your upfront payment.

Note to April commencing courses: Those courses commencing in September or January are eligible for the PTFG because they complete the 40 credits within a single academic year. April commencing courses are therefore not eligible for the grant.

Applicants for September and January courses:

If you earn £25,000 or less and have been resident in Scotland for the past three years, then funding may be available to you through the SAAS PTFG. This will fund a portion of the course fee (i.e. £428.00 to be applied to Module 3. Find out more about the Part-time fee grant here SAAS PTFG.

PTFG Process:

• Apply only once the offer of a place has been made by CLL and you have accepted the place and paid your Module 1 fee.
• Create an account using the SAAS Account Registration function.
• Submit a PTFG application via your account.
• Once processed, SAAS will email you to login and check the award status.
• If successful, a provisional Award Notice will be uploaded to your account.
• SAAS will contact CLL to endorse the award i.e. CLL confirms that you are registered on the course.
• SAAS will then confirm the award in your account and upload a validated Award Notice.
• You need to download the validated Award Notice and email it to CLL at cll-counselling@strath.ac.uk
• CLL will then apply the funding to Module 3 (PTFG = £428.00) and the student pays the remaining balance (i.e. £491.00-£428.00 = £63.00).

All students applying for the PTFG will need to pay for Modules 1 and 2. Potentially, you may also need to pay for Modules 3 and 4 if you have applied late and funding is not in place in time for commencement of these modules.

You can apply for the PTFG up to six months after your course commencement date.  

SAAS funding is transferred to the University in late January, late March and in late June and students may need to pay for each of the modules until their funding is received from SAAS. Any excess payment due to the student will be reimbursed once the funding is received by CLL.

Please contact us if you have any questions about funding.

Credits and qualification level

Successful candidates are awarded a COSCA validated Certificate in Counselling Skills. This course is credit-rated by the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and maps onto the Scottish Credit and Qualification Network (SCQF) with 40 SCQF credits at level 8.

Progression routes

The Certificate in Counselling Skills is self-standing and is used by participants as a means of enhancing their work performance; it is not a licence to practice as a counsellor. If you wish to train as a professional counsellor, the certificate is recommended as a foundation study to lead on to a Diploma in Counselling (some Diploma providers may require a degree level qualification). The certificate is also recognised by other institutions as a desirable qualification to gain prior to pursuing further study in the field of counselling or psychotherapy.

The University of Strathclyde offers the MSc Counselling & Psychotherapy for which the Certificate is one of the requirements for entry. If you want updates on this course, then you should sign up for the newsletter on the MSc website.

Market Stall event

Although we cannot advise on your Diploma progression route, we do hold a market stall event will be held around Module 3. Diploma providers are invited so students can research further study at Diploma level and specialisation in different modalities. The progression onto the Diploma and choosing a modality is a personal journey which differs according to individual preference. Students need to conduct their own research on this.

January 2026 courses:

The application link for the January 2026 commencing courses opens at 9am on Tuesday 16^th September 2025.

The deadline for January 2026 applications is Friday 28^th November by 12pm.

If you are interested in courses commencing from April 2026 then please email cll-counselling@strath.ac.uk  and ask to be added to the alert list. You will be informed when these courses are about to become visible for booking.

Application Process

When live, the Application link will take you to an online application form which you should complete and submit.

Please give full answers to the questions as minimal information may disadvantage your application.

The application form will not save so if you partially complete it then leave it then you may lose all your input. Try to complete and submit it in one sitting or refer to the questions given below to pre-prepare your answers off-line. These are the questions which will need more thought and excludes the routine such as your personal details.

All applications will be reviewed as they are submitted and if additional information is needed then you may be invited for a short, informal interview. We may also seek evidence of IELTS (your English language proficiency) or right to remain in the UK.

An offer will be made if your application meets the necessary criteria and where there are available places.

When an offer is made you will have 5 calendar days in which to respond i.e. to accept the offer and pay the Module 1 fee.

If you do not respond within 5 calendar days, then the offer will be withdrawn and you will lose the opportunity of the place.

Questions for you to prepare answers to on a Word document prior to your application:

Please give full answers to each question. You can copy and paste your pre-prepared responses into the MS application form.

• What is your understanding of what ‘counselling skills’ are?
• What motivated you to apply for this course?
• What skills and qualities will you bring to the course?
• Do you have prior experience of using or receiving counselling skills or experience in a related field? If yes, you will need to provide details.
• How would you describe yourself within a group situation?
• The course is emotionally demanding and at times challenging. How comfortable are you sitting with a range of different and challenging emotions, both in yourself and others?
• The course covers a range of topics that are designed to develop your self-awareness. Sometimes, people will have very different views to your own. How would you deal with any conflict?
• Please detail any traumatic experiences that may affect your emotional engagement on the course.
• What support do you have in place to help you balance the demands of the course alongside other commitments?

Apply using the link below:

Apply here via the Certificate in Counselling Skills application form

Waiting lists

If your preferred choice is not available, then we may be able to make an offer on your 2nd choice. Otherwise, we will place you on the waiting list in case a place becomes available. We may also contact you if a place is available elsewhere to see if this is suitable instead.

Disability

The Centre for Lifelong Learning is committed to promoting and improving opportunities for students with disabilities. We therefore welcome applications from those who have any needs, which may affect their ability to complete the course successfully.  Please indicate this on your application form and then, if you are offered and accept a place on the course, we will provide you with contact details to discuss the support you may need.

Mobility

If your disability is mobility related (in full or in part) then please indicate this in the application. A Personal Emergency Egress Plan (PEEP) will be drawn up so that we can assist you safely from the building in the event of a fire alarm or other emergency.

Data Protection

Please visit the University's Data Protection webpage for updated Privacy Notices for Students and Website Privacy Policy for information on how we will use your personal data and your rights under data protection legislation.

In the interests of public protection, COSCA sets standards for the complaints procedures of organisational members.

Full information on our procedure is available on the University's Complaints Procedure webpage.