CPCAB Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills (CSK-L2)
2026 intake:
Week Commencing 21st September 2026
£1,315
Guided learning hours: 90 hours over 30 weeks
Entry Requirements: Minimum age 21.
About Banbury Counselling Academy
The Banbury Counselling Academy was founded in 2011 to provide affordable gold standard counselling training in Oxfordshire, to meet a desperate need for high quality counsellors and psychotherapists, given the decline in mental health resource in the local community. Since then we have grown into a stable and flourishing organisation with 160 students, graduating 30 counsellors a year. Our team of tutors specialises in delivering face to face counselling training to small groups, of generally no more than 12 students. We offer Counselling Skills and Studies on site at various levels to suit all requirements. We are approved by the Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB).
“It is our intention to continue to develop and nurture the next generations of counsellors and psychotherapists as our organisation goes from strength to strength.”
Counselling courses
Explore our counselling qualifications below. Contact the Academy for current availability and the next start dates.
Course details and applications
CPCAB Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies (CST-L3)
2026 intake:
Week Commencing 21st September 2026
£1,760
Guided learning hours: 120 hrs over 30 weeks
Entry Requirements: You must have obtained the CPCAB CSK-L2 Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills or its equivalent*
CPCAB Therapeutic Counselling Level 4 Diploma ( TC-L4 BACP APQ)
2026 intake:
Week Commencing 14th September 2026
£3,860(per year)
Guided learning hours: 450 hrs
Entry Requirements: You must have obtained the CPCAB Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills and the CPCAB Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies or their equivalents*
Level 5 Diploma Psychotherapeutic Counselling (PC-L5)
2026 intake:
Commencing 1st October 2026
£2,495
Guided learning hours: 120 hrs
Entry Requirements: CPCAB Therapeutic Counselling Level 4 Diploma
Level 5 Diploma in Counselling Children and Young People (CYP-L5)
2026 intake:
Commencing 3rd October 2026
£2,495
Guided learning hours: 120 hrs
Entry Requirements: CPCAB Therapeutic Counselling Level 4 Diploma
Level 6 Certificate in Counselling Supervision (TCSU-L6)
2026 intake:
Commencing Friday 2nd October 2026
£1,899
Course details and applications*Distance learning courses which do not involve skills practice or groupwork with fellow students are not equivalent
Where do I start?…
You can start by enrolling on the Level 2 Counselling Skills course. This will give you an idea of how to support people to talk and will also give you an insight into relationships and patterns of behaviour. Having achieved the Level 2 Certificate, you might choose to progress to the Level 3 Counselling Studies Certificate, where you will be introduced to Counselling Theory and Practice and from there go on to the Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling for a vocational qualification. You can find out more about the career pathway on the CPCAB website here.
What can I do after?…
Diploma graduates of the Academy work in a variety of professional contexts, some working with counselling agencies, others work as private practitioners. Some have joined the Academy tutor team, giving back to others what they learned on their journey. Many have joined our sister organisation, The Banbury Therapy Centre, providing our local community with universal access to counselling and psychotherapy. We are enormously proud of all their achievements, and grateful to them for showing us the way and helping us to develop what is a truly exciting, relevant and robust training organisation for support workers, counsellors and psychotherapists.
Financial Support -
For those experiencing financial constraints, the Banbury Counselling Academy is committed to inclusivity and so we offer flexible payment plan options to those who need them. We also offer several bursaries for those wishing to access our courses (subject to availability). We hope this flexibility will help us increase the numbers of those under-represented in the counselling and psychotherapy professions. Click here to find out more.
Student feedback
“It is fantastic to be able to study with practitioners committed to developing opportunities for people who want to become counsellors.”
“The support from tutors and peers has been amazing, as well, the integrative training has been a great learning experience to me. I feel much more confidence on my approach as a counsellor, and also my self esteem as a person has grown.”
Our Team
All our wonderful tutors at BCA have in-depth understanding of the humanistic therapy theories that we weave into our curricula to shape the learning environment. They bring their creativity to the work, involving our students experientially and co-learning with them. They are informed by the richness of their individual areas of expertise which include Art Therapy, Working with Trauma, Children and Young People, Bodywork, Addiction, and Grief and Bereavement.
RACHEL CURD
Academy Lead
Read Rachel Curd’s profile
Rachel Curd is the beating heart of the Banbury Counselling Academy. She looks after students from their first contact all the way through to graduation, ensuring that all the administrative details are cared for. She is the point of contact for initial enquiries, applications, enrolment, finance, course assessment and moderation and organising events.
TINA POKE
Head of Academy Programmes
Read Tina Poke’s profile
Tina believes that every individual is unique and experiences life’s challenges in their own way. She is committed to providing a safe, supportive space where clients feel held with acceptance, empathy, and warmth. As an integrative counsellor, Tina works collaboratively to build a strong therapeutic relationship, enabling clients to explore and address the issues they bring to the sessions.
Drawing on a range of therapeutic approaches, she supports clients in understanding what is impacting their emotional wellbeing and helps them gain insight into how they relate to themselves and those around them.
With a professional background in the emergency services, Tina has extensive experience working with trauma, depression, grief and loss, anxiety, and relationship difficulties. She works with both individuals and couples and also offers EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) therapy for appropriate presenting issues.
ANOUSHKA CLARK-DUNN
Level 2
Read Anoushka Clark-Dunn’s profile
Anoushka is a qualified integrative counsellor who completed her training with the Banbury Counselling Academy in 2023. She has worked across a range of settings, including The Hummingbird Centre supporting individuals affected by cancer, an Oxfordshire school, and Nai’s House in Bicester, where she supported young people experiencing mental health difficulties.
Alongside this, Anoushka runs a private practice, working with both young people and adults. She is deeply passionate about supporting individuals in a way that is right for them, helping them to grow, heal, and flourish.
Passionate about teaching, Anoushka is committed to motivating and encouraging students throughout their counselling journey, using her own training experience to support their development.
Anoushka teaches the Level 2 Counselling Studies course.
AMY McCORMACK
Level 2
Read Amy Mccormack’s profile
Amy McCormack is a Focusing-oriented integrative psychotherapeutic counsellor working in private practice. She initially trained in person-centred bereavement support with Cruse in 2014 and went on to complete her core counselling training in Petruska Clarkson’s five relationship model. She has a particular interest in Eugene Gendlin’s Focusing technique and is a British Focusing Association approved Focusing practitioner. She is also a trainee clay therapist and Sand Story practitioner.
Amy is the editor of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s spirituality division journal, Thresholds, and edits counselling and psychotherapy books. Prior to her career in counselling, she worked in journalism and communications. In addition, she has taught French and English to adults and children and worked as a translator.
JANE ROGERS
Level 2
Read Jane Rogers’s profile
Jane is an integrative counsellor and member of the BACP working to their code of ethical and professional conduct. She has worked for Mind who are at the forefront of promoting good Mental Health and sees clients in private practice with a wide variety of different issues. Jane teaches the Level 2 Counselling Skills course.
JONATHAN BRITTAIN
Level 3
Read Jonathan Brittain ’s profile
After a career in the fire protection industry, Jonathan chose to re-train as a counsellor and became one of the first to graduate from BCA in 2017. He has worked as a Parent Counsellor and also with people struggling with gambling and other addiction issues. He has experience of counselling children and young people in schools in Banbury, winning a Place2Be Wellbeing in Schools Award. As a BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist, he works in private practice with adults including some from leading EAPs. As a Supervisor, he works with both student and qualified counsellors. As a Tutor, he enjoys supporting students to become the types of counsellor they want to be.
Jonathan teaches the Level 3 Counselling Studies course.
KAREN McCONNELL
Level 3
Read Karen Mcconnell’s profile
Karen is a humanist therapist who offers both personal and couples therapy and an experienced CPCAB Level 3 tutor.
CATHERINE UPSTONE
Level 4
Read Catherine Upstone’s profile
Catherine Upstone is a qualified integrative counsellor. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and works within their ethical framework for Good Practice. She uses a range of theoretical models to meet the needs of each individual client and has a wealth of experience of working with children, young people, and adults. She teaches on the Level 3 and Level 4 Counselling Studies courses at Banbury Counselling Academy.
ANNE STEWART
Level 4
Read Anne Stewart’s profile
Anne Stewart is a Humanistic Therapist, Supervisor, and Counselling Tutor at Diploma Level. She is passionate about Reflective Practice as a key to learning. She works with Person Centred, Transactional Analysis and the Transpersonal approaches and loves to work creatively, believing there is more to counselling than just talking.
John Bristow
Level 4
Read John Bristow’s profile
I'm a BACP Accredited Integrative Counsellor, Clinical Supervisor and CPCAB tutor with over eight years of clinical experience. Alongside private practice, I teach CPCAB counselling courses, deliver CPD, and supervise both trainee and qualified counsellors.
I work with adults, young people, counselling students and couples, supporting issues including anxiety, trauma, relationship difficulties, domestic abuse and neurodivergence. I am also trained in the Gottman Method for couples counselling.
I hold CPCAB Level 4 Therapeutic Counselling and Level 6 Therapeutic Supervision qualifications and maintain BACP Accredited status through ongoing professional development.
As a tutor, I aim to create a supportive and appropriately challenging learning environment that develops self-awareness, ethical practice, reflective thinking and the confidence to work safely and effectively with others.
RACHEL YOUNG
Level 4 and Level 5
Read Rachel Young’s profile
Rachel is a counsellor, psychotherapist, supervisor, and counselling tutor with many years of experience. She is a director of the Banbury Therapy Group, which she co-founded with her husband in 2009.
Rachel began her training at Oxford and Cherwell College, graduating in 2006 with a Diploma in Integrative Counselling. She went on to complete further training in both Group and Individual Gestalt Psychotherapy at the Gestalt Centre in London. Since then, she has worked with a diverse range of clients in both community settings and private practice.
Her extensive training and clinical experience enable her to work in depth with a wide spectrum of issues, life situations, and mental health needs. Rachel has supported individuals struggling with depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, personality disorders, and intense or overwhelming fears. She also has particular expertise in addictive and compulsive behaviours, including alcoholism, drug dependency, eating disorders, gambling, sex, pornography, and internet addiction.
A recent photo of a Level 4 group who graduate this year.
What makes us gold standard?
We are committed to teaching in small groups of a generally no more than 12 people...
Small groups are essential to building trust within the group so that our students are able to honestly and openly interact with each other to develop their understanding. Our experience is that when in large training groups, students will stay safe by not taking risks or pushing beyond their comfort zones. Trainees who play safe do not gain the learning they need to hold clients in a robust way.
We have tried and tested curricula at all levels...
At Level 4 we integrate three complementary and reinforcing modalities, Person Centred, Gestalt and Transactional Analysis, with the integrative framework of the Therapeutic Relationship. This provides our graduates with a flexible humanistic practice, adaptable to their clients’ varying presentations and needs.
Our tutors are of the highest calibre...
They are qualified and experienced counsellors, psychotherapists and supervisors with a wide range of specialisations which they bring to the training. Our Programme Management team is qualified and experienced in offering and developing excellent educational courses.
We are constantly evolving and changing in response to feedback from our students...
They lead our progress and have direct input into the running of the Academy through regular student body feedback and response meetings.
We are supported and accredited by the CPCAB...
This excellent awarding body provides a successful model of criteria that our courses are contained within. The CPCAB has provided counselling qualifications for 30 years and helped to change countless lives for the better.
We provide a BACP-approved qualification...
meaning that our graduates are immediately eligible to be listed on the public register of the largest regulating body in the UK, the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.
We have developed a highly responsive and relevant online platform...
to support our learners with all their materials and programmes. Should the need arise, we have robust online delivery options to allow learning to continue uninterrupted in the event of a pandemic.
We have a new building located in the heart of Banbury...
which has been fully refurbished and resourced to provide the ideal environment for therapeutic training. We have paid attention to the need for break out rooms which allow for realistic skills practice in an environment that is conducive to building a safe space for sharing and experimenting.
Watch our Level 5 Student Ellie Hallams submission video for her reflective piece below - “Emancipation”
CPCAB Approved Centre for In-Person CounsellingTraining Courses in Banbury, Oxfordshire