What's the time commitment for the course?

At a Glance

The course is 80 hours of CPD, completed entirely at your own pace. There are no fixed deadlines and no live sessions. You work through the material when it suits your life and existing commitments.

What 80 hours actually looks like

The 80 hours include:

• Video lectures — the core teaching content of the course

• Reading and reference material — slide packs, transcripts, recommended further reading

• Reflective tasks — processing what you're learning and applying it to your practice

• Practical exercises — applying the frameworks in structured ways

• Buddy work — practising sessions with a peer of your own choosing to build real online and telephone counselling experience

How members typically pace it

There's no right answer — it depends on your life and your learning style. Common patterns we hear:

• A few hours each week — steady, sustainable progression over a few months

• Concentrated bursts — a few intensive weeks, particularly if you have a quieter period coming up in your practice

• Weekend chunks — using protected weekend time for the bulk of the work

• Mixed pace — quicker through theory you're already comfortable with, slower through new or challenging areas

The flexibility is the point. You're not behind; you're not ahead. You're simply working through it at the pace that works for you.

Fitting it around your existing practice

Most members are working counsellors with full client loads. The course is designed to fit around that life rather than disrupt it. You can study during a quiet evening, between client sessions, on a weekend morning — whatever fits.

The only element that requires coordination with another person is the buddy work — and you arrange those sessions with whoever you choose to practise with, at times that suit you both.

Want to know more?

You can see full course details — including upcoming intake dates, current pricing, and the course handbook — at the Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling page.

If you have a specific question we haven't answered here, email us at support@counsellingtutor.com — a real person will reply within 24 hours.