Your Path to Mastering Emotional CoachingÂ
In an era of digital disconnection and rising emotional distress, there has never been a greater need for practitioners who can confidently hold space for others' deepest emotional challenges. The Holding Space Diploma is for those called to become experts in creating safe containers for transformation, where even the most difficult emotions can be met with wisdom and compassion.
Whether you're drawn to create a private practice as a Holding Space practitioner, transform your existing therapeutic approach, or bring emotional intelligence to corporate environments, our accredited diploma gives you the confidence and expertise to hold space for any emotional issue that arises in your practice.
Why Study the Holding Space Diploma?
Transform Your Personal Emotional Landscape
Before you can effectively hold space for others, you must first journey into your own emotional world. This diploma offers a profound opportunity for personal transformation through our Emotional Empowerment Programme. You'll develop deep self-awareness, uncover hidden patterns, and learn to embrace all aspects of yourself—including those parts you've previously avoided or suppressed. This inner work creates the foundation for authentic, grounded practice that comes from lived experience rather than theoretical knowledge alone.
Master Practical Skills for Real World Impact
This course goes beyond theory to give you tangible skills you can use immediately. Through supervised practice sessions, live classroom experience, and hands-on weekend workshops, you'll develop the confidence to work with clients facing genuine emotional challenges. You'll learn specific techniques for holding space, identifying red flags, managing difficult emotions, and creating transformational change. These practical abilities are what set apart effective practitioners from those who merely understand concepts.
Meets Counselling National Occupational Standards
Our diploma is accredited with the Federation of Holistic Therapists to Level 3 Counselling National Occupational Standards, ensuring this qualification meets the industry benchmarks for professional practice. This accreditation demonstrates that our training adheres to rigorous national standards, giving you and your future clients confidence in your professional capabilities.
Watch this Holding Space taster experience in this video.
Who is this course for?
For Existing Therapists, Coaches and Healthcare Professionals
If you're already working in a therapeutic or helping role but feel limited by approaches that seek to manage rather than embrace emotions, this diploma offers the missing piece. We equip you with the specific skills and confidence to hold space for clients' most challenging emotional states, from deep grief to rage and fear. Our Level 3 accredited framework complements your existing qualifications while expanding your scope to address the emotional dimension that underlies many physical and mental health concerns.
For Those Seeking a New Career in Emotional Support
If you feel called to support others through emotional challenges but are new to this field, this diploma provides your complete pathway into professional practice. Our comprehensive curriculum takes you from foundational skills to advanced techniques, all while supporting your own emotional development. Upon completion, you'll be qualified to work as a Holding Space practitioner, with the option to register with governing bodies and obtain professional insurance to begin your new career with confidence and credibility.
For Passionate Learners Seeking Personal Growth
For those who are simply curious about emotional intelligence or wish to better support friends, family, or colleagues, this course offers profound personal transformation. The skills you'll learn, including holding space, emotional awareness, and compassionate communication, will enrich all your relationships, including those in corporate settings. Whether you're seeking personal growth or enhanced abilities in your current career, this diploma provides tools that are universally valuable in our increasingly disconnected world.
Your Step-by-Step Journey
Step 1: Emotional Empowerment Programme
Begin with a deep dive into your own emotional landscape. This foundational 12-month programme develops your emotional intelligence through five key modules: Emotional Landscape, Inner Parenting, Self-Love and Boundaries, Sexuality, and Relationships. Includes up to 12 live support circles with experienced practitioners.
Step 2: Foundation Coaching Skills
Build practical coaching capabilities through our 60-hour course covering communication, consent, confidentiality, and identifying client red flags. Gain hands-on experience through 30 hours of live Zoom classrooms and conduct 8 coaching sessions across 3 case studies with real-time feedback.
Step 3: Holding Space with Counselling Skills & Emotional Techniques
Integrate counselling theory with practical emotional techniques. Study five key units covering counselling skills, theoretical approaches, ethical practice, diversity awareness, and personal development. Includes a mandatory weekend in-person course in southern England to practice emotional techniques in a supervised setting.
Step 4: Business & Marketing Mastery
Develop the skills to build a successful practice with our 30-hour course covering business planning, marketing strategies, clinic management, and self-management. Create practical documents including your business plan, marketing plan, and financial projections to establish your practice with confidence.
The Emotional Empowerment Module
Embark on a transformative 12-month journey of personal development and self-discovery that brings together over 20 years of emotional clinical practice and retreat-based experience.
This programme invites you to embrace all parts of yourself—your rage, grief, fear, wounding, emptiness, and any feelings of self-doubt or lack of confidence. Throughout this process, we will meet these parts face to face, so they no longer live as unseen or unconscious forces within you.
Programme Modules:
- Emotional Landscape - Understanding your emotional terrain
- Inner Parenting - Developing compassionate self-leadership
- Self-Love and Boundaries - Cultivating authentic self-worth and healthy limits
- Sexuality - Exploring and embracing your sexual self
- Relationships - Transforming how you connect with others
"This transformed the way I understand myself"
"This course has completely exceeded my expectations. It's been such a profound journey, and I've truly found my voice along the way. I have discovered so much about myself that I never knew existed, and I'm genuinely excited to continue uncovering the different parts of myself that were hidden before. The Holding Space Diploma hasn't just given me professional skills; it's transformed how I understand myself and how I connect with others on the deepest emotional level."
Michelle
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the zoom classrooms?
Live zoom classrooms happen regularly on a Thursday and Saturday 9.15am / 5.15pm / 7.15pm UK time. You will be given a zoom link to attend the classrooms and they are interactive and designed to embed the knowledge you learn in the home study. They are flexible and designed for you to attend the ones you can attend. You do not need to attend all the classes, just the ones that work with your schedule.
How many hours is this course?
This course is 200 hours and is made up of online lessons, mentoring, assessments, group calls, peer coaching, homework, case studies. Everything is designed to embed this knowledge and give you the confidence to use it with clients or in a work situation.
Do I need any previous experience or qualifications?
No, this course is designed for beginners. If you have previous coaching or counselling training, that's great! But it is not necessary.
Are there any additional costs I need to budget for?
The course fee includes everything you need to complete your training. However, to practice professionally, you will need to budget for the following annual costs: Governing body membership and professional insurance, which is approximately ÂŁ100 per year. There are no hidden charges or ongoing membership fees from us after you graduate.
What equipment or software do I need for the course?
You will need a device (computer, laptop, or tablet) with a reliable internet connection to access the online portal and attend live Zoom classrooms. A webcam and microphone are required for interactive sessions and your final filmed case study. All other learning materials are provided within our online student portal.
What support is available after I graduate?
Our relationship doesn't end at graduation. We are committed to your long-term success. For graduates who want to continue their professional growth and build their business, we offer a range of optional post-graduate support options, including advanced masterclasses, mentoring, and business coaching. These are available as separate purchases to support you at every stage of your career.
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Do you make allowances for learning challenges?
Yes we do. All the learning is in different formats, including written documents, images, diagrams and videos that are able to be watched on repeat. All the assessments are not time prohibited so you can go at your own pace and take your notes in. If you have particular learning challenges that you wish to discuss with us, please contact us directly and we would be very happy to help.
Contact UsIs there an exam?
At the end of the online training there is an approx. 30 minute multiple choice assessment to ensure you have understood the content. The pass rate is 70%. If however, you don't pass, you will be given the option to resit. You will be required to submit a clinical assessment case study on video but there is no formal exam as part of this training.
Course Syllabus
What qualification do I receive?
You will be given the 'Holding Space Practitioner' certificate and the opportunity to register with the Federation of Holistic Therapists, obtain insurance to practice and start charging for consultations should you wish.
Federation of Holistic TherapistsWhen can I start?
We are currently enrolling students for the next training. As soon as you have paid your deposit or paid in full, you will be given access to the online portal and can begin your training!
Start Now!What happens if I need to defer?
You have 3 years to complete the training. We can accommodate students who need to defer and can give a break depending on your needs. Payment for the course will be required in the timeframe originally agreed.
Who is my mentor?
Crystal Farmer is the senior tutor on this course. She has years experience teaching emotional growth and coaching students as well as clients and has worked in probation, supporting those with severe emotional challenges.Â
Meet the TeamWhat our practitioner students say
Jo Lamden
"Wow, what a course! A brilliant journey of self-discovery and development. I navigated the highs and lows of my emotions and came out the other side as a better person and practitioner. I absolutely loved every moment of it."
Abi Adams
"This course was incredibly supportive and filled with such profound wisdom. I feel both excited and deeply honoured to have experienced this journey—it's been truly transformative."
Zoisa Holder
"This course gives you something truly special, a safe space to find your own strength and support. It holds you while you gently uncover those patterns and experiences that keep you feeling stuck, helping you see them with new clarity. What you walk away with isn't just insight, but real tools you can use for the rest of your life to support yourself and others."
Your Credential is Our Reputation.
We are relentlessly committed to providing the highest quality education. That's why our diplomas are accredited and endorsed by the most respected bodies in the UK and internationally. This gives you complete confidence in your training.
