Free CPD for Therapists

• Zero Suicide Alliance: Suicide Awareness Training: free, self-paced online training for anyone aged 16 and over on risk factors, warning signs and how to talk to someone you are worried about. Allow at least 30 minutes; you can download a certificate at the end. ZSA also has a healthcare staff edition and versions in British Sign Language.
• OpenLearn: Introduction to adolescent mental health: a free Open University course of about 24 hours with a free statement of participation. The Open University says it is accredited by the CPD Standards Office.
• OpenLearn: Mental health in society: a free introductory course of about 8 hours on perspectives and models of mental health, with a free statement of participation. OpenLearn says everything on the site is free; sign in to track progress and get the statement.

• NHS England elfh Hub (e-Learning for Healthcare): anyone with an email address can register free. Private practitioners without an NHS email can use a smaller set of programmes, including MindEd, Making Every Contact Count, Disability Matters and Alcohol Identification and Brief Advice. Some programmes, such as Dysphagia, ESCAPE-Pain and Introduction to Mindfulness, are open as a guest with no login. Guest access keeps no record or certificate, so sign in if you want evidence. NHS, social care and university email addresses get much wider access.
• MindEd: free e-learning on the mental health of infants, children, young people, adults and older people, for professionals and volunteers in health, social care, education and other settings. A free learning account is optional and gives you a tailored learning path.

• NICE guidance: free to read. Reading the guideline for the condition you see most, and noting what you would change, is simple reflective CPD.
• NIHR Evidence: free plain-English summaries of NIHR-funded health and care research, written for the public and professionals. A good starting point for a peer journal club.

The HCPC's CPD pages explain its standards, how to record CPD and the audit process. At each renewal the HCPC randomly selects 2.5 per cent of each profession to send a CPD profile. The HCPC also runs an annual CPD Week. Our free HCPC CPD audit and renewal guide lists every profession’s renewal window and what goes in a CPD profile, with a printable audit profile planner. Counsellors and psychotherapists should check BACP, UKCP, NCPS or their own body; see what each profession expects.

• A free printable CPD reflection record to fill in after any activity.
• A free printable HCPC CPD audit profile planner, set out in the HCPC’s four sections.
• A private CPD log for listed members, with a Count this as CPD button in Peer space and the members' resources (sign in needed).
• The supervision finder for supervisors and peer groups.
• Our plain guide to CPD requirements and how to log CPD.

Yes. Public bodies, universities and charities offer free learning, for example Zero Suicide Alliance suicide awareness training with a certificate, Open University OpenLearn courses with a free statement of participation, and NHS e-learning such as MindEd. Whether an activity counts is up to your regulator or professional body.

Some do. Zero Suicide Alliance gives a downloadable certificate, and most OpenLearn courses give a free statement of participation or badge. NHS e-learning only records your progress and certificates if you sign in; guest access has no record.

Usually what matters is that the learning is relevant and that you record what you learned and how it changes your practice, not what it cost. Always check your own regulator's and professional body's current rules.

No. These are independent organisations we link to because their learning is free. We are not affiliated with or paid by any of them, and we do not list paid course providers here.