Counselling & Psychotherapy - QLS Level 4 Course

The Counselling and Psychotherapy - QLS Level 4 Course will help students to gain a thorough understanding of the theoretical knowledge of Counselling and Psychotherapy, and examine the theories and strategies to enable you to prepare for the practical aspects of being a counsellor. The course also deals with the practical aspects of being a counsellor to ensure you are operating within professional guidelines and with due regard for your own safety.

This course is written with the intention of giving you a thorough grounding in Counselling and Psychotherapy. Although counselling and psychotherapy are similar in the way that they are both "talking" treatments with someone who is professionally trained to listen, they also have their differences. Counselling, for example, provides clients with the opportunity to discuss specific issues and difficulties they may be experiencing. Psychotherapy, however, is usually used to deal with deep-rooted issues, such as traumatic past experiences, which are causing the client problems in their present life. This course is designed to give you an overview of both and an understanding of how a counsellor and client can work together, rather than the approach used.

On successful completion of this course students will receive a QLS Level 4 Endorsed Certificate of Achievement.

Distance Learning Centre has completed an accreditation evaluation and finished satisfactory evidence of both theoretical knowledge and assessment rigor to be granted Organisational Member with Accredited Centre status with ACCPH (Accredited Counsellors, Coaches, Psychotherapists and Hypnotherapists).

ACCPH is an independent professional body and register for counsellors, coaches, psychotherapists and hypnotherapists. They offer membership options for students who have completed studies by blended and home distance learning providing they are of a specific nationally recognised standard. They can also assist with Insurance for members.

You can find out more information about ACCPH membership and pricing from their website: http://www.accph.org.uk/.

No previous knowledge or experience is required to study this course.

As this is a Level 4 course, it is recommended that learners have previously studied at Level 3 or equivalent previously although this isn't a set requirement if learners feel that they will be comfortable studying at a Level 4 standard. A good level of literacy is a requirement if the extended assignment work is to be completed successfully.

You can start this course at any time, and you would be registered for a one-year period. You also have access to a personal tutor who can be contacted by email. Your tutor is available to assist with any queries and to mark your assignments for the Awarding Body.

As the course is self-study, you can complete it as quickly as you like. Support extensions are available if students do not complete the course within the one-year period.

This course is supplied as hard copy paper-based materials. You will receive an A4 ring bound course folder which will include all of your course notes and assignments and there is a separate study guide which should be read before starting the course and explains about support, the required format of assignments and how to submit assignments for assessment. We find this format works well for this particular course as you don't have to be on a computer to work through the notes and you get to keep the course materials after you have completed your study if you need to refer back to them.

We do also offer the option of an online version of the course notes which can be purchased for an additional £36.00 for learners who prefer computer-based learning or are travelling and need access to their course notes. This option is available at the checkout when ordering the course.

The hard-copy course materials are dispatched using a next working day courier service where available and the online course notes are usually issued within 24 hours of processing an application.

If learners would prefer an online only version of the course notes then please contact us for information on how to order this.

You will be assessed on TMAs (Tutor Marked Assignments). Most TMAs consists of short paragraph answers, although some TMAs may have a specific word count. The main criteria to pass as assignment is to prove to the tutor that you have fully understood the question and have answered it sufficiently.

If the assignment is not of the required level or needs an amendment it will be detailed in your tutor feedback so you can make any required changes. The course tutor will be happy to give guidance as to how you might improve you answers. Your work can be sent back to your course tutor by email or by post.

At the end of this course, successful learners will receive a QLS Level 4 Endorsed Certificate of Achievement from the Quality Licence Scheme and a Learner Unit Summary (which lists the components the learner has completed as part of the course).

The Quality Licence Scheme is part of the Skills and Education Group, a charitable organisation that unites education and skills-orientated organisations that share similar values and objectives. With more than 100 years of collective experience, the Skills and Education Group’s strategic partnerships create opportunities to inform, influence and represent the wider education and skills sector.

The Skills and Education Group also includes two nationally recognised awarding organisations; Skills and Education Group Awards and Skills and Education Group Access. Through our awarding organisations we have developed a reputation for providing high-quality qualifications and assessments for the education and skills sector. We are committed to helping employers, organisations and learners cultivate the relevant skills for learning, skills for employment, and skills for life.

Our knowledge and experience of working within the awarding sector enables us to work with training providers, through the Quality Licence Scheme, to help them develop high-quality courses and/or training programmes for the non-regulated market.

The course has been endorsed under the Quality Licence Scheme. This means that Kendal Publishing has undergone an external quality check to ensure that the organisation and the courses it offers, meet defined quality criteria. The completion of this course alone does not lead to a regulated qualification* but may be used as evidence of knowledge and skills gained. The Learner Unit Summary may be used as evidence towards Recognition of Prior Learning if you wish to progress your studies in this subject. To this end the learning outcomes of the course have been benchmarked at Level 4 against level descriptors published by Ofqual, to indicate the depth of study and level of demand/complexity involved in successful completion by the learner. 

The course itself has been designed by Kendal Publishing to meet specific learners’ and/or employers’ requirements which cannot be satisfied through current regulated qualifications. The Quality Licence Scheme endorsement involves robust and rigorous quality audits by external auditors to ensure quality is continually met. A review of courses is carried out as part of the endorsement process.

You can find more information on level descriptors from our Certification Overview Page.

*Regulated qualification refers to those qualifications that are regulated by Ofqual / CCEA / Qualification Wales