Why counselling training takes time – and why in-person study still matters
The pace of life has quickened. We scroll, swipe and expect results immediately. Yet learning to be a counsellor doesn’t fit that rhythm. Counselling training takes time, as you build the steadiness and self-awareness needed to sit alongside someone else. Real counselling training needs your practice and presence – as well as patience.
At Renew Counselling and Training, every stage of study is designed to let people grow into the work, not rush through it. Even at the very start of your counselling training journey, our Introduction to Counselling course runs over twelve weeks and is delivered in person.
Learn more about our Introduction to Counselling Skills course
It offers space to explore what draws you to helping others and to experience what it means to listen without trying to fix. Many students discover, in those few months, that counselling is as much about learning who you are as it is about learning what to do.
For those who go on to further study, the Diploma of Higher Education in Counselling (Child and Young Person) Person-Centred is a four-year, part-time counselling qualification.
Learn more about our DipHe in Counselling (Child and Young Person) Person-Centred
Students spend one full day a week together in training. Over those years, they gain not only theory and technique but the capacity to be with children and young people in a way that feels safe and attuned. Alongside classes come placements, supervision and the gradual but meaningful accumulation of real experience with clients. Confidence develops over time, through relationships and reflection.
For some, the learning journey continues beyond the Diploma. Renew’s BA (Hons) in Counselling and Psychotherapy (Top-Up) is a one-year, full-time, work-based counselling degree for counsellors and psychotherapists who are already practising.
Learn more about our BA (Hons) Counselling and Psychotherapy Top-Up
Teaching takes place one day a week, allowing study to run alongside ongoing client work.
Students develop their skills, knowledge and clinical practice through one of two specialist routes: Counselling Adults or Counselling Children and Young People. Across the year, they explore theory in depth and develop their research skills through seminars, peer learning and study groups. The course culminates in a research project and dissertation, creating space for sustained attention to practice-based questions.
This kind of learning cannot be rushed. It is built around time: time spent thinking, discussing, researching and writing; time for ideas to be tested and refined in relation to real client work; and time for professional judgement to be shaped through careful, supported study.
Training face to face matters. In shared rooms, people notice tone, silence, laughter and how it feels to be listened to. These small human details shape the kind of counsellor you become. They can’t be replicated by quick online modules or generic video lessons. In-person counselling training allows time to make mistakes safely and to be witnessed as you learn.
Taking the slower route doesn’t mean falling behind. By taking your time, you are allowing enough time for change to take root in knowledge, in practice and in the person you are becoming. When you finally begin working with clients, you carry not just information but understanding, tested and shaped through years of shared learning.
Our BA (Hons) Counselling Top-Up kicks off this January; our Introduction to Counselling course starts in April; and our next Diploma HE in Counselling (Child and Young Person) Person-Centred begins in September 2026. We’re hosting a number of Open Days throughout the year and would love to meet you if you’re considering counselling training with Renew.
Book on to one of our Open Days
For details about any of our counselling courses, please contact the Renew training team for a chat – we’re happy to take the time to chat to you. Just click the button below, scroll to the bottom of the page and fill out the contact form.
