Distance Learning Programmes

For the Level 1 DLP, when we receive your application form we send you lesson 1 by email, and any books you ordered by post. We also tell you the name of the Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner who will be your mentor.

You email the completed first lesson direct to your mentor. She will mark your work and send it back, answering any questions you have asked about the course material. She will also send you lesson two.

When you send lesson two to your mentor you receive lesson three, and so on until you have finished the course.

There are five lessons in the L1 DLP. When you have completed the last lesson the mentor will notify us and we will email you a Bach Centre-approved Level 1 certificate.

For the Level 2 DLP, see the full description on the main course page.

The Level 3 DLP is in two parts. The first part is led by a trainer. You will be in a set group that will meet online, once a week for seven weeks. You have tasks to complete between the online sessions and will use resources on our website (including a course manual, videos and downloads) to help. You record your progress in a personal Dossier.

After the seven group sessions you have a further six weeks (if needed) to take part in a consultation observation exercise and a one-on-one tutorial with your trainer. Again, both are online. That done, you then complete any remaining tasks in the course manual and Dossier, and send your completed Dossier to an assessor.

The assessor will guide you through a personalised assessment process that includes a personal action plan, a live examination online and at least one further case study observation.

See the Level 3 DLP course page for more information.

You receive and send the lessons that make up the Level 1 DLP via email. We will send any books you order by post, of course.

The Level 2 and the Level 3 DLPs use a multimedia approach which includes online videos, online group sessions, and downloads. You download the central Dossier as an editable file, and edit and personalise it using your PC, laptop or other device. At the end of the course you send in your Dossier by email.

The Level 3 also includes an assessment process. You will work with an assessor via email and online meetings.

Our DLPs meet the course approval criteria that apply to all Bach Centre-approved courses.

Topics covered on Level 1 include:

• an overview of all the remedies, including the traditional ‘rescue’ combinations
• how to select remedies
• how to take remedies
• an introduction to helping friends, family and animals

The L1 DLP involves a series of set tasks. You use the set books plus your own life experiences to find answers and write them down. Your mentor highlights areas where you may have missed something, and responds to any questions you have on the course material so as to clear up areas that you are not sure of.

Topics covered on Level 2 include:

• type and mood remedies
• subtle differences between similar remedies, and strategies for thinking them through
• practice at basic consultation skills that are useful when helping other people
• an overview of key concepts in Dr Bach’s philosophical approach to well-being

The L2 DLP uses a multimedia approach which is set out in some detail on the main L2 DLP page. You complete a personal Dossier of your journey through the different elements of the course, and once that is done and has been examined we email you a Level 2 certificate.

Topics covered on Level 3 include:

• exploring and developing consultation skills
• setting up and building a Bach practice
• understanding the Bach practitioner role and ethos
• deepening knowledge of the Bach system

The L3 DLP is a multi-strand course led by initially by a trainer and then by an assessor. Your assessment plan will be personal to you, and based on insights from your trainer and on your own written work. Assessments themselves are online. See also the main L3 DLP page.

For the Level 1 DLP, we ask mentors to mark and return work within four weeks of receipt. In practice they usually turn work around faster than that. There are five lessons in total, so the time needed depends on how quickly you work. Three to four months is common.

For the Level 2 DLP, the online sessions typically take place once a week, although they are sometimes offered over longer or shorter time periods. Once you have attended all six, you have to send in your Dossier. The time you take on that depends on how much time you can devote to completing all the activities. Again, three to four months is probably a good assumption.

For the Level 3 DLP you will need at least seven weeks at the start to attend all the online sessions with your trainer; then you must complete your Dossier and send to the assessor, work on your personal action plan, and take part in at least two further assessments. If you work fast and reach the standards required early it is possible to complete the course inside six months.

We don’t advise that you try to hurry through any Distance Learning Programme. You will get more from your course if you allow yourself time to revise and reflect as you go.

The L1 and L2 DLPs are not formally assessed and for that reason we don’t set a deadline for completion. Once you are signed up you can complete the course in your own time. We will delay the issue of certificates to students if we feel that they have not engaged realistically with the material.

The L3 DLP is formally assessed and you must complete everything successfully within 18 months of your first online session.

The class-based tutor-led Level 1 and 2 courses typically run over two days. Ideally you will allow three or four months before moving on to the next level, so you have time to internalise what you learned over the two days.

The Distance Learning Programmes, on the other hand, include all the personal experience that you need. You would be well prepared to attend the next level right away.

Aside from that, and assuming there is a choice where you live, it comes down to personal preference. If you mostly prefer working alone and in your own time, a DLP will allow that. If you prefer working in groups and discussing things with others, a classroom-based course will usually be the best option.

Level 3 in a classroom and Level 3 DLP mirror each other more closely. Both involve working with a settled group of other students, and with a trainer and assessor. Both involve work done from home. Both include an assessment process that includes personal feedback, case studies, and a test of your remedy knowledge. With Level 3 it really comes down to what works best for you in terms of being able to travel, and how easy it is for you to reserve a few hours a week for several weeks (in the case of the L3 DLP) to take part in group work online, or be away from home for a longer block of time, typically four days, in the case of the classroom course.

All the DLPs require internet access and relevant computer skills; those are not needed for the classroom courses.

The L1 DLP study programme has been created around the set books, which present the original method as laid down by Dr Bach. So the answer is, yes, you do need to have the two set books even if you already own or have read other books.

Some popular books on the remedies contain errors and others are based on personal reinterpretations of Dr Bach’s work. You may find your progress unsatisfactory if you try to rely on other texts.

There are no pass marks or assessments for the L1 DLP and the L2 DLP. Both are an opportunity to learn and grow, and everyone who attends a course receives the corresponding certificate.

For L3 DLP you have to meet a series of conditions to complete the course successfully:

• Attend at least 80% of the seven weekly online group sessions at the start of the course
• Complete any outstanding one-on-one sessions with the trainer within six weeks of the last group session
• Send a completed Dossier to the assessor in order to start off the assessment process
• Pass an online viva voce assessment with the assessor (you have up to three attempts at this)
• Pass a consultation observation with your assessor (you have up to three attempts)
• Complete the whole course within 18 months of the first online group session

When you meet all those conditions you will receive a L3 certificate, and you can apply if you wish to join the Bach Centre’s International Register.