Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Complete required personal therapy and supervision orientation
2–4 weeks (programme-dependent)
Before conducting supervised counselling with clients, complete your programme's required personal therapy hours (if applicable) and attend a structured supervision orientation session run by a qualified clinical supervisor. Document: your personal therapy hours (if required by your training programme), the name and credentials of your clinical supervisor (including their professional registration — BACP, UKCP, BPS, or equivalent), the supervision model used (Hawkins and Shohet, Inskipp and Proctor, or equivalent), and how the supervisory relationship will be structured (frequency, format, focus). Submit this as an orientation record.
Proof required
Submit your supervision orientation record (1 page) countersigned by your clinical supervisor, confirming their credentials, supervision model, and your agreed supervision structure.
What gets checked
- Supervisor credentials include their professional registration number or body — 'experienced counsellor' is not sufficient.
- Supervision model is named — not just 'regular supervision' but which structured model governs the relationship.
- If personal therapy is required by your programme, the hours completed are documented.
Common mistakes
- Supervisor without a recognised professional registration — BACP, UKCP, or BPS accreditation is required for this milestone.
- Supervision model not identified — 'we will meet regularly to discuss cases' is not a supervision model.
- Personal therapy hours documented without specifying the therapist's credentials if the programme requires this.
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Verify the supervisor's professional registration — ask for the body and number.
- Ask the student to describe the supervision model their supervisor uses.
- If personal therapy is a programme requirement, confirm the hours are documented.
Complete 20 supervised counselling sessions with clients
4–6 months (dependent on placement access and client availability)
Under clinical supervision, conduct a minimum of 20 face-to-face counselling sessions with real clients (in a placement, student counselling service, or supervised private practice context approved by your training programme). Maintain a session log for each: session date, session number for this client, therapeutic approach used, primary presenting issue (generic category only — do not record diagnosis or identifying details), and a brief note on what the session worked on and what was brought to supervision. All client identifying information must be fully anonymised. Supervision must occur at a minimum of 1 hour per 5 client hours.
Proof required
Submit your anonymised session log (minimum 20 entries) and a summary of your supervision hours during this period, countersigned by your clinical supervisor. The log must show variety in presenting issues (at least 3 generic categories).
What gets checked
- 20 sessions completed — not 18 sessions described as 'approximately 20'.
- Supervision ratio is maintained — at least 1 hour supervision per 5 client hours documented.
- All client identifiers are fully anonymised — no name, age, workplace, relationship details, or combinations that could identify the client.
Common mistakes
- Sessions not under clinical supervision — the supervision ratio must be maintained throughout.
- Client information that is anonymised at the name level but retains identifying combinations (job, age, location).
- Log entries that describe what the client said rather than what the session worked on — clinical process notes must be distinguishable from reporting.
Resources
Foundationstart here
What a verifier looks for
- Verify the supervision ratio is maintained — ask to see the supervision log alongside the client session log.
- Check that the 3 or more generic presenting issue categories are represented.
- Confirm full anonymisation — review a sample of entries for identifying combinations.
Write a case study demonstrating therapeutic process and self-reflection
2–3 weeks
With supervisor approval and using one anonymised client case from your 20 sessions (client consent to case study must be obtained), write a case study (3–5 pages) demonstrating therapeutic process and self-reflection: presenting issue (generic), therapeutic approach applied and its theoretical rationale, description of the therapeutic relationship development, a specific session moment that challenged you and how you navigated it (with reference to the supervision process), and an honest self-reflection on your competency development. This is a learning document — honesty about challenges is expected and required.
Proof required
Submit your anonymised case study countersigned by your clinical supervisor confirming client consent was obtained and the case is based on real supervised practice. All identifying details must be removed.
What gets checked
- Therapeutic approach is linked to its theoretical rationale — not just named but explained.
- The challenging moment is specific — not 'sessions were sometimes difficult' but a named moment with your specific response and what you learned.
- Self-reflection is honest — a case study where everything went well is not a learning document.
Common mistakes
- Case study that describes the client situation without reflecting on the therapeutic process.
- Client consent not obtained and documented — without consent the case cannot be submitted.
- Self-reflection that is positive throughout — clinical training case studies must address real challenges.
Resources
Foundationstart here
What a verifier looks for
- Confirm client consent was obtained and is documented.
- Ask the student to describe the challenging moment in the case study — tests whether the reflection is genuine.
- Check that the therapeutic approach section links theory to practice.