UK Therapy Guild

13/03/2026

My story was picked up by the Liverpool Echo - you can read it here 🙏

11/03/2026

Here’s a little glimpse into my story! Thank you to LaVida Liverpool for celebrating our Academy 💛

In a time when the UK is facing unprecedented mental health challenges, the demand for well-trained, compassionate counsellors has never been greater. At the forefront of meeting that need is Nichola Doyle, founder of the UK Therapy Guild — a Liverpool-based training academy equipping the next gen...

09/03/2026

Nichola Doyle

Starting something new can feel exciting and also a little daunting. One of the things people sometimes share with us when they enquire about our Level 5 Dual Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Clinical Hypnotherapy is their concern about the financial commitment. It’s completely understandable as investing in yourself is a big step.

What we firmly believe is that while this is an investment into your future career, the real investment isn’t just in gaining qualifications, it’s in your own personal growth.

Many students begin the course thinking they are simply learning a curriculum so they can become counsellors. And of course they do learn the theory, the skills and the professional framework needed for practice however something else happens along the way, what my predecessor Paul Henderson refers to as Alchemy.

Counselling training becomes a journey of self discovery. Students often find themselves reflecting on their own patterns, relationships, beliefs and life decisions. Their confidence in these areas grows and their awareness deepens. Many many students - if not all, tell me the learning changes not only how they work with others, but how they live their own lives.

The Academy stands on the shoulders of some remarkable people, drawing on the influence and guidance of respected counselling educators Paul Henderson and Nick Buchanan. Paul remains a close friend and trusted advisor to our Academy.

Our founder Nichola Doyle delivers the curriculum and brings her own lived experiences to the course, sharing practice from her day to day counselling experiences. Nichola works across the North West with teachers, parents and young people primarily in Special Educational Needs settings as well as owning her own counselling service UK Therapy Guild Counselling Service.

We also enhance our offer further and bring in specialist tutors so students learn from experienced practitioners across different approaches. This includes teaching in Gestalt and NLP, and we are fortunate to have Dr Helen Moyà, a renowned teacher and CBT practitioner, contributing her expertise.

Over the years the course materials have continued to evolve, we offer refreshed content and new CPD opportunities so the course remains alive, relevant and grounded in practice.

Another strength of the Academy is the network around it. Through relationships built up over UKAIT’s many years, 20+, we have strong connections with placement providers who support our students as they begin their clinical work. A further testament to the family feel of our course is that UKAIT’s previous students still come in to the centre to help us in guiding the students practice 💛

So, for those of you who are wondering about the financial side, we try to make the affordability in accessing our training as low as possible. We don’t offer bursaries but we lower the costs for everyone:

A £500 deposit secures your place following an informal interview and satisfactory references. The remaining £3250 can then be spread over 23 months on a personalised payment plan starting on 31 August, which works out at £141.30 per month.

We don’t ask for previous counselling experience, what matters most to us is your curiosity, openness and a willingness to grow. We are honoured that each year we watch people arrive unsure of themselves and leave as thoughtful, capable practitioners who are ready to support others and somewhere along the way, they realise the biggest transformation has been their own.

If you’ve been thinking about beginning this journey, you’re very welcome to reach out for a conversation:

www.uktherapyguild.co.uk
E: admin@uktherapyguild.org
WhatsApp 01512721092

09/03/2026

Starting something new can feel exciting and also a little daunting. One of the things people sometimes share with us when they enquire about our Level 5 Dual Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Clinical Hypnotherapy is their concern about the financial commitment. It’s completely understandable as investing in yourself is a big step.

What we firmly believe is that while this is an investment into your future career, the real investment isn’t just in gaining qualifications, it’s in your own personal growth.

Many students begin the course thinking they are simply learning a curriculum so they can become counsellors. And of course they do learn the theory, the skills and the professional framework needed for practice however something else happens along the way, what my predecessor Paul Henderson refers to as Alchemy.

Counselling training becomes a journey of self discovery. Students often find themselves reflecting on their own patterns, relationships, beliefs and life decisions. Their confidence in these areas grows and their awareness deepens. Many many students - if not all, tell me the learning changes not only how they work with others, but how they live their own lives.

The Academy stands on the shoulders of some remarkable people, drawing on the influence and guidance of respected counselling educators Paul Henderson and Nick Buchanan. Paul remains a close friend and trusted advisor to our Academy.

Our founder Nichola Doyle delivers the curriculum and brings her own lived experiences to the course, sharing practice from her day to day counselling experiences. Nichola works across the North West with teachers, parents and young people primarily in Special Educational Needs settings as well as owning her own counselling service UK Therapy Guild Counselling Service.

We also enhance our offer further and bring in specialist tutors so students learn from experienced practitioners across different approaches. This includes teaching in Gestalt and NLP, and we are fortunate to have Dr Helen Moyà, a renowned teacher and CBT practitioner, contributing her expertise.

Over the years the course materials have continued to evolve, we offer refreshed content and new CPD opportunities so the course remains alive, relevant and grounded in practice.

Another strength of the Academy is the network around it. Through relationships built up over UKAIT’s many years, 20+, we have strong connections with placement providers who support our students as they begin their clinical work. A further testament to the family feel of our course is that UKAIT’s previous students still come in to the centre to help us in guiding the students practice 💛

So, for those of you who are wondering about the financial side, we try to make the affordability in accessing our training as low as possible. We don’t offer bursaries but we lower the costs for everyone:

A £500 deposit secures your place following an informal interview and satisfactory references. The remaining £3250 can then be spread over 23 months on a personalised payment plan starting on 31 August, which works out at £141.30 per month.

We don’t ask for previous counselling experience, what matters most to us is your curiosity, openness and a willingness to grow. We are honoured that each year we watch people arrive unsure of themselves and leave as thoughtful, capable practitioners who are ready to support others and somewhere along the way, they realise the biggest transformation has been their own.

If you’ve been thinking about beginning this journey, you’re very welcome to reach out for a conversation:

www.uktherapyguild.co.uk
E: admin@uktherapyguild.org
WhatsApp 01512721092

09/03/2026

Starting something new can feel exciting and also a little daunting. One of the things people sometimes share with us when they enquire about our Level 5 Dual Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Clinical Hypnotherapy is their concern about the financial commitment. It’s completely understandable as investing in yourself is a big step.

What we firmly believe is that while this is an investment into your future career, the real investment isn’t just in gaining qualifications, it’s in your own personal growth.

Many students begin the course thinking they are simply learning a curriculum so they can become counsellors. And of course they do learn the theory, the skills and the professional framework needed for practice however something else happens along the way, what my predecessor Paul Henderson refers to as Alchemy.

Counselling training becomes a journey of self discovery. Students often find themselves reflecting on their own patterns, relationships, beliefs and life decisions. Their confidence in these areas grows and their awareness deepens. Many many students - if not all, tell me the learning changes not only how they work with others, but how they live their own lives.

The Academy stands on the shoulders of some remarkable people, drawing on the influence and guidance of respected counselling educators Paul Henderson and Nick Buchanan. Paul remains a close friend and trusted advisor to our Academy.

Our founder Nichola Doyle delivers the curriculum and brings her own lived experiences to the course, sharing practice from her day to day counselling experiences. Nichola works across the North West with teachers, parents and young people primarily in Special Educational Needs settings as well as owning her own counselling service UK Therapy Guild Counselling Service.

We also enhance our offer further and bring in specialist tutors so students learn from experienced practitioners across different approaches. This includes teaching in Gestalt and NLP, and we are fortunate to have Dr Helen Moyà, a renowned teacher and CBT practitioner, contributing her expertise.

Over the years the course materials have continued to evolve, we offer refreshed content and new CPD opportunities so the course remains alive, relevant and grounded in practice.

Another strength of the Academy is the network around it. Through relationships built up over UKAIT’s many years, 20+, we have strong connections with placement providers who support our students as they begin their clinical work. A further testament to the family feel of our course is that UKAIT’s previous students still come in to the centre to help us in guiding the students practice 💛

So, for those of you who are wondering about the financial side, we try to make the affordability in accessing our training as low as possible. We don’t offer bursaries but we lower the costs for everyone:

A £500 deposit secures your place following an informal interview and satisfactory references. The remaining £3250 can then be spread over 23 months on a personalised payment plan starting on 31 August, which works out at £141.30 per month.

We don’t ask for previous counselling experience, what matters most to us is your curiosity, openness and a willingness to grow. We are honoured that each year we watch people arrive unsure of themselves and leave as thoughtful, capable practitioners who are ready to support others and somewhere along the way, they realise the biggest transformation has been their own.

If you’ve been thinking about beginning this journey, you’re very welcome to reach out for a conversation:

www.uktherapyguild.co.uk
E: admin@uktherapyguild.org
WhatsApp 01512721092

Counselling courses Liverpool: Accredited Level 5 Diplomas in Integrative Counselling and Clinical Hypnotherapy

07/03/2026

Nichola Doyle

Many people come to counselling training thinking they are simply learning new skills.

But something deeper often happens along the way.

Training as a counsellor is a journey of self discovery. It’s about learning to listen differently, understand people more deeply, and develop the confidence to sit with another human being in their most difficult moments.

At the UK Therapy Guild Academy we believe counsellors are not just trained – they are developed.

Our next counselling training cohort begins in September and applications are now open.

Our Level 5 Integrative Counselling Diploma is accredited by the National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists and aligned with emerging professional standards across the counselling profession.

If you have ever felt drawn to this work, perhaps it’s worth listening to that feeling. Visit us at www.uktherapyguild.co.uk E: admin@uktherapyguild.co.uk WhatsApp 01512721092

07/03/2026

Many people come to counselling training thinking they are simply learning new skills.

But something deeper often happens along the way.

Training as a counsellor is a journey of self discovery. It’s about learning to listen differently, understand people more deeply, and develop the confidence to sit with another human being in their most difficult moments.

At the UK Therapy Guild Academy we believe counsellors are not just trained – they are developed.

Our next counselling training cohort begins in September and applications are now open.

Our Level 5 Integrative Counselling Diploma is accredited by the National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists and aligned with emerging professional standards across the counselling profession.

If you have ever felt drawn to this work, perhaps it’s worth listening to that feeling. Visit us at www.uktherapyguild.co.uk E: admin@uktherapyguild.co.uk WhatsApp 01512721092

02/03/2026

Why ‘Integrative’ Training is the Future

There was a time when counselling training meant choosing a camp. You were CBT or Person-Centred. Psychodynamic or Solution-Focused. One model, one lens, one way of seeing the client. But the world has changed - and so have the people sitting in our therapy rooms.

Today’s clients rarely present with neat, single-issue difficulties. They bring trauma layered with attachment wounds, anxiety intertwined with identity questions, grief sitting alongside burnout. Human experience is complex. No single model can fully hold that depth on its own.

This is why integrative training is not a trend - it is the future of ethical, responsive practice.

An integrative therapist is not someone who ‘does a bit of everything’. It is someone who understands theory deeply enough to work intentionally. Someone who knows when to lean into relational depth, when to introduce cognitive tools, when to work with the nervous system, and when to simply sit and witness. Integration is not about adding techniques - it is about developing clinical judgement.

In a fragmented world, integrative practice offers coherence. It allows us to see the whole person rather than narrowing them into a framework that does not quite fit. It asks us to think critically, reflect ethically and respond flexibly.

The future therapist will need to be grounded, relational, theoretically informed and adaptable. Training must evolve to meet that reality.

New beginnings in counselling education are not about doing more. They are about understanding more - so that we can practise with wisdom rather than rigidity.

28/02/2026

Last night felt quietly significant.

To be nominated for the Voice of the Future Award in the first year of building UK Therapy Guild Academy and UK Therapy Guild Counselling Service…

There have been moments this year that no one sees, my the doubts, the financial risks, the responsibility of holding students and clients well, the determination to do things ethically even when it would be easier not to.

I didn’t win the award.
But I did feel seen.

And when you start something with the intention of breaking cycles — of hurt people hurting people — being seen for that matters.

I’m so proud of what we are building. And so grateful to be surrounded by those who uplift rather than compete.

This is bigger than an award. It’s about legacy.

www.uktherapyguild.co.uk

27/02/2026

Thank you for this culmination of our reviews Google 🙏

23/02/2026

⭐️ This Week We Welcome Mr Nick Buchanan!

Get ready… we’re stepping into the bold, expressive world of Gestalt counselling.

Gestalt sits within the humanistic branch of therapy - but don’t expect passive reflection. This is therapy that moves. That challenges. That awakens awareness.

It’s experiential.
It’s here-and-now.
It’s alive in the room.

Rather than staying in the story of the past, Gestalt asks:
What’s happening right now?
What are you feeling in your body?
What are you not saying?

Students will explore:
• The powerful Empty Chair technique
• Working with parts of self
• Authentic dialogue
• Ownership, responsibility and contact

Gestalt carries that beautiful humanistic belief in growth - but with an existential edge. It invites courage. Honesty. Presence.

This isn’t just learning theory.
It’s stepping into experience.

We’re excited to see our students stretch, reflect and deepen their practice with Mr Nick Buchanan this week.