Any counsellors about - how on earth does a counsellor qualify?

Can I really do a master's degree in counseling with just an arts degree?

You certainly can! My first degree was in a completely unrelated area to my MA in Counselling.

I did an MSc in Integrative counselling and psychotherapy, level 7. Have a good think about which modality to train in as that’s a further minefield. Maybe have a few sessions to try different types.
Good luck, it really is brilliant and rewarding work

A problem with the level 4 or 5 diploma courses is that there seems to be no way to progress to a higher level from them. You presumably have to begin at square one again and do a master's from scratch, as there's no separate level 7 onwards (there's just a level 6 supervisor course). It's an odd omission as, from what I've seen of friends' essays, reading lists, etc., there's not much difference between the diplomas and the MSc trainings until the final year of the MSc, which includes assessments and a research dissertation.

So I'd suggest looking at master's courses rather than level 4 for that reason, if you have a degree already.

You can get access loans for either if you're eligible.

Yes, there was absolutely no way I would do a level 4 or 5 counselling course, the higher the better because you’ve got that added extra. Twenty minutes ago I saw a few NHS counselling jobs that required a Level 7 qualification.

Location is also important when you’re self-employed, because of my peers I’m in touch with and who went down the private practice route, the people who have waiting lists (and therefore earn at least £60K) are the ones who work in affluent locations. I know there’s other variables, though.

I can't speak for the Regents course, but it is clear on the UKCP site, that you are accredited by your course, and that enables you to apply for clinical membership. It's a different way of doing it than BACP, but still needs the clinical hours (and a lot more supervision) It looks as though you have to do an extra 2 years on the Regents course to get UKCP membership.

I'm really glad for your peers and your therapist. I guess it depends a lot on where you live, because based on posts in counselling groups, it's really hard to get employment with a level 4 counselling diploma.

There is a new framework for all counselling/psychotherapy trainings on the way. https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-us/advancing-the-profession/scoped/
Worth looking into it and asking how any qualification you are considering will map onto this.

That’s absolutely not clear that completing a UKCP Masters course gives you accredited UKCP membership, not on their website and not on the website of Regents College. And I never said that completing a BACP accredited gives you accredited membership. You need, amongst other things, 450 or 500 clinical hours for that.

Maybe these person-centred NHS pathways are new, but my peers never did this, and neither did old counsellor who saw me privately who was trained in the PCA and works in the NHS. This post us fairly typical for a band 5 NHS role:

https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadvert/C0021-23-0902?keyword=Counsellor&language=en&page=2

There are multiple training routes and it is very confusing. What helped me was deciding which professional body I wanted to be registered with.

For me that is UKCP. For others it might be BACP, BCP, HCPC etc.

Making that decision helped me shortlist training courses. Then it was down to practicalities, feel, preference etc.

I will say (at the end of training) that I really value my own therapy and the personal process parts of training above all.

Having a good placement for learning on the job is also invaluable.

@benfoldsfivefan UKCP works differently to BACP - you get accredited by your training org when you complete an accredited course - that allows you to apply for full clinical membership. BACP accreditation and BACP accredited courses are not the same thing.

You have misunderstood. BACP accredited courses don't give you accreditation. You have to go through a separate accreditation process, after you have done post qualification clinical hours. UKCP accredited courses are longer and have more clinical hours included so you get accreditation straight away.

The NHS has a specific way of training for person centred courses. I see loads of people finishing level 4 courses and not being able to find jobs, so it's important to check before embarking on a specific route. UKCP have a specific one now for counsellors wanting to work in the NHS.

I would always advise the UKCP masters route into psychotherapy if you have a degree. It's the most robust training, and will give you the most options. It requires a lot of supervision, and more placement hours than other routes, but you will be accredited at the end

I don’t think that’s right. After training on a UKCP Masters accredited course, you gain clinical membership, so similar to what happens when you complete a BACP accredited counselling course.

https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/join-us/full-clinical-membership/

https://www.regents.ac.uk/postgraduate/psychotherapy-psychology/ma-psychotherapy-counselling

Or have I misunderstood?

Also, plenty of people who I trained with on my BACP accredited Level 7 course are working in the NHS and got these jobs pretty soon after finishing. The modality we trained in was person-centred.

There are a lot of routes to train. It's best not to train full time, as you need a lot of time and space to process, and build up your hours. I know many people who worked alongside part time training.
Most therapists are self employed, if you want to be employed, thoroughly research the type of counsellors the NHS employs, because most level 4 courses won't make you eligible for NhS employment. You'll need to look at specific modalities for employment (CBT, systemic)

I would always advise the UKCP masters route into psychotherapy if you have a degree. It's the most robust training, and will give you the most options. It requires a lot of supervision, and more placement hours than other routes, but you will be accredited at the end. With other routes, you may need to get accredited afterwards to get some types of work. It doesn't matter if your degree is not related, but you may have to do a basic skills course first.
Look for a course that requires you to have a lot of your own therapy.
Hope that helps, but please ask me if any questions.

There's a group on Facebook called Counselling Tutor where you can ask these questions, there are many valid training routes but avoid online only courses.

I completed my level 2 and level 3 with adult education centre found them brilliant
Uni do level 4/5 or i can go private and there also accredited
brighterteaching.co.uk

All training courses, as far as I'm aware, to be accepted by professional bodies such as the NCP or BACP, require students to "practise" on clients for a minimum of 100 sessions in a training placement before they are allowed to practise independently. The students have fortnightly supervision as well as being overseen by tutors and a placement manager.

As a result, when the counsellor is newly qualified, they've usually had at least 150 - 200 sessions with clients already.

(They also have about a year practising with fellow students and have to be assessed and passed as fit to practise before they're allowed to take up a training placement.)

That's the same for both for level 4 and 5 diplomas and for the MSc courses I know of. Some courses require more.

The OU's foundation degree is run in conjunction with CPCAB, I think there are a couple of OU modules and then level 4/5 face to face with CPCAB. If you go that route then you need to make sure there is a CPCAB course closeby.

If you look on the BACP and the NCS websites they will have details of accredited courses, usually they start out at Level 3 and are face to face. Local further education collages might have courses as well, I don't think a level 2 online course is necessary.

That course wouldn’t get you onto the Diploma course at a few places I know of, including where I trained. It’s a Level 3 face to course you should be looking at.

A close family member has an MA in psychotherapy so I've just seen her go through the whole process.

The first part of the course will be focused on building up practical skills before the course leader has to evaluate the trainees as fit to practice. Once they've passed fitness to practice, they can then go and do a supervised placement as a trainee working with real clients. The clients will always be told beforehand that their therapist is still in training and they can always choose not to work with that therapist if they'd prefer someone fully trained.

My friend did a 3-year degree in psychology and counselling at Brighton University, followed by a masters.

Pretty brave career move for someone in their late 40s, I thought, but she's got loads of clients after only 4 years in practice and has a waiting list.

Please don’t do this course. I’d start with a CPCAB course, at L2 or 3 which should be taught face to face. You’ll find it much harder progressing with an online course and employers won’t touch you as you won’t be able to register with the two main organisations, BACP and NCS.

Part of the training is about working with peers, building relationships, holding and working through your vulnerabilities and supporting others to do the same. This is not something that can be replicated through online learning.

The L4 course should have 100 hours of supervised placement as a minimum. I’d start with the CPCAB COURSE finder if you’d prefer this route:

https://www.cpcab.co.uk/centre-finder