About Us

Victoria Counselling and Training Service (VCTS) was established in 1986, with David
Shepherd being a founding professional and Pauline Shepherd joining him in 1992.
David and Pauline are both Chartered Counselling Psychologists and over the years have counselled many clients, carried out clinical supervision and delivered counselling courses to thousands of students.

David and Pauline began offering AEB (later AQA) counselling courses from 1992, with a full 450-hour suite of courses to meet BACP’s training requirements towards Accreditation. This also includes supporting students in placements, where they carry out a minimum of 100 hours’ supervised client work towards the 450 hours of supervised counselling practice required by BACP. VCTS continued to deliver AQA courses until 2015, when AQA withdrew counselling from their suite of courses.

 

From 2015, VCTS has delivered courses under their own name, tailoring them to ensure that they are relevant to counselling employers’ requirements and clients’ needs. CBT therefore takes a prominent position, alongside TA (Transactional Analysis), thus giving students a shorter-term therapeutic experience as well as a longer one.

 

There are currently 7 classes: 2 first year Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling classes, 2
second year Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling classes, 2 Practitioner Diploma in CBT classes (usually one) and 1 Certificate in Counselling Skills class.

The 2-year Diploma is NCPS Accredited, at level 4 equivalent; those who complete the Practitioner Diploma are eligible to apply for Senior Accreditation.  Students can also use their portfolio of courses to apply for BACP Accreditation.

 

We have had long professional relationships with local organisations such as Mind, Women’s Refuge projects, projects supporting carers and many local schools, all of whom have valued our students and indeed a significant number have been able to take up permanent posts on qualification.

We have been a significant part of the counselling community for more than 35 years and hold a prominent and valued position in the South Essex area.