Therapeutic Counselling - Level 4 Diploma CPCAB (BACP APQ)

Essentials

Duration: 2 Years Part-time
Start date: 16th September 2025
End date: 3rd June 2027
Time: 09:45-16:45

Course fee: To be confirmed

Course Content

The Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling – BACP Approved Practitioner Qualification maps the current CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (TC-L4) to the requirements for BACP Qualification Approval and fully incorporates BACP’s Online and Phone Therapy Competence Framework.

Candidates undertaking a BACP Approved Practitioner Qualification will have the BACP Certificate of Proficiency facilitated directly for them by their training provider and will be able to apply directly for Individual Registration with BACP. Candidates can also be reassured that their qualification has already been approved by BACP.

There are 7 mandatory units:

Unit 1 - Working ethically, safely and professionally as a counsellor
Unit 2 - Working within a counselling relationship
Unit 3 - Working with client diversity in counselling work
Unit 4 - Working within a user-centred approach to counselling
Unit 5 - Working with self-awareness in the counselling process
Unit 6 - Working within a coherent framework of counselling theory and skills
Unit 7 - Working self-reflectively as a counsellor

Students must also complete the following, and are responsible for the associated costs:

• Personal counselling – a minimum of 10 hours face to face personal therapy during the course (to accommodate a range of theoretical approaches).
• Client work – a minimum of 100 hours formally-contracted counselling (one-to-one) with at least 5 different clients in an agency setting. Students are responsible for securing their own placement within a suitable agency.
• Supervision – Candidates require clinical supervision for their agency client work. In addition, candidates require 30-50 hours group training supervision as part of the course.

BACP Student Membership - all students on this programme must obtain BACP Student Membership for the duration of the programme. The current cost of this (23/24) is £86 per year. 

For further information on course content, delivery, and assessment, please see the candidate guide on the CPCAB website

Assessment Methods

The course is assessed both internally with a portfolio of evidence, and externally with a CPCAB set and marked exam, which takes place in year 2.

Full details on the course, including candidate guide and specification, may be found at http://www.cpcab.co.uk/qualifications/tc-l4#documents

Candidates must hold CPCAB Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills (CSK-L2) and CPCAB Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies (CST-L3), or their RPL (recognised prior learning) equivalent.

Students will be required to provide references and to complete an interview process successfully, in order to be offered a place on the course.

Where students wish to have prior education and/or experience taken into account, in lieu of meeting the full course entry requirements, they should contact the relevant Course Director or Admissions. APEL applications must be submitted at least 2 weeks before the start date of the programme. More details can be found in the APEL Policy.

Successful candidates may progress to a counselling role within an agency, or to the following courses where available:

• Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling (PC-L5)
• Level 5 Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapeutic Skills & Theory (CBT-L5)
• Level 6 Certificate in Therapeutic Counselling Supervision (TCSU-L6) (once 450 client hours have been accrued)
• Open University Foundation Degree in Counselling