Adults who want to develop their listening skills are being given the opportunity to gain practical knowledge and experience with a new course from Gloucestershire charity, Listening Post.
Focussing on the importance and benefits of listening well to others, the Listening Skills course aims to equip adults with skills they can immediately take back to their professional and personal circles to improve how they relate to others, whether it's at work, at home or in a voluntary setting.
The course is an evolution of learning previously offered by the charity over 10 weeks, now concentrated into four days, over two weekends to make it more accessible to those with busy lifestyles.
Sitting nicely on its own as a piece of continual professional development (CPD), for a range professions, the charity says the introductory course can also serve as a taster for anyone thinking about further training in counselling skills, via its foundation or diploma courses.
Launching in January 2026, participants of the in-person course, taking place at Hester's Way Community Resource Centre in Cheltenham, will be guided by the charity's counselling professionals to fine-tune their listening in a range of areas.
The first weekend will focus on active listening, listening with empathy, difference and diversity; while the second will look at listening when it’s difficult, boundaries and safety, anger and assertiveness and giving and receiving feedback.
Founded in 1991, Listening Post provides counselling services to any resident of Gloucestershire – including those who might be financially restricted from accessing private counselling, which can cost around £50 per session – offering its services for free, with the small ask that people make a donation to the charity per session.
It also provides training courses for counsellors, or anyone in the county that wants to improve their skills for career or personal growth.
The course is taking place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18; and Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 January 2026, from 10am to 3pm each day.
Open to anyone over the age of 18, participation costs £320 per person, with an early bird rate of £300 available before Friday 19 December 2025. A Listening Post certificate will be awarded to each participant upon completion.
To find out more about the course and to book, visit listeningpost.org.uk/training.
