Home - Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body

Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills

Download a PDF at a glance guide to our Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills

Qualification information

Ofqual Accreditation Number: CSK-L2 is accredited by the Office of the Qualifications & Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) into the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). The qualification number for CSK-L2 is 500/7938/4.
Qualification structure: 1 mandatory unit:
A/600/8448 Counselling skills
Target candidates:

This qualification is intended for candidates who:

  • want to learn counselling skills to help others – either in a voluntary or an employed situation;
  • want to find out more about this field – this course won’t teach them to be a counsellor but may help them decide whether or not to continue training.
Level 2
Guided learning hours 90 (minimum)
Credit value 17
Minimum age 18 years*
Entry requirements

No previous training or experience required

See section 5 for criteria considered important in selecting applicants for a programme leading to CSK-L2

Progression

Successful candidates may progress onto CPCAB’s Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies (CST-3) - see section 6 for progression route details.

The unit credit can also be used towards other relevant qualifications on the QCF.

Assessment

Candidate portfolio. See section 3.

Additional assessment requirements Externally assessed written paper after watching a CPCAB DVD under exam conditions**
Grading system Pass
Personal counselling or therapy (for trainee) None required.
Work-place experience (for trainee) None required.
Staffing and other resources

Only one tutor-assessor is needed for internal assessment.

See section 4 of the Qualification Document for details of required trainer-assessor qualifications and experience.

Internal Moderation and Verification Centres are required to have robust internal moderation and verification processes that are verified by CPCAB.
Candidate Registration Fee £119
Centre application for CPCAB approval to offer the qualification

Centre application fee: £159 (one-off fee).

Centres can design their own training programmes*** or use approved course material written to CPCAB specifications.****

A tutor assessment support DVD with video clips and associated exercises is available to purchase from the CPCAB shop.

*This age requirement is linked to Ofqual’s system for categorising qualifications.

**Candidates must pass both the internal and external assessment to receive the qualification.

***All centre-designed courses must be submitted to CPCAB for approval before candidates can be registered. Although the delivery of courses may differ from centre to centre, all delivery must enable the candidates to achieve the learning outcomes specified in the unit.

**** Please contact CSCT on 0870 163 6900 or visit www.counsellingtraining.com for further details.