Clinical placements with room to grow.

Finding your feet? You're in the right place.

Behind every counselling session is a real human being. Someone who listens, cares, asks the difficult questions and occasionally laughs at the right moment.

At ACN, we’re a community of counsellors who believe therapy should be accessible to everyone, not just those who can afford it. If you’re a trainee looking for a place to grow, there could be a place for you here.

Real clients. Real experience. Real support. And some pretty lovely humans along the way.

Apply for a placement Read our placement requirements

More than just a placement.

We know finding the right placement matters. You want meaningful clinical experience, room to develop your own therapeutic style and people around you who have your back.

We also know that being a counsellor can sometimes feel a little lonely. That’s why we’ve worked hard to create something more than a place to collect clinical hours.

Here’s what being part of ACN looks like.

You're supported.

You're never expected to figure everything out alone. Our safeguarding, case management and clinical support teams are here to help you navigate the challenges that can come with therapeutic work. Whether you need guidance, a conversation about a client or simply another perspective, there's someone to turn to.

Your space. Your schedule.

We're 100% online, so you can work from home or wherever you have a safe, private and confidential space. Choose regular session times within our operating hours that work for you and your clients. Flexibility matters. So does consistency. We believe there's room for both.

Real relationships. Real experience.

We don't believe therapy should come with a stopwatch. Our clients can access open-ended counselling, giving you the chance to build meaningful therapeutic relationships and experience the work beyond a handful of sessions. We take care to match clients with counsellors whose training, experience and clinical interests suit their needs.

Find your people.

Because counselling shouldn't feel like a solo mission. You'll become part of a community of people who understand the joys, challenges and occasional wobbles of being a counsellor, with peer connection, shared learning and community events.

Keep learning.

The learning doesn't stop when you start seeing clients. We encourage curiosity, reflection and professional development, with opportunities to access CPD, training and resources that support your growth as a practitioner.

Supervision that supports you.

Good supervision is about more than meeting a professional requirement. It's somewhere to think, reflect, question and grow. Supervision is provided in-house by ACN, in small fortnightly groups, supported by our wider clinical governance framework. There is a fee for supervision, and we'll talk you through it before you join.

New to counselling? You're welcome here.

Everyone starts somewhere.

We welcome applications from trainee counsellors across a wide range of therapeutic approaches, including Person-Centred, Transactional Analysis, Psychodynamic, Gestalt, DBT, Humanistic and Integrative counselling.

We welcome trainees who are in the final years of their training and have a fitness-to-practise letter from their training institution.

Some of our clients bring complex experiences, including trauma and longstanding emotional difficulties. We want to make sure you’re supported to work safely, confidently and within your level of competence.

If you’re applying for your first placement, we’d still love to hear about the experience you bring. Perhaps you’ve worked in healthcare, education, social care or a listening service. Maybe you’ve completed additional training in trauma, safeguarding or neurodiversity.

All of that matters. We look at the whole person, not just the number of clinical hours on your CV.

Already qualified? Take a look at our qualified counsellor service, a paid opportunity where we take care of fees, payments and systems. If you’re looking for voluntary clinical hours instead, you’re welcome to apply for a placement.

Join ACN

Let’s have a chat.

30 minutes, online, no biggie. Tell us what’s going on, what you’d like help with, or just start wherever you are. Bring a cuppa, get comfy and show up as you.

We'll take a look.

We recruit throughout the year, depending on the needs of our service and the placement spaces available. Sometimes we can invite you to interview quite quickly. At other times, we may keep your application on our waiting list until a suitable space becomes available.

Let's have a conversation.

If your application looks like a good fit, we'll invite you to meet our team. It's a chance for us to get to know you and for you to ask us questions too.

Welcome aboard.

If we're a good match, we'll guide you through onboarding, introduce you to our systems and clinical support, and help you prepare to start working with clients. We want you to feel supported from day one.

The important stuff.

We like to keep things human, but there are some commitments we take seriously.

Our clients trust us with their stories, their vulnerability and their time. Consistency, safety and professional responsibility are at the heart of what we do. Before applying, please make sure the following works for you.

The professional essentials for placements.

Be based in the UK for the duration of your placement (this is for insurance purposes).
Hold current membership with a recognised professional counselling body, such as BACP, NCPS or UKCP.
Be an accredited member of your professional body or, if you’re a trainee, provide a fitness-to-practise letter from your training institution.
Hold a current DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. All convictions must be declared on the application form and will be reviewed case by case.
Have your own individual ICO registration and professional indemnity insurance in place for the whole of your placement.
Have completed at least 30 hours of personal therapy with a qualified therapist before applying, and stay in personal therapy throughout your placement.
Work within your competence, your professional ethical framework and ACN’s clinical policies and procedures.
Take part in ACN’s in-house clinical supervision (a fee applies) and case management arrangements.

Showing up for your clients.

Therapeutic relationships take time to build, and endings matter. Our clients are offered open-ended counselling, so we’re looking for counsellors who can give the consistency and commitment that meaningful therapeutic work deserves.

We ask that you:

Commit to a placement with ACN of at least 12 months.
Have availability to see at least three clients each week.
Offer each new client at least 24 consecutive weekly sessions, recognising that clients are free to end counselling earlier.
Offer each client a consistent weekly appointment time.
Take no more than four separate holiday breaks a year, each no longer than two weeks.
Give your clients and the ACN team at least four weeks’ notice of planned holidays.
Give ACN 16 weeks’ notice when you plan to finish your placement. This gives us time to review your clients’ needs with you, before you give your clients the required 12 weeks’ notice.

We understand that life happens and circumstances can change. What matters is communicating openly and making thoughtful decisions together, with clients’ wellbeing at the centre.

The practical stuff.

Because we’re an online service, you’ll also need:

A reliable internet connection suitable for video counselling.
A private, confidential space where you won’t be overheard or interrupted.
A computer or suitable device for online sessions, plus a smartphone.
Confidence using technology, or a willingness to learn the systems we use.
Availability to offer sessions within our operating hours.
Time to complete clinical notes, attend supervision and meet your professional responsibilities.

You don’t need to be a technology wizard. Just willing to learn.

Ready to be part of something good?

You don’t have to have all the answers. None of us do. We’re looking for thoughtful, compassionate counsellors who are curious about people, committed to learning and believe that good therapy can make a real difference. If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you. Good people. Good therapy. A little more connection in the world.

Complete your application

By submitting an application, you confirm that you’ve read, understood and meet our placement requirements. Applications are reviewed according to service needs and available placements; submitting an application does not guarantee a placement. Your information will be stored securely and used only to assess and arrange your placement, in line with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and our Privacy Policy