Introductory Certificate in Counselling

Your first teaching session will incorporate an induction of the course and familiarisation of the University.

Your course tutor will be in contact with you shortly via Moodle with information regarding the first session. This will include how to find the room, what you need to bring with you and the breakdown of the evening.

During the first session of the course, your course tutor will talk you through everything you need to know about the course, such as assignments, how to find your way around campus and the additional support that is available at Birmingham Newman University. There will be ample opportunity for you to ask any questions you might have and to mix with your group.

In addition to these activities, we will be hosting two online ‘Optional Welcome Meetings’ via Teams on Monday 12 January 2026 and Wednesday 14 January 2026 at 6:15pm.

Please note, attendance at the Online Meetings is not compulsory.

The online ‘Welcome Meetings’ are an opportunity to ask any specific questions you may have about the course and arrangements. The Teams links are shown below.

Monday 12 January 2026 at 6:15pm

• Meeting ID: 364 620 474 690 1
• Passcode: sL3VE35m

Wednesday 14 January 2026 at 6:15pm

• Meeting ID: 356 021 077 377 57
• Passcode: aK3Up6r5

Welcome to Birmingham Newman University and we wish you all the best as you start your Introductory Certificate in Counselling.

• Your finalised timetable will be available on Moodle before the start of the course

No pre-reading is necessary for the Introductory Certificate in Counselling. However, if you wish to obtain a book for background reading, the following resources are very helpful;

• Mearns, D., Thorne, B. and McLeod, J. (2013) Person-centred counselling in action. 4Th ed. / edn. London: SAGE. Edition 3 is also useful for this course.

• McLeod, J. (2019) An introduction to counselling and psychotherapy : theory, research and practice. 6th edn. London: McGraw-Hill/Open University Press. Earlier editions are equally as useful.

You may also like to visit the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) online at British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (bacp.co.uk) where you will find a wealth of resources and information on counselling as a career.

Birmingham Newman University offers an award winning library which has a vast array of books, as well as virtual resources (e-books and research journals). These will be available to you once you have completed enrolment.

A full reading list will be available at the start of the course and your tutor will suggest appropriate reading each week.

• Your course tutor will be confirmed shortly.

The evenings will consist of a whole group teaching session, covering some of the basic counselling theories and practice.

Within this, there will be discussions, smaller group work and opportunities for self-reflection. After break, you will be able to practice some counselling skills with your fellow students within small groups called triads.

The course incorporates some assessed work. Your course tutor will discuss this further with you within class.

You will, also, have a tutorial with your course tutor during the semester to see how you are getting on and to discuss any future plans, if you wish.