Are you a therapist/counsellor? I have some questions...

[Pepperpottle]

I'm thinking of becoming one myself. Can I ask, what were your sources of inspiration? What training did you do? What are the best & worst aspects of your job? Would you recommend it as a career? How many clients do you see a week? Also, if I may be cheeky, what do you earn pa?

Many thanks!

Can I ask, what were your sources of inspiration?

The usual - I've been through bad things myself, eventually went counselling despite thinking it was a load of old wank, it changed my life. I discovered that I felt really passionately about it, and went from there.

What training did you do?

Initially, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 Diploma. It took 4 years to initially 'qualify' and cost about £10k. Then of course you can keep going. I'm also required to do at least 30 hours of CPD per year, but I always end up doing more.

What are the best & worst aspects of your job?

Best - I get to meet amazing people, and be there with them while they get their lives back on track. It's so exciting and satisfying to see someone rediscover their joy and make a better life for themselves. The counselling relationship is unlike any other, and I feel really really lucky.

Worst - very few paid job opportunities. There is a lot of talk about that lately as more and more full time counselling roles, with all the paperwork/experience/qualifications/training/expenses that go with it, are offered as voluntary roles. Also, the expectation from others that I can't ever have those very human times of self-doubt, upset, or inability to go through with something. I turned down an invasive & painful medical test because I just couldn't tolerate it, and the doctor looked down her nose at me and said, "Seriously? And you're a counsellor?". Just one example of a few. I think people expect me to float through life without any troubles, but of course no-one can. I can cope with my troubles, but I think people are surprised that I'm not entirely unbothered by stuff and sometimes make mistakes, need to vent or have to ask for help!

Would you recommend it as a career?

Not really, no. If you can go without making any money for years on end, and have a lot of resilience and patience, you might get on with it. It sounds wanky, but you need to be of a certain character and have a lot of strength. You'll hear some of the worst stuff people can do to each other, and you'll need to be able to sit with that. Personally, the Diploma was worth doing, for me, even without getting a job - it was incredibly tough and I emerged stronger.

How many clients do you see a week?

I'm in private practice, and have a chronic illness which necessitates a lot of rest, so usually anywhere between 3 and 7.

Also, if I may be cheeky, what do you earn pa?

I've only been doing it a few years, my maximum after a really good year was £3.5k profit. Expenses are massive.

Worst - very few paid job opportunities. There is a lot of talk about that lately as more and more full time counselling roles, with all the paperwork/experience/qualifications/training/expenses that go with it, are offered as voluntary roles.

^^This. Definitely. There are many, many unemployed/forced to work voluntarily counsellors out there, and the colleges and universities keep churning them out. Most of the stuff you see in the news about the government "plunging however much into mental health" etc does not mean more counsellors employed to do the work, they simply give nurses/teachers/others small amounts of training and get them to do it on top of their other jobs.

It costs a lot to train, and the ongoing costs are large (CPD, supervision, memberships)

I did a BA degree, will probably do a masters at some point.

I love what I do, I have a private practice, but if my husband didn't exist, I wouldn't earn enough to live on, what with childcare etc. I refuse to do any work for free now.

I've been looking into this myself recently, with a view to working for the NHS or similar. The longevity of the training surprised me, as it's graduated qualification and there no scope for direct entry that I can see(?).

Can I ask why you would stay in private practice given the clear concerns about earning potential? I understand that chronic illness might absolutely explain it, but otherwise would it not make sense to consider being an employee in this role?

Can I ask why you would stay in private practice given the clear concerns about earning potential? I understand that chronic illness might absolutely explain it, but otherwise would it not make sense to consider being an employee in this role?

Because there aren’t any suitable employed roles! There is a massive shortage of paid jobs, as I said above. With private practice, I can also arrange my own week around the needs of my health and pace myself. Besides, I actually prefer working for myself.

One of my friends is a therapist and is setting up in private practice in the UK after working for a hospital in another country. She works several regular shifts for Relate, evenings and weekends. She has about eight regular private clients now after about six months to a year of making herself available, and rents rooms in various clinics every week as a regular expense. She has no children and no other income but has some family support. She also lives in an area where therapy is accepted as pretty normal,which is not the case all over.

I go to private counselling. My counsellor told me she does one day a week with private clients (in a room that she rents out), one or two days per week with the NHS, and one or two days per week at a charity (no idea if the charity work is paid or not, I don't ask her stuff like that).

So she has three part-time jobs, one of which is self-employed. She told me she enjoys the variety, and I do believe her, but I assume it also comes with all the disadvantages of such a set-up.

When I first looked for private counselling, I looked on the Counselling Directory website and there were literally hundreds of people I could choose from. Hundreds. So there must be a lot of competition for private clients. I spent hours reading through people's profiles and narrowing it down, and was able to reject people on all sorts of grounds which some of you might consider petty, and even after that there was still plenty of choice.