Becoming a Relate Counsellor
Being a Relate counsellor is an incredibly interesting and rewarding job where you can make a difference to the lives of many people. Relate has around 2000 counsellors all of whom receive regular supervision and support throughout their training and practice. Relate offers excellent opportunities for personal growth and development and further training for those who want to specialise in a particular form of relationship counselling such as family counselling, psychosexual therapy or counselling for young people.
You can work for us in a way that suits you! Depending which service you support, how much time you can offer and your qualifications you can be employed or self-employed, providing sessional work or work as a volunteer.
As many of our services are offered at weekends and evenings the opportunity for flexible working enables you to fit Relate work around other commitments.
Training
Your nearest Relate may hold information sessions where further details about training placements and Relate's courses are available. Please contact your nearest Relate Centre in the first instance. Click here to find your nearest Relate Centre. Please note that this search facility includes all counselling locations and Relate Licensed Counsellors. Please call the main Centre which is listed as "Location managed by" on counselling location entries. Please do not call Licensed Counsellors about training opportunities.
You can download an application form from the relevant pages listed below. It is advisable to have word processing and IT skills before beginning training.
Relate employs a selection process to identify people who have personal characteristics and life experience which suit them well for training and work as couple counsellors. Selection of trainee counsellors involves highly developed standardised procedures to ensure equality of opportunity for applicants, the avoidance of discriminatory practices, and to ensure that trainees of a consistently high quality are recruited.
University Advanced Diploma - Introduction to Couple Counselling
This one year programme, in collaboration with the University of Hull, aims to provide an introductory training for people wishing to work as couple counsellors with Relate or other couple counselling organisations and who have no previous working experience in the field of counselling. It also provides a relatively short specialist training in couple counselling for other suitably qualified counsellors who wish to develop their work in their current employment or private practice.
Postgraduate Diploma in Psychosexual Therapy/Clinical Supervision
This Postgraduate Diploma in Relationship Therapy is a 2 year programme which offers the opportunity to take one of two pathways: Psychosexual Therapy; Clinical Supervision. The programme is designed to meet the professional requirements of BASRT. The programme builds on the introductory training which students have already gained by completing the University Advanced Diploma with Relate or an equivalent. The programme provides a framework for theoretically informed practice-based training at postgraduate level that integrates practice with clients and clinical supervision. On successful completion of the Postgraduate Diploma in Psychosexual Therapy or Clinical Supervision students will be able to progress to the MSc in Relationship Therapy.
PGDip/MA in Relationship Therapy
This three year programme, in collaboration with the University of Hull, has been designed in accordance with the course approval criteria of the British Association for Counselling Psychotherapy. It is a combination of the two courses which were run previously, the PG Diploma in Couple Therapy and the PG Diploma in Systemic Therapy. On completing the course the students will be qualified to work in Relate with individuals, couples and families.
MSc in Relationship Therapy - a research-based degree in relationship therapy.
This is a two year programme, validated by the University of Hull. Entry to the programme is open to students who have completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Relationship Therapy (or equivalent) who wish to extend their postgraduate studies so as to gain an MSc. The MSc provides a rich learning environment for students drawn from each of the pathways of the PGDip/MA programme.
Working with Couples: An Introduction to Theory and Practice
This three month course aims to provide training for practitioners wishing to work as Relate couple counsellors and who have previous experience and qualifications in the field of counselling. This is not a validated course.
Specialisations
Trained Relate counsellors can go on to train in one of these specialised areas:
Psychosexual Therapy
Counselling Young People
Clinical Supervision
