CALLING ALL COUNSELLORS AND PSYCHOTHERAPISTS

[AdamAnt]

I'm considering training as a counsellor in the next few years. I will probably be living in Edinburgh.

Has anyone here retrained as a counsellor after a period of full-time parenting?

Does it matter that my previous career was not in a related discipline?

What are employment prospects like?

I'd love to hear of your experiences

[AdamAnt]

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[AdamAnt]

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[Heathcliffscathy]

doesn't matter what you used to do although life experience adds to your ability to practice so good trainings sometimes have a minimum age requirement.

to be fully accredited you need to train for a minimum of 4 1/2 years.

for good employment prospects at the moment train in CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) although tbh by the time you finish that fad may be over with.

best to do a foundation that gives you a taste of several different models and then decide.

it is very expensive as not only do you have to pay for college fees but also for your own personal therapy (which will last the duration of the training as a minimum) and sometimes for supervision if your training doesn't provide it.

if you've never had long term psychotherapy before, prepare for a rocky road, and prepare those around you...it is tough and will lead you to question every aspect of your life.

there is a high drop out rate due to both the above factors.

have you asked yourself why you want to accomapany people through their misery and pain on a daily basis....it is probably because you are wounded in some way yourself and if you find that idea repugnant then i would say this road isn't for you.

on the plus side it is priviledged, fascinating work. not a way to ever get rich though!

if you are still interested after this post....it might be for you!

hope this helps and feel free to ask any further questions!

[Anna8888]

"not a way to ever get rich though"

Not quite true. Though I'm not sure that those who get rich in the psychotherapy business - because there are some - go about it in a very ethical way...

[Heathcliffscathy]

ok. you can (eventually) make a very good living if you are lucky enough to live in a place with a lot of demand (london, new york). if you persevere and choose your client base. but the costs involved in getting there are prohibitive, and you're never ever going to make money like a lawyer can for example....

[AdamAnt]

Thank you both. Very helpful!

Am concerned about the cost being prohibitively expensive. I'm guessing that many students are funded by employers?

Am also concerned at 'faddiness' of therapy models, and the fact that full accreditation would take 4.5 years. Is that full-time studying? If so, I don;t think I'd be able to manage 9 years of part-time studying.

And do you think the psychotherapy might still be traumatic if you've lived a fairly problem-free life? As far as I know I have no 'ishoos'.