The Counselling Skills (RQF) Level 2 qualification is an Ofqual-regulated introduction to the knowledge, values, and practical skills that underpin counselling-based helping relationships. Awarded by Training Qualifications UK (TQUK), one of the UK's largest regulated awarding organisations, it provides a structured and nationally recognised starting point for anyone interested in counselling, active listening, or person-centred support work.
The qualification is built around four mandatory units. The first unit examines core counselling skills — active listening, reflection, paraphrasing, and open questioning — and how these are applied to establish and sustain a productive helping relationship. You explore the boundaries of the helping role and the appropriate way to conclude a counselling interaction without leaving a client feeling unsupported or abandoned.
The second unit introduces the main theories that inform counselling practice, including person-centred, psychodynamic, and cognitive-behavioural approaches. You examine why theory matters — not as abstract knowledge, but as the framework that helps a counsellor understand a client's experience and choose appropriate responses. The third unit addresses diversity and ethics, two pillars of professional counselling practice. You explore how an ethical framework — based on principles such as autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence — shapes every aspect of the helping relationship, and study what discrimination means in the context of counselling, including the duty of anti-discriminatory practice when working with people from different cultural, religious, and social backgrounds.
The fourth unit focuses on personal development — the dimension of counselling training that sets it apart from most vocational qualifications. You examine how self-understanding supports effective helping, identify the personal qualities most relevant to helping roles (including empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard), and consider how counsellors and helpers meet their own support needs through supervision and reflective practice.
Assessment is entirely written and online — there are no exams or placement requirements. Learners complete written assignments for each unit, submitted via the online learning platform and assessed by a tutor. Feedback is provided to support progression. The qualification is listed on the Ofqual Register and is recognised by employers in health, social care, education, and the third sector as a credible foundation-level counselling skills award.
