The Counselling Foundation
About us
The Counselling Foundation is a leading charity providing counselling and counsellor training for the better mental health of our communities of Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
Our charitable mission enables people on low incomes to have access to affordable, long term counselling or bereavement support which isn’t available elsewhere in the two counties.
We provide counselling for individuals and couples on a short or long term basis. This means you may either engage in counselling for as long as you require or choose to be allocated a set amount of solution focused sessions with specific goals in mind.
Online or phone counselling is available. Receive all of the benefits of counselling from the comfort of your own home with the same support and confidentiality as face to face counselling but allows flexible appointment times, whilst observing social distancing measures.
We provide specialist bereavement support for anyone over the age of 18. This support provides a space for you to talk about your feelings of loss and grief and to be honest, sad, angry, scared or to just not know.
Our long term, open-ended service is BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) accredited.
When you make contact with one of our 5 centres, you can discuss the counselling you prefer or if you are unsure you can ask when you come in for your assessment. We seek to ensure that everyone sees one of our counsellors within two weeks of enquiry.
Our counselling training service promotes personal development and growth whilst supporting communities through the provision of further qualified counsellors providing a talking therapy.
Bedford
Citizens Advice Bedford
7a St Paul's Square
Bedford
MK40 1SQ
01234 346077
Broxbourne & Ware
Bishops College
Churchgate
Cheshunt EN8 9XA
01992 637285
Luton
Hilde Eccles House
70-72 Princess Street
Luton LU1 5AT
01582 732450
St Albans
1 College Yard
Lower Dagnall Street
St Albans AL3 4PA
01727 856693
Stevenage
166A High Street
Stevenage SG1 3LL
01438 357775
Training, qualifications & experience
We have counsellors who are qualified to a minimum diploma level or who are in training at Diploma level. We are a BACP Accredited Centre.
Amongst our fully qualified counsellors, The Counselling Foundation provides placements to our trainees who are completing their training under close supervision. Our long term, open ended service is BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) accredited. We also offer counselling for businesses & we are a leading local provider for the NHS.
Member organisations *
Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
UK Council for Psychotherapy
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Areas of counselling we deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
The Foundation also delivers a range of professional couselling training courses which include; Introduction to Counselling, Foundation Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Counselling.
The Foundation Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling is a 1-year part time course.
It aims to provide those who wish to develop counselling skills in work-based and other settings with the skills and knowledge, which will enhance and support their work. It also provides the grounding for further training to become a professional counsellor.
The course leads to The Counselling Foundation Certificate in Psychodynamic skills and theory Counselling Award, which subject to acceptance provides access to The Counselling Foundation Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling.
It is also widely recognised as an access course to many other institutions’ professional training.
We run courses in St Albans, Luton, Bedford, Welwyn Garden City and London which start in September each year.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
The Foundation is a ‘not for profit’ organisation, a charity whose aim is to make counselling accessible to all in our community. Open Ended therapy is the service which is eligible for the Foundation’s charitable support – we ask you to pay what you can reasonably afford towards our costs and this aspect is discussed with you at the first meeting. We ask for an initial payment for an assessment carried out by an experienced counsellor who will discuss suitability for counselling.
Our other services are not subsidised and have a set fee. The Counselling Foundation’s fees are reviewed annually.
You may be able to access counselling at no cost to you via your GP and the NHS. Your GP will be able to advise you on what is available to you. Please visit our NHS Short Term Counselling page.
Please contact us to discuss any questions you may have.
Further information
The Foundation also delivers a range of professional couselling training courses which include; Introduction to Counselling, Foundation Certficate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Counselling.
Our next CPDs coming up:-
