To want a therapist with a PhD

I think having training and experience in the modality you prefer is probably more important than having a PhD, but your free to choose whatever qualifications you like if you are self-funding.

I've had a decade of psychotherapy. My therapist is wonderful, I'm only alive because of her and more than that she's helped me rebuild my life and navigate some 'normal' difficult times (e.g. death of a parent, early months motherhood etc) despite being classed as being 'treatment resistant' according to the NHS. She does have an MA in a relevant field now but didn't when we started working together. Don't think it's reflective of my 'academic ability' given I've just passed my own PhD (in an unrelated field).

I've had a lot of mental health input and I don't think beyond a certain level it matters what the qualification level is, it's more important that the therapist and client 'click' on a therapeutic level.

I probably wouldn't choose a clinical psychologist unless they had undertaken further training in psychotherapy or psychoanalytic psychotherapy. There is no requirement for clinical psychologists to have undergone any therapy themselves as part of their training.
I would choose a psychotherapist who was registered with the UKCP or BPC as I think they both have the most rigorous standards. Or a therapist with a doctorate in counselling psychology.

A clinical psychologist is at least £130 per hour!

Christ, what an ignorant post 🙄

Sometimes you just need people to see you . I saw three psychiatrists during my breakdown ( had a stay in a mental health unit) and only one of them I totally trusted and felt understood by. Others were dismissive and one I felt judged by. If the initial psychiatrist had understood me and realised how bad I was feeling i might not have got to crisis point. Find a therapist you trust that is the key to getting better. ( and medication)

I do think there's a lot of be said for life experience: it can be the case that people with more accessible/affordable training such as diplomas might come from a range of backgrounds and experiences, giving them more insight into clients with similar backgrounds.

Not that there won't be people with diverse backgrounds in master's programmes also, just that diplomas open access to people who can be excellent therapists, but for whatever reason weren't able to go to university.

You do realise that therapy isn’t only about someone listening to the client, I hope?

I'd suggest that if you have to pay someone to listen to your problems, you're in no position to pass judgment on anyone.

PHD or not.

Maybe you should seek out the PhD thesis of your potential therapist and see how that relates to your particular problem before making a judgement.

PhDs are useful and valuable qualifications, especially if you are involved in project management or research but that is not to say that someone who has one will be better at dealing with one particular issue than someone who does not have one and has years of experience dealing with that issue.

A well trained and experienced level 7 (Masters) should be more than adequate, but it depends on the modality - person centred is quite different to integrative for example - as to who you would find a good fit with. However, most modalities actually have similar outcomes.

I'd look at the training institute they are from as well (although it would be hard for someone searching for a therapist with no background knowledge to know where is good and where isn't).

Odd post.

Counselling is unregulated in the uk so literally ANYONE can be a therapist if they practice privately. However if you want to be a member of the BACP (which is the case for pretty much all counselling jobs) then it’s actually a pretty long and thorough process. I’m a counselling student and the usual pathway is a say 6 week part time course, then a 32 week course, then either a part time 2 year diploma at uni or college during which you have at least a year of placements. During this last course you need to have supervision (which you may pay for) and private therapy for yourself (again self funded) so it’s really not something most people would put themselves through if they weren’t passionate about becoming a counsellor or capable.

I'm a counsellor with a diploma. My training took four years part time, although it was full on with mentoring then counselling placements, weekly personal development groups over three years, about 5 5000 word essays, 60+ hours of personal therapy, observations and a research project as well.

I have twice-weekly professional supervision and I undertake around 50 hours of CPD (training workshops) a year including.

As a single parent and carer with a disability, I couldn't afford the master's degree qualifications. I did train at the same time as a very old friend who did a master's and our reading lists for our courses were almost identical — her training involved far fewer essays (a lot less assessment on theory than my diploma involved, just reflective practice essays, which mine had also); hers did have a research thesis rather than a project, though that can be left out and the qualification then becomes a pgdip.

In terms of academic ability, I do have two previous master's degrees in different subjects and a degree from Oxford.

The master's degree qualifications and the level 4/5 diplomas aren't very different other than the details above.

A PhD, of course, is a different matter entirely. It does involve a lot more theory, but similar skills practice and personal development from what I've seen in prospectuses.

If you search on directories, you can usually see where someone has a PhD, as therapists with those will usually advertise them there. Also, a psychoanalyst will have many years of intensive training, so might be more what you're looking for.

For people worried that counsellors don't have much supervision/regulation, check they're with an accredited body: most directories only allow registered therapists who have monthly supervision and insurance to advertise.

It's not a protected term so in theory anyone can be a counsellor without a single qualification. However doing so a completely unethical. That's why finding a therapist who is accredited by a membership organisation such as the BACP means you can be certain the therapist has had a rigorous training and adheres to an ethical framework in their practice. There are many good counsellors out there who don't have PHDs. In face the vast majority won't have this level of qualification as it isn't necessary to practice. Someone with this high level of qualification maybe able to conduct excellent research but may not have brilliant counselling skills.

I think it depends what you mean by a Therapist.

But FYI it is not hard to be a councillor. Just do dome "Access" BS course and you are a councillor.

Do it is not surprising you thing some councillors are a bit in the dense side.

Yanbu

I don't know that course, and I have scanned quickly, but I think the 3 years is for a psychotherapeutic counselling qualification, and longer study for psychotherapy masters. There are usually 4 taught years, plus an extra for writing dissertation, finishing placements and final exams.

You're right to mention the UKCP Psychotherapy training, which I'd researched yeras ago and forgotten (I did the Masters/BACP route). Although I see the MSc at Newman University is for three years. Maybe this isn't typical of all UKCP Accredited courses?

But there's plenty of people out there calling themselves psychotherapists after they've qualified with a Level 4 or 5 Diploma in Integrative Counselling.

You are misinformed here. There are integrative counsellors who do short courses, but Integrative psychotherapists who do UKCP MSc courses train for at least 5 years, most for longer as they are required to have some experience before starting. They also have to be in therapy throughout, and are robustly qualified. The relationship is important - not every therapist will be right for every client, but how much work they have done on themselves is also significant.

IME the best know their worth, are £, & have waiting lists or are fully committed…especially re: kids/teens.

If they are not at least as smart as you are, it’s unlikely to be a good fit. They need to really understand your demographic too.

It’s incredibly hard to find anyone good & in my opinion & a 50 or 60 min session a week isn’t enough to begin to make progress.

IME many clever teens run rings around the average therapist & can gaslight & convince of all sorts, if so inclined.

The ones worth having are often solidly booked, like any good professional offering a service.

Having witnessed the worst care ever from a newly qualified NHS clinical psychologist, which resulted in life-changing negative consequences for the person involved, I'd like to see a review site along the lines of IWantGreatCare . com but covering therapists. IWantGreatCare only covers medical doctors, I believe. Then at least patients would know who to avoid.

But go with your gut, OP. Try a few people out, drop anyone straight away that has anything but a positive influence on your life - trust your feelings above all else. The luxury of choice is only offered to private patients not NHS, so take full advantage of it.

There are a few decent, caring and effective psychologists out there, these rare gems are hard to find but do exist. I hope you find what you're looking for OP.

I would always pick the therapist over the degree.

Depending on your reason for therapy, you could end up having a very close bond with this person and you bond with people, not degrees.

I narrowed my choices down to 4. One had much less in qualifications than the other 3, practiced a modality that I wasn't hugely sold on and had only 6 years practical experience but I found myself drawn to him anyway.

The most experienced and qualified of them told me I couldn't afford her, one spent the getting to know you session talking about herself, then had to ask me my name as I was leaving and the last didn't phone back when I left a message.

So I went with the least qualified and he has honestly been brilliant. A few rookie mistakes early on and we were never short of conflict in the relationship but I've come a long way since I met him and he has been the driving force for change in my life.

I think sometimes you just have to go with gut instinct.

Technically yes but you can't join any of the PSA accredited professional bodies without a minimum of 450 tutor contact hours and 100 hours of supervised practice behind you (a level 4 qualification).

I totally agree there are bad courses out there even at that level though that won't be as rigorous.

That said I wouldn't rule put someone who trained as their second career. Some of the best therapists I know did that. We don't all know at 18 this is what we want to do. I was always interested in psychology but was never much of a scientist, I was more interested in humanities and languages, not statistics. I have a Sociology Masters I did before my therapy training - one of the reasons why I'm now reluctant to spend another £10k on a psychotherapy Masters to add to my post grad diploma. I'd rather do more specific, shorter courses that help me develop my skills more than a research degree would do.