What this certification is, and what it isn't
What it is
- Structured training in school counselling practice for the Indian education context, built around NEP 2020 wellbeing, guidance, and referral responsibilities.
- A graded assessment and a numbered credential any school or employer can check on our public register.
- Professional development you can put to work inside a teaching, pastoral, or guidance role you already hold.
What it isn't
- Not a qualification as a Clinical Psychologist, and not a route to one.
- Not a substitute for the base qualifications a school, board, or employer sets for a counselling post. Check theirs before you enrol.
- Not a degree or a government award. Therapy Council is an independent certification body, not a university or a regulator.
How does certification work?
Study online at your own pace, complete the required learning, and pass the assessment to receive your numbered Therapy Council credential.
- Format
- Online, self-paced
- Learning time
- 10h including applied work
- Curriculum
- 13 modules · 184 lessons
- Language
- English
- Assessment
- Required for certification
- Certificate
- Permanent register record
What does the course fee include?
Video teaching, learning material, case studies, assignments and the certification exam are all part of the programme, not extras you pay for later.
On-demand teaching across 13 modules, watched at your own pace.
Module notes, references and written material you keep for life.
Worked real-world scenarios showing how the methods play out with actual clients and settings.
Practice tasks and reflection prompts that turn the teaching into something you can do.
The assessment that gates your certificate is part of the programme, with no separate exam fee.
A numbered certificate on the public register permanently, with lifetime access to the material.
What will you be ready to do?
Things you should be able to do at the end, not just describe.
Who is this certification for?
This certification is designed for professionals adding structured wellbeing skills to an existing or developing role.
Who is it designed for?
- Psychology and child-development graduates
- Teachers and school wellbeing staff
- Career-guidance professionals
- Existing counsellors moving into education
What should you know before enrolling?
- No prior Therapy Council course is required
- A background in psychology, education, child development, or counselling is strongly recommended
- Employer and school-system qualification requirements apply separately
What will you study?
The published curriculum moves from foundations to applied practice, with the course introduction available to preview.
0Course Introduction1 topic+
Free preview — watch before you enrol
1Foundations of school counselling5 topics+
- 1.1What the role is and is not, including the line between school counselling and clinical therapy
- 1.2History and how the role evolved
- 1.3The comprehensive counselling model: ASCA National Model and the CBSE/Indian school wellness context side by side
- 1.4Where the counsellor sits in the school system and who they answer to
- 1.5Core ethics and codes of conduct
2Child and adolescent development5 topics+
- 2.1Cognitive, emotional, social, and physical milestones by stage
- 2.2Attachment and how it shows up in behaviour and learning
- 2.3The adolescent brain and risk-taking
- 2.4Identity formation across childhood and the teen years
- 2.5How developmental stage changes your counselling approach
3Core counselling skills6 topics+
- 3.1Building rapport and the working relationship with a student
- 3.2Active listening, reflection, and the kinds of questions that open a conversation
- 3.3Person-centred and solution-focused methods
- 3.4Brief counselling that works inside a 30-minute school window
- 3.5CBT-informed techniques students can actually use
- 3.6Case notes and documentation that hold up
4Academic and career guidance5 topics+
- 4.1Academic stress, motivation, and underachievement
- 4.2Study skills and exam preparation support
- 4.3Career assessment and exploration tools
- 4.4Stream and subject selection under board pressure
- 4.5Counselling around high-stakes exams and parental expectation
5Social-emotional learning and prevention5 topics+
- 5.1SEL competencies and frameworks
- 5.2Designing and delivering classroom guidance lessons
- 5.3Teaching emotional regulation, resilience, and growth mindset
- 5.4Bullying: prevention, identification, and intervention
- 5.5Friendship, peer pressure, and social skills
6Mental health concerns in students6 topics+
- 6.1Spotting anxiety, depression, and chronic stress early
- 6.2Self-harm and suicidal ideation: how to assess and respond
- 6.3Disordered eating and body image
- 6.4How trauma presents in a school setting
- 6.5ADHD, anxiety disorders, and behavioural concerns
- 6.6When to refer out, and how to do it without losing the student
7Crisis intervention and safeguarding6 topics+
- 7.1Crisis response fundamentals
- 7.2Suicide risk assessment and safety planning
- 7.3Recognising and responding to abuse disclosures
- 7.4POCSO, mandatory reporting, and your legal duties in India
- 7.5Postvention after a student death or major incident
- 7.6Working with leadership and staff during a crisis
8Special populations and inclusion6 topics+
- 8.1Learning differences: dyslexia, dyscalculia, and others
- 8.2Neurodiversity, including autism and ADHD
- 8.3Supporting gifted students
- 8.4Accommodations, IEPs, and inclusive classroom practice
- 8.5Supporting LGBTQ+ students safely
- 8.6Culturally responsive counselling
9Group and classroom work4 topics+
- 9.1Designing small-group counselling
- 9.2Facilitation skills for groups
- 9.3Large-group and whole-class delivery
- 9.4Running psychoeducation programmes
10Working with families and the wider system4 topics+
- 10.1Parent consultation and hard conversations
- 10.2Collaborating with teachers and consulting on cases
- 10.3Multidisciplinary teams and referral networks
- 10.4Community mental health resources
11Building and proving your programme4 topics+
- 11.1Running a needs assessment
- 11.2Designing a year-long counselling programme
- 11.3Measuring outcomes and showing impact to administration
- 11.4Reporting that protects your role and budget
12Professional practice and self-care5 topics+
- 12.1Ethical dilemmas, confidentiality limits, and disclosure
- 12.2The legal landscape for school counsellors in India
- 12.3Burnout, compassion fatigue, and sustainable practice
- 12.4Supervision and ongoing growth
- 12.5Building a career and moving into leadership
How do you earn the certification?
Watching the modules does not issue a certificate. The credential is gated on one thing: a written exam at the end, marked against a published pass mark. It tests the knowledge behind the practice.
Work through the modules, case studies and applied activities. The activities are yours to practise with; the exam is the graded part.
Meet the published pass mark. Your result comes back as soon as you submit.
Your numbered certificate goes on the public register and stays there permanently.
CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT
PRESENTED TO
Specimen
FOR SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THE
Certified School Counsellor
CERTIFICATION ISSUED BY THERAPY COUNCIL™
This certificate records assessed achievement against the published programme standard: the required learning completed and the final assessment passed.
Every certificate carries a unique number and a live register entry.
Employers, clients, and anyone else can check it against the public register, free and without an account, for as long as you hold the credential.
Look up this specimen on the registerBefore you pay
- 7-day refund
Email us within 7 days of buying and we refund to your original payment method, as long as you have not sat the exam or worked substantially through the material. Full terms
- Pay in instalments
EMI options appear at checkout alongside UPI, cards, and net banking.
- Questions before enrolling?
Ask about the programme using the form on this page, or read the support policy.
Where can you use these skills?
The settings graduates take this work into.
- Student wellbeing and pastoral care
- Academic and career guidance
- Safeguarding and referral coordination
- School-wide prevention programmes
What do learners ask before enrolling?
What does this school counselor certification cover?
This school counselor certification covers child and adolescent development, individual and group counselling foundations, academic and career guidance, safeguarding, mental health identification and referral, crisis response, family and teacher collaboration, documentation, and school-wide wellbeing programmes in Indian educational settings.
How does this compare with school counselling courses under NEP 2020?
Among school counselling courses, this programme is specifically grounded in the Indian education context and addresses the wellbeing, guidance, inclusion, and referral responsibilities associated with NEP 2020. It supports professional development, but each school, board, and employer remains responsible for defining the base qualifications required for a role.
Is this a diploma in child psychology?
No. This is an assessed professional certification in school counselling, not a diploma in child psychology or an academic degree. It includes child and adolescent development because school counsellors need that foundation, but the award title is Certified School Counsellor and it does not qualify someone as a psychologist.
What does a Therapy Council certification verify?
A Therapy Council certification verifies that the named learner completed the published programme and passed its graded assessment. The certificate carries the learner name, credential title, and a unique number entered in the public register, so an employer or client can confirm it online at any time, free and without an account.
What makes a Therapy Council certification credible?
Three things. Every programme is built as hands-on practice with real scenarios, so the training reflects actual work. Every certificate is assessment-gated: it is only issued after you pass a graded assessment at the end of the programme. And every credential stays publicly verifiable, so its value can be checked by any employer or client in seconds rather than taken on faith. Therapy Council is an independent certification body: we publish our standard openly and back every certificate with the register.
Who are these certifications for?
Practitioners adding a new modality to their work, educators and counsellors formalising skills they already use, and career-changers entering mental wellbeing work. Each programme starts from professional foundations, including the ethics and scope-of-practice boundaries that responsible practice depends on.
How does the assessment work?
Each programme ends with a written exam, marked automatically against a published pass mark, and the certificate is only issued on a pass. Every attempt draws a fresh set of questions from the bank, so a retake is a new paper rather than a second run at the same one. The applied activities and case work inside the programme are there to practise on; the exam is the graded part.
How long does certification take?
Programmes are fully self-paced and course access is lifetime from enrolment. Each programme publishes its estimated study hours before you enrol, so you can judge the commitment upfront and set your own pace. Progress is saved automatically, so you can pause and resume whenever life requires it.
Does my certificate expire?
No. Your certificate and its register entry stay up permanently, so an employer or client can confirm the credential and the date you earned it for as long as you need. The certificate also carries a four-year date, which marks how long it stands as current against the syllabus you were assessed on. Recertifying after that is optional: you sit the current version of the assessment and receive a certificate dated against the current curriculum, which is worth doing if the standard has moved on since you trained or a client wants a recent date. Course material you bought stays yours either way. Full terms are in our Certificate Validity and Renewal policy.
What if a programme is not right for me?
Every certification publishes its full curriculum before you enrol, so you can see exactly what you will learn. If it still turns out not to fit, we have a straightforward refund policy with the current terms published openly.