Counsellor

You could do a diploma, degree or postgraduate course in counselling or psychotherapy.

You might be able to study counselling alongside another subject like psychology, sociology or criminology.

You should look for a course that includes practical skills training and supervised work placements.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

• a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
• university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

You could start by doing an introduction to counselling course. This can last up to 3 months and can help you decide if counselling is the right career for you.

After that, you can do further training and complete courses like:

• Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills
• Level 4 Diploma in Counselling Skills and Theory
• Level 5 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling

You can find out more about the recommended training to become a counsellor from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

You'll find it useful to have paid or unpaid work experience in counselling. You can find counselling volunteering opportunities through Do IT and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) .

You can volunteer and do training courses with counselling organisations, such as Relate , Samaritans and Cruse .

This can be useful experience before you take up professional counselling training.

Career Tips

Many counsellors do a mix of part time, voluntary and private work. Clients may come to you after being referred by other health professionals, or they might contact you directly.

Counselling is often a second or additional career, and life experience is highly valued.

You may be expected to undergo counselling yourself as part of your training and reflect on it with your course supervisor. This might be needed to become accredited.

Professional and Industry Bodies

You could become a member of an organisation listed on the Professional Standards Authority's counselling register . This may be helpful when looking for work, and for many jobs it is essential.

Further Information

You can find out more about careers in counselling from:

• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
• UK Council for Psychotherapy
• National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society
• Health careers

You can also explore other careers in the psychological professions .

As a counsellor, you could use different types of therapy to:

• discuss and agree what to cover in sessions
• build trust with a client in person, online or over the phone
• listen carefully, ask questions and check understanding of the issues
• help your client to talk about their feelings, see things more clearly and find ways to cope
• empathise but challenge when necessary
• keep confidential records

You could work with individuals, couples, families or groups.

You could work in a therapy clinic, at a GP practice, at a school, at a college or from home.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.