Becoming a counsellor after psychology degree

[LilaGrace]

Once a BPS accredited psychology degree is obtained, can anyone advise what is needed in order to become a practising counsellor? I understand there are several routes to achieve this, one of which is doing a post graduate qualification with the BPS themselves. I'd love to hear from anyone who has gone on to be a counsellor after studying a psychology degree and which route they went along to get there. Thanks

[LilaGrace]

Bump- anyone...?

[Waitingforsherlock]

I'm not sure about this but there are lots of PGDip/ MSc courses with specific content. I'm not sure how you convert all that knowledge into something that can be applied to counselling. I'd like to know too.

[LilaGrace]

Thanks Waitingforsherlock. It seems that the doctorates are very hard to get onto and I'd like to hear from anyone who had been through this personally- or had knowledge of the psychology field and careers.

[Waitingforsherlock]

Have you looked on the Clin Psy website? It's full of info about that sort of thing.

www.clinpsy.org.uk/forum/

[LilaGrace]

No- but I will now! Thanks

[mygrandchildrenrock]

Many years ago I did a psychology degree, then a post graduate diploma in counselling from a University. It was part time, 3 hrs a week for a year. By the end of the year I had a small private practice.
Most of the counsellors that I know don't have a psychology degree though, it's not a requirement for being a counsellor.

[LilaGrace]

That's interesting mygrandchildrenrock. I know you don't have to do a psychology degree to be a counsellor- but at this stage I want to keep my options open with regards to what I do afterwards. Do you mind if I ask how long ago it was that you did your course?

[mygrandchildrenrock]

It was about 19 yrs ago, and for about 6 yrs I had a small practice and rented a room in a counselling centre. Most of my clients wanted evening or weekend appointments because they worked. In the end it just wasn't compatible with having a family!
I did my psychology degree with a clear aim in mind, to become an educational psychologist. The big surprise for me though, was how much I loved teaching and I stayed in education. I do feel I use the skills and knowledge from both my degree and my counselling on a daily basis though!