Building Confidence in Private Practice
Preparing to Work with Risk
Working in private practice means there's no team to call on when risk is present in the room. No duty manager, no colleague down the corridor, no debrief at the end of the day.
This course has been built specifically for that reality — helping you move from uncertainty to informed, ethical confidence when a client discloses suicidal ideation or risk is present in your sessions.
This is not a tick-box course. It is a reflective, honest, person-centred approach to one of the most significant areas of private practice.
Is This Course For You?
This course is suitable for you if you are:
— A counsellor or psychotherapist working in private practice
— Newly qualified and preparing to work independently
— Experienced but looking to consolidate or refresh your approach to risk
— A trainee approaching the end of your training
— Working in an employed setting and wanting to strengthen your risk practice
You do not need to have worked with risk extensively. If this is an area you have been avoiding or feeling underprepared for — this course is exactly for you.
What You Will Learn
By the end of this course you will feel more confident to:
— Understand risk as a dynamic, contextual process rather than a fixed clinical state
— Recognise verbal and behavioural warning signs in session
— Ask directly about suicidal ideation — and know why this matters
— Assess risk as an ongoing process using appropriate frameworks and tools
— Develop collaborative safety plans with clients
— Respond proportionately across low, medium and high risk presentations
— Document your clinical reasoning in a way that protects you and your client
— Look after yourself when working with emotionally demanding material
— Know your referral pathways, ethical responsibilities and professional obligations
What's Included
10 Self-Paced Video Sections with Full Transcripts
Each section covers a distinct area of risk work, from understanding what risk is through to therapist wellbeing and case vignettes. Work through at your own pace and return to individual sections whenever a client presentation brings something into focus.
Pause for Reflection Prompts
At the end of every section a reflection prompt invites you to connect the learning to your actual practice. These are not assessments — they are an invitation to think.
12 Downloadable Resources Including:
— Collaborative Safety Plan template (based on Stanley-Brown 2012)
— Risk Factors Reference Card
— 5Ps of Clinical Formulation Reference Card
— Self-Soothing and Grounding Tools
— Post-Session Reflection Template
— Documentation Checklist
— Supervision Agenda Template
— Voicemail and Email Templates for private practitioners
— Ethical Frameworks and Key Resources guide
— Voicemail and Email Templates
— What Next? Further Learning guide
— Peer Review Feedback Form
20-Question End of Course Quiz
Designed to assess understanding and application rather than memory. Pass mark 75%. Unlimited retakes.
Certificate of Completion
Issued automatically on passing the quiz for your CPD records.
Course Contents
Section 1 — Introduction
Setting the scene, contracting around risk, and how to get the most from this course.
Section 2 — Understanding Risk
What risk is, the spectrum of suicidal ideation, common myths, and risk as communication.
Section 3 — Ethical and Professional Framework
Duty of care, confidentiality, clinical wills, supervision, and managing contact outside sessions.
Section 4 — Recognising Risk
Verbal and behavioural warning signs, depression and suicidal intent, what to look and listen for.
Section 5 — Assessment
How to ask directly, managing anxiety in session, protective factors, assessment tools and their limits.
Section 6 — Responding to Risk
Proportionate responses, collaborative safety planning, crisis resources and referral pathways.
Section 7 — Documentation
What to record, how to write rationale, GDPR, and using supervision after risk-related sessions.
Section 8 — Therapist Wellbeing
Managing carry-over, self-care versus avoidance, and what to do after a serious incident.
Section 9 — Case Vignettes
Two clinical scenarios with reflective questions to apply your learning to realistic practice.
Section 10 — Closing
Key messages, further reading, and how to keep building confidence in this area of practice.
About Your Course Tutor
This course was created by Dominic, a BACP registered and NCPS accredited person-centred counsellor with almost two decades of NHS mental health experience across inpatient, community and crisis settings.
Dominic runs a private practice across Bradford and West Yorkshire, and also works for NHS First Response in a telephone-based crisis assessment and triage role. His practice specialisms include anxiety, adult ADHD, carers, and working with risk.
This course has been built from lived clinical experience — not theory alone. The aim is an approach to risk that feels honest, relatable and genuinely useful in the room.
A Note on the Subject Matter
This course deals with suicidal ideation and risk. Some of what is covered may bring up difficult feelings — personally or professionally. You are encouraged to work through it at your own pace, to pause when you need to, and to take whatever comes up to supervision.
This course is not a crisis resource. If you or someone you know needs immediate support, please contact Samaritans on 116 123 or NHS 111.
Enrol Today
£50
Full course access — all 10 sections, 12 downloadable resources, end of course quiz and certificate of completion.
What Practitioners Are Saying
COMING SOON
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will the course take?
The course is self-paced and there is no time limit on access. Most practitioners complete it in around 2 hours, though you may want to return to individual sections as your practice develops.
Is this course accredited?
The course is currently in the process of CPD accreditation. A certificate of completion is issued on passing the end of course quiz for your CPD records.
Who is this course suitable for?
Any counsellor, psychotherapist or therapist working in or preparing for private practice. It is suitable for newly qualified through to experienced practitioners.
What if I don't pass the quiz first time?
You can retake the quiz as many times as you need. There is no penalty for retaking and you are encouraged to revisit the relevant sections before trying again.
Is this a crisis resource?
No. This is a professional development course. If you or a client needs immediate support please contact Samaritans on 116 123 or NHS 111.
I work in an employed setting — is this still relevant?
Yes — the content is applicable across settings, though it is designed with private practice specifically in mind.
Risk work does not have to feel overwhelming. With the right knowledge, the right frameworks, and a reflective approach — it becomes something you can hold with confidence.
Questions? Get in touch at counsellingwithdominic@gmail.com