CPD for counsellors working online

Your online clients deserve the same professionalism as your face-to-face clients.

The same warmth. The same sense of being held. The same care you put into your room — extended into your online sessions, using the kit you already own.

This is the practical companion to the Online and Telephone Counselling Course. OLTC teaches the clinical and ethical skills for working online. This course teaches you how to present that work professionally — the room, the camera, the sound. Two different skills; both matter.

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90-minute CPD — self-paced, lifetime access
No new kit required — works with what you already have
Visible difference within five days
Built by counsellors, for counsellors
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Regular price: £59.99
£24.99
One-time payment  ·  Lifetime access
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You already know how to create a counselling room.

You chose the lighting. You arranged the furniture. You thought about where the client would sit, what they would see, whether the space felt safe and confidential. You did all of that without a second thought — because you understood that the room is part of the therapeutic frame.

Your online setup is the same room. It simply lives on a screen.

This 90-minute CPD course shows you how to bring the same professional care you put into your face-to-face space into your online sessions — using the camera, the lighting and the room you already have. No new kit needed. No technical expertise required. Just a few considered adjustments that your clients will feel, even if they can't name them.

01

Clarity

Your clients should be able to see you clearly — your face, your expressions, the micro-cues that make them feel heard. Poor framing and low-quality lighting quietly erode the therapeutic connection before a word is spoken.

02

Warmth

A cold, cluttered or distracting background signals the opposite of what you intend. The course walks you through how to make your online space feel as considered, calm and welcoming as a counselling room should.

03

Respect

Being heard clearly — without echo, background noise or a muffled microphone — communicates that your client's words matter. Sound is the most underestimated element of online professionalism.

Everything you need to look and sound
like the professional you are.

Six teaching modules, 20+ lessons, real case studies and a five-day implementation plan — designed to give you a visible difference without disrupting your working week.

Camera and framing

How to position your camera so you appear present, professional and engaged — and why the rule of thirds applies just as much to your online sessions as it does to photography. Includes real case studies so you can see the difference for yourself.

Lighting

How to face the right light source, manage natural light drawbacks and create a consistent, flattering setup — using lamps you already own. You'll see the before-and-after through real case studies, not just theory.

Sound

Your voice is your most important clinical tool. This module covers room acoustics, background noise, microphone options (including what not to buy) and how to project your online voice with the same clarity and warmth you bring to face-to-face work.

Your background

What sits behind you on screen speaks before you do. This module explores how to choose, arrange and frame a background that reads as calm, considered and confidential — without requiring a studio or a spare room.

Five-day implementation plan

Module 6 turns everything you have learned into a simple, one-step-per-day action plan. Day One to Day Five — each change is small, each builds on the last, and by the end of the week your setup will look and sound different. No overwhelm, no marathon session.

Real case studies and the kit list

Module 7 includes an unscripted online practice discussion — the same real, lived-in teaching style you'll recognise from Counselling Tutor's most popular content. Module 8 gives you the equipment list your tutors actually use, with direct links. No Amazon rabbit holes.

Everything that's included, module by module.

  • Day One — your starting point (1.5 min)
  • Day Two — Lighting (1 min)
  • Day Three — Sound and Camera (0.5 min)
  • Day Four — Background (1.5 min)
  • Day Five — your usable setup, ready for clients (0.5 min)
  • Looking Professional — why your camera position matters more than your camera (4 min, preview)
  • Framing and Rule of Thirds — the simple adjustment that changes everything (1 min)
  • Framing Case Study — before and after, with the same kit (4 min)
  • Cameras We Use — what to look for if you do choose to upgrade (1.5 min)
  • Lighting Techniques — the principle that makes everything else secondary (7 min)
  • Face the Brightest Light — one rule, transformative results (1 min)
  • Natural Light Drawbacks — how to work with windows, not against them (1 min)
  • Lighting Case Study — the same room, completely different result (5 min)
  • Your Online Voice — why sound is the most overlooked element of online professionalism (5.5 min)
  • Room Noise — how to identify and reduce background sound without soundproofing (2.5 min)
  • Sound Case Study — a real example of how small changes land (1.5 min)
  • Microphone Options and Demo — what works, what to avoid, with a live comparison (1 min)
  • Your Online Presence — how to frame your background so it communicates the same things your in-person room does (9 min)
  • Background Case Study — the choices that work, with reasons (1.5 min)
  • 10 Setup Examples — a guided tour of real working setups (2 min)
  • Online Practice Discussion — an unscripted, in-depth discussion about what professionalism really means in practice (12 min)
  • Colette's Loft Room — a real counselling space, built from scratch (6 min)
  • Studio Setup — what a considered professional setup looks like (1 min)
  • Our Equipment List — the cameras, microphones and lights your tutors actually use, with direct purchase links. No research needed.

This course is for you if…

You're already doing online counselling

You have clients, you have sessions running — but you have a nagging sense your setup could be better. This course gives you the benchmark and the steps to close the gap.

You've just completed the OLTC course

You now understand the clinical and ethical framework for online work. This course is the natural next step — taking everything you know and putting a professional presentation behind it.

You don't want to become technical

You are not interested in video production. You want someone to tell you what to do, in plain language, without sending you down a rabbit hole of reviews and specs. That is exactly what this course does.

Built by counsellors who also know cameras.

Most courses that teach you how to "look good on camera" are built by content creators — people who understand video production but have never held a therapeutic space. This course is different.

"Before becoming counsellors, our tutors worked in television production and ran a photographic agency. They know exactly what makes a camera communicate — and they know why it matters clinically."

That rare overlap — broadcast and photographic expertise, grounded in qualified counselling practice — is what makes this course genuinely useful. The adjustments it recommends are not about vanity or personal brand. They are about the therapeutic frame.

90
minutes of CPD — structured around six core modules
20+
lessons, including real case studies and live practice discussion
5
days to a visible difference — one step per day, no marathon sessions
13k+
counsellors trained through Counselling Tutor's online CPD programmes

One-time payment. Lifetime access.

Everything you need to professionally hold your clients online — in a single self-paced course.

How to Look and Sound Professional in Your Online Practice
£24.99
Regular price: £59.99
One-time payment — unlimited access
  • 90 minutes of structured CPD across 6 teaching modules
  • 20+ lessons including real case studies and live practice discussion
  • Camera, framing and rule of thirds
  • Lighting — techniques and a real before-and-after case study
  • Sound — room acoustics, microphone guidance and demos
  • Your background — how to frame a space that feels professional
  • Five-day implementation plan — one step per day
  • The kit list your tutors actually use, with direct links
  • Self-paced, lifetime access — revisit any time
Enrol now — £24.99

30-day money-back guarantee

If you work through the course and don't feel it has improved your online setup, contact us within 30 days for a full refund — no questions asked. We want you to feel the difference.

Frequently asked questions

No. The course is specifically designed to work with the equipment you already own — a laptop webcam, a desk lamp and the room you use for sessions. The improvements come from how you use what you have, not from spending money on upgrades. The kit list in Module 8 is there if you ever want to invest in something specific, but it is entirely optional.

No — they are different courses covering different ground. The Online and Telephone Counselling Course (OLTC) teaches the clinical and ethical skills for working online: how to assess suitability, contract with clients, manage risk and hold the therapeutic relationship through the screen. This course teaches the professional presentation of that work — camera, lighting, sound and background. The two complement each other; neither replaces the other.

The course is approximately 90 minutes of video content, broken into short, focused lessons. The five-day implementation plan in Module 1 is designed so you make one change per day — so the practical element takes a week rather than a day. Most learners find the combination of watching and doing works well within a single week.

Yes. The course is accredited CPD and contributes approximately 90 minutes of structured CPD time. You'll receive a certificate of completion on finishing the course, which you can use as evidence of your CPD activity with your professional body.

Often, yes. Most learners who consider themselves "already sorted" discover one or two areas they hadn't thought about — most commonly eye-line, the warmth of their background, or the way room acoustics affect their voice on calls. The case studies in Module 6 are particularly useful for this: seeing a range of real setups benchmarks your own in ways that are hard to do alone.

Yes — 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. If you work through the course and don't feel it has made a difference, contact us within 30 days of purchase and we'll refund you in full.

Ready to bring your counselling room online?

One payment. 90 minutes. A visible difference within five days.

Enrol now — £24.99

One-time payment · Unlimited access · 30-day money-back guarantee