Continuing Professional Development
Here I have collected together some sources of good quality CPD which is either free or low cost. I should mention I am not affiliated with any of the following organisations, I am sharing as I have personally used their training myself and found it valuable.
The Open University - Open Learn
This is a free service offered by the Open University which is available to the general public.
Simply create an account and browse through the training courses they have available.
Each course gives a rough idea of how many hours it should take to complete as well as the level indicating the complexity of the material.
The courses often have sections to reflect on your learning or questions to test what you have learnt which I find help keep me engaged with the learning.
They have additional learning links as well as great referencing.
They offer certificates of completion for these courses to help you evidence your CPD.
MindEd - NHS
A free educational resource created with the NHS.
Though a lot of the courses are related to physical health there are many mental health related or social issue based courses which are applicable to a Counsellor or Psychotherapist.
The websites user interface can be a bit tricky to get used to compared to other sources of CPD but the content of the courses is well worth the effort in overcoming this.
They provide certificates of completion to evidence your CPD.
Combat Stress Learning
Combat Stress Learning hosts CPD aimed at professionals working with Veterans and serving Armed forces members and their families.
Their courses are well made and have quizzes and interactive elements which help keep the learner engaged.
They offer certificates of completion to evidence your CPD
Zero Suicide Alliance
Zero Suicide Alliance provides online courses aimed at everyone around the topic of suicide. They have tailored versions which focus on different aspects of society, such as one focused on healthcare workers, Autistic people, Veterans, and more.
These are aimed at empowering people to feel better able to have conversations with or understand suicidal people - this is not training on how to work therapeutically with them. I mention this because this should not be seen as a replacement for broader, detailed Suicide and self-harm CPD.
What this should be for is having an understanding for those who don't currently work with high-risk clients, or as a resource to be passed on to clients themselves if they have someone in their lives who is suicidal.
Their courses are engaging, and being voice-acted really made them stand out to me.
They offer certificates of completion to evidence your CPD