Course Overview
WHAT METHOD OF STUDY COUNTS TOWARDS PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATION?
We offer the full suite of CPCAB Qualifications including options to study through online or face to face delivery.
Students contacting the Way Forward Centre are often confused about how to progress towards qualification as a counsellor.
There are many different courses available through online services these days and it can be a challenging process to navigate with confidence. There is nothing more disheartening than having to explain someone may have spent money and time completing an award that won’t meet recognised training standards to gain access to our courses.
In order to meet the professional standards required to qualify as a counsellor, if you are learning via an online course, for Level 2 or Level 3, then you must be accessing a course which is taught via synchronous delivery.
The profession demands that the Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, the entry level for professional registration, must be delivered as a face to face course.
To find out more about our different levels and the choices available to you follow the links on this page.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SYNCHRONOUS OR ASYNCHRONOUS STUDY?
We appreciate that picking the right course to ensure progression in the therapeutic profession is essential and there are many courses available to choose from. It might be helpful to understand the difference between Synchronous and Asynchronous study and why it matters, as you make your decision about which course to take. Particularly since the COVID pandemic it has been possible to access a lot of different training online and counselling training has also moved towards online delivery. However the profession still favours a face to face approach where possible but accepts this is not always possible. We therefore offer 2 options for studying level 2 and 3. You can choose to apply to learn 100% online or you can opt to attend 100% face to face.
SYNCHRONOUS STUDY
This is where you would be learning online in real time. At the Way Forward Centre we use Zoom as our preferred platform.
You would be expected to sign on and join your group every week at session times and to work on joint exercises together. You would engage in receiving real time feedback from your peers and tutor, be involved in debates and lectures for a full day of study.
You would be required to attend every week. Online classes at the Way Forward Centre are 9.30am until 4.30pm one day per week. Synchronous online study of this nature IS ACCEPTED BY THE CPCAB AND THE BACP when training to become a counsellor.
ASYNCHRONOUS STUDY
This is where you are able to access resources and work through a series of tasks in your own time. You would submit your work for marking and can arrange to have contact with your tutor if you wish but it is not required.
The CPCAB or the BACP DO NOT ENDORSE Asynchronous study when training to become a counsellor.
Asynchronous study as a part of continued professional development (CPD) following qualification is recognised, but not as a part of initial qualification.
Therefore if you choose to study a course of this nature you will be unable to progress to fully qualify as a counsellor and register with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or similar governing body.
We often have applications from students wishing to progress to Level 3 with us that have only studied an asynchronistic Level 2 course. Unfortunately these students have to repeat Level 2 because they do not have the necessary skills practice training, experience and awareness to move on to Level 3.
Counselling is a relational profession and therefore requires an understanding of person to person relationship, the nuances of these relational processes cannot be replicated through Asynchronous study.
CPCAB Level 6 Certificate in Therapeutic Counselling Supervision
Contact Form for Further information
Have a look through the various levels and check out our FAQ section, you may easily find the answers to many of your questions
Please use the form below to ask any specific questions you may have.