So you want to become a counsellor? This may always have been your passion, you may be wanting a career change or you’ve been in counselling yourself and have been inspired to help others!
First I just want to highlight that there is any current regulations in the UK so anyone can call themselves a counsellor/psychotherapist! Shocking I know! But if you are reading this, you are wanting to know the proper way of becoming a qualified therapist, so you’re on the right track! Just because ANYONE can call themselves a counsellor, it doesn't mean you SHOULD!
There are many routes to become a qualified counsellor in the UK, firstly whether you want to go the college or university route it’s usually a requirement of courses that the beginning of your journey starts with an introductory course:
Introductory course
These are usually Level 2 courses that run at colleges. They can be around 8-10 weeks and are run in an evening. These courses gently introduce you to what counselling is/isn't and about the different modalities.
PT= Part Time
FT= Full Time
Route 1: College route
1st stage: Intro course
2nd stage: Level 3 certificate/diploma (1 year PT)
3rd stage: Level 4 Diploma (2 years PT)
Total: 3 years minimum
Route 2: Foundation degree route
1st stage: Intro course
2nd stage: Foundation or HND degree in counselling/psychotherapy (3 years FT)
Total: 3 years minimum
Route 3: PgDip/Masters Route
First stage: Undergraduate degree in related or unrelated area (3 years FT)
2nd stage: Intro course
3rd stage: Pgdip in counselling/psychotherapy (3 years PT)
Total: 6 years minimum
Route 4: Counselling psychologist route (Doctorate level)
1st stage: Undergraduate degree in psychology with British Psychological Society Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) upon completion (3 years FT)
2nd stage: Intro course
3rd stage: Counselling Psychology doctorate (3 years FT)
Total: 6 years minimum
So here are the routes you can take, its important to note that not all counselling courses at university achieve the placement and clinical supervision hours that meet the minimum requirements to become a registered counsellor with associations like the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) , UKCP or the NCS.
It's important to look at the requirement of standards of course to ensure you can become registered and your doing the right course! I have come across many people doing an undergraduate degree in counselling thinking this would qualify them however they find out it doesn't include the client placement.
For example to register with the BACP who is the largest organisational body for counselling in the UK, requirements include a minimum of 100 client hours with supervision and 450 taught hours. The BACP do accredited courses which ensure upon completion that students can register with them without have to complete their certificate of proficiency otherwise this is required from unaccredited courses. I also want to point out here a common misconception that counsellors graduating from BACP accredited courses are NOT classed as accredited counsellors upon completion, personal accreditation is something completely different (which I will talk about in a whole other post!).
I hope this brief post can clear up some confusion on where the hell do you start!
After you look at your available options, I hope you can find the best available route for you. So good luck in your journey... its a life changing one!
Charli Davies
***If you're a trainee counsellor I might have just the thing for you!!!***
The Trainee Counsellor's Workbook now on amazon:
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