Earn your degree in counselling

The ‘Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body’, or CPCAB is considered one of the most (if not the most) prestigious counselling awarding bodies in the UK. CPCAB courses meet the requirements to become a member of BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) and also provide you with the skills to become a confident and effective counsellor.

But did you know that you can use your CPCAB qualifications as a shortcut to earning a degree in counselling with the open university as well?

How will my CPCAB courses help earn me a degree?

The first step in earning your degree is to complete the CPCAB level 4 diploma in therapeutic counselling. This is the course you will need to complete in order to qualify as a counsellor and become a member of BACP. For more information on CPCAB level 4, please visit our course page

Once you’ve achieved your CPCAB level 4 diploma you can then use what you’ve already learned to earn a foundation degree. These can be a good way of further developing your theoretical knowledge and gaining a very widely recognised qualification on top of your CPCAB qualification. 

This will involve taking some additional open university modules through self- study. See the open universities website for more information and how to apply. There are two different routes you could take to achieve this.

At the end of either of these routes, you will have a Foundation Degree in Counselling!

Earn your degree in counselling - route 1

Continue in CPCAB and complete a CPCAB Level 5 Diploma

You then take two additional Open University modules:

  • Brain, mind and mental health 
  • Exploring mental health counselling
Earn your degree in counselling - route 2

Instead of CPCAB level 5, you undertake one Open University module from the following:

  • Death, dying and bereavement 
  • Living psychology: From the every day to the extraordinary 
  • Mental health and community 
  • Psychology of childhood and youth 

You then take the Open University’s ‘Exploring mental health and counselling’ module