Choosing a counselling course is a significant decision. Whether you are a recent graduate, a working professional, someone with years of work experience, or someone curious about the counselling profession, it is important you choose a training course that meets your expectations. With so many options available, it can be difficult to know what truly sets one training apart from another. 

It's  is not simply what is taught, but how it is taught and how you develop as a person in the process. At First Psychology Training, our diploma course offers the following blend of learning. 
 

A balance of personal development, skills, and theory

We believe that becoming a counsellor is not simply about acquiring knowledge or mastering techniques alone. It is a process of personal and professional formation. For that reason, our diploma is intentionally designed around three interconnected strands: personal development, skills practice and theory. Each informs and strengthens the others.
 

1. Personal development: the ‘self’ as the primary instrument

The self of the counsellor is one of the most powerful tools they bring into the therapeutic space. Before we can sit meaningfully with another person’s story, we must begin to understand our own.

This involves looking closely at our relational patterns, our habitual ways of responding, our assumptions, biases, and blind spots. How do we react to conflict? What happens in us when someone withdraws, becomes angry, or expresses vulnerability? What do we find difficult to hear?

Without this ongoing self-exploration, we risk unknowingly standing in our own way as helping professionals. Avenues for personal development are woven throughout the training. Through reflective groups, experiential exercises and dialogue, students are supported to deepen their self-awareness in a way that strengthens their professional presence. In counselling, who you are matters as much as what you know.
 

2. Skills practice: building confidence and competence

Counsellors work with a wide range of psychological difficulties and human experiences. It is therefore essential that you feel both skilled and grounded in your role.

Our course is designed to help you develop confidence in therapeutic conversations, through active and repeated practice. We structure our learning days around skills development, giving you regular opportunities to try out new approaches, receive feedback, and refine your therapeutic presence.

You will be introduced to a wide range of tools and interventions, building a flexible 'toolbox' that allows you to respond thoughtfully to different client needs. But more importantly, you will learn how and when to use these tools, and how to stay present when no technique feels sufficient. 

Competence grows through experience. The classroom becomes a rehearsal space for ethical, attuned practice, providing ample opportunity to practise, reflect, receive and offer feedback, and consolidate your skills. 
 

3. Theory: a foundation for safe and ethical practice

At the heart of ethical practice lies a deep understanding of theory, not as abstract knowledge but as a framework that supports informed practice.

We often describe theory as a metaphorical safety jacket. When you are wading into the deep and sometimes turbulent waters of therapeutic work, theory offers buoyancy and direction. It helps you make sense of complexity, maintain ethical grounding, understand the processes unfolding in the room, and maintain ethical clarity.

In the first year of training, students engage deeply with Person-Centred theory, exploring its philosophical and relational foundations. In the second year, more applied frameworks such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) are introduced, broadening your integrative understanding.

Importantly, theory is taught experientially. Rather than remaining at the level of ideas, it is brought into embodied learning, and explored through practice, reflection and relational engagement. In this way, theory becomes lived knowledge, not distant abstraction.

A culture of reflection and curiosity

Our training culture is grounded in the ethos of reflection, humility and curiosity. Counselling, by its very nature, rarely offers tidy conclusions or immediate solutions. Human experience is complex and layered. For this reason, we encourage students to slow down and lean into the process of counselling rather than search prematurely for the 'right' answer or quick expertise. 
 

Learning in relationship

Counselling happens in relationship, and so does our training

Experiential learning is central to our approach. Through small groups, skills practice, and relational teaching methods, students learn not just from lectures, but from each other too, Attention is paid to the development of your professional identity over time. You are not only learning what a counsellor ‘knows’, but also discovering about yourself in the process of becoming one.

Rooted in practice

First Psychology is Scotland’s largest independent provider of psychological therapy. Our organisational values emphasise integrative, pluralist and client-centred care. You will be taught by practising therapists working across different modalities, bringing diverse expertise and real-world experience into the classroom. This ensures your training remains grounded in the landscape of contemporary practice.


If you are looking for a course that prioritises depth, relational learning and professional growth, our Postgraduate Diploma may be the right next step.
 

Interested in becoming a counsellor?

If you are interested in training to become a counsellor/psychological therapist, we are currently accepting applications to our diploma course starting in autumn 2026. Find out more here.