Our Story

Are you Sitting Comfortably?

Then we shall begin …

Once upon a time, a young (at heart if not in years) counselling teacher named Rory was sitting in his classroom at Warrington Collegiate. The last of his students had just shuffled off through the door, and Rory had grabbed himself a well-earned cup of tea. Dunking his bourbon biscuit, he exhaled heavily, as he reflected on his morning’s work …

Rory was an enthusiastic and well-liked tutor, whose classes were never dull. But sometimes, he mused, counselling concepts and counselling skills could be quite dry to explain – and pretty complex for newbies to understand.

It was alright for him, when he’d learned these years earlier and applied them plenty with his own clients … but how might he be able to help his students, fresh to the wonderful world of counselling training, understand the ideas – and enjoy their learning even more?

That day, a strange thing happened. The Warrington Weekly was inundated with calls reporting an explosion of bright light in the skies above the local college. What on earth had occurred? No one there could explain: everyone was safe and well, and the building intact.

Just one person – yes, you guessed it, our Rory! – knew the answer. His brain was buzzing with an amazing and (counselling) world-changing inspiration. His morning cuppa must have had magical qualities that day. And so Counselling Tutor was born!

As an infant, Counselling Tutor – though very bright and shiny – was quite small, as babies usually are: it comprised a selection of training videos on YouTube for Rory’s own students. But gradually word spread of the crystal-clear resources, beautiful to behold. And then – one lucky day – along strolled Ken.

Now, Ken had been a student of Rory’s, later training to be a tutor himself. By good fortune (and hard work), he also happened to have an online business brain and lots of experience to go with it. Always a clever and caring lad, who kept his eyes and ears wide open for opportunities to make a positive difference in the world, Ken was quick to spot Counselling Tutor’s potential to grow reeeeally big, casting its light on more and more minds.

Rory and Ken became the best of friends, and worked hard together to make Counselling Tutor bigger and better than ever before. To Rory’s YouTube channel, Ken added his own secret ingredient: assignment exemplars that students could use to guide them in their work.

And so, the magic bean that Rory and Ken had planted and seen sprout into life – finding its environment favourable, with water, food and light aplenty – shot upwards into the sky, strong yet flexible. Counselling Tutor became visible to counsellors and psychotherapists from all over the UK – and even in lots of other lands.

As the months and years ticked by, Rory and Ken spotted others on their travels who could help them make an even bigger difference – training more students in counselling concepts, skills and practice; sharpening the skills of more practitioners; and enabling more people to get the right counselling help in the right place at the right time.

And so the Counselling Tutor family grows and thrives, living happily ever after …

From Beanstalks to Branches

Now, where were we …

After Rory and Ken planted the magic bean that grew into Counselling Tutor, the beanstalk kept growing – and so did the need for more helping hands.

Enter Lucy. Originally guiding people and processes, she later stepped into Ken’s boots as CEO, bringing innovation and a steady hand at the helm. And with her came a talented team, each with their own magic:

Colette kept the tech running and lent her voice to the podcast. Laurice ensured courses reached learners far and wide. Maria handled fulfilment with care and calm. Sarah polished every word until it shone.

As Counselling Tutor grew, so did the learning it offered – branching out from YouTube videos to full CPD courses, a supervision training programme, trauma-informed practice, and more recently, autism training.

Even the pandemic couldn’t halt the growth. In fact, it inspired the team to step up with an online and telephone counselling course, helping practitioners adapt in a time of crisis.

A brilliant tutor team formed: Christine, Paul, Sally Anne, Nora, Chantel, Maria and Nick – supported by tech wizards Ed, Chris, Matt and Alex. Piper joined to connect the learning community, and Charlie added support, social, and sparkle.

From Facebook to WhatsApp, from podcast to partnership with CPCAB, NCPS and others – Counselling Tutor has become more than a resource. It became a home for learners, a light for the profession, and a reminder that with the right support, we can all grow tall.

And the story? Well… it’s still being written.