Is a diploma in counselling enough?

[moshpie]

I've looked up my therapist and seen she has a diploma that took two years, is that enough to be a decent counsellor? I thought psychotherapists studied for years? She says she is a psychodynamic therapist? I'm just wondering if she will be any good? She's had 8 years experience

Any wise words? Just don't want to be going to someone who has not much of a clue

A friend of mine makes sure they are accredited by a reputable organisation, and also checks the diploma comes from a proper awarding body.

Yes they are accredited

I’m a therapist.

It sounds like she has trained as a counsellor (courses anything from 6weeks to 3 years) and done some top up training probs around trauma to be a therapeutic counsellor. She may also have begun a degree and left midway through.

what accrediting body is it - UKCP, BACP, ACC etc?

If you’re not happy tho- talk to her about it and it’s fine to find someone else. It’s all about the relationship.

Honestly, in studies they've found that a trained listener can be as effective as a psychotherapist if the goal is happiness. A proper counselling psychologist would be more effective but it all depends what you actually want.

Complex MH issues or trauma may need someone with more skill and experience.

Sometimes you need a burger, sometimes you need Michelin starred gourmet.

It's BACP thank you

Not mental health issues but some childhood trauma. I like her I'm just wondering if she's going to be able to properly help

Her level 4 diploma (if accredited via bacp or cpcab) takes 2 years, thousands of pounds, 100 hours of placements plus the cost of her own personal therapy and supervision (which are both required). The training alone is around 450 hours!

What you may not have seen is to get onto that diploma course she will have already completed 2 additional years of training which are expensive (plus personal therapy costs) just to reach diploma level.

She will then have to undertake a bacp proficiency test to prove her knowledge in order to become a registered member of bacp.

So in summary....a diploma in counselling isn't quick or straight forward and requires a lot of commitment to reach

From...a counsellor with a diploma who has trained for four years.

l think the best advice is always given by people who have had alot of life experiance, and have experianced similar iissues rather than just having lots of certificates hanging on the walls. I have found books and information online as helpful if not more than speaking face to face with a therapist. Therapists are good at nodding their heads and repeating your last sentences, but very lacking on anything more substancial, thats been my experiance.

Thank you that is very helpful. I wanted to know that she had had her own counselling etc

This. I did level 2 and level 3 courses over recent years, which took a lot of time, headspace and practice. I am not qualified to practice as a counsellor. To be able to I can do a two year post grad diploma, as I already have a degree in a different subject (has to be above a 2:1 to take this route). Others on my course without degrees could do a degree to get them to the same level.
Some of studying is learning research methods and critical thinking etc which is why graduates can do the diploma in a shorter period.

My guess is your counsellor has another degree at a high level.

Thank you Greatoutdoors. That is helpful

This sounds like person-centred counselling, which is a whole theory of allowing the patient to come up with their own solutions through active listening and providing a warm, positive relationship in which they feel safe to explore their own feelings. It’s not just ‘nodding their heads and repeating your last sentence’ - it’s not for everyone and isn’t always the right approach for a particular type of issue, but it’s a legitimate theory and practice.

At the end of the day, the most important things is whether you find the sessions useful. If not, walk away and try another counsellor. The relationship has got to feel right - it's well worth taking time to find the right period.

What I would also say is that a counsellor with still some experience and qualifications that just meets the grade but who isn't over run with clients is also more likely to be useful than one who has loads of qualifications but is burnt out.

People assume more qualifications equals better therapy. Research says it is the relationship that makes the biggest difference. In my experience of counselling it is so draining from a concentration and empathy point of view. You would be better off with the person who has the most energy and headspace left for you, not the person who has a long client list.

Alongside that go for someone you feel a connection with. Not the person you aren't quite sure about but they seem to have better qualifications.

To be honest counselling is not the best regulated industry and length of qualification isn't always an indication of quality. Also, psychotherapy and counselling are just different words for the same thing - pschotherapy just sounds a bit more technical, but it isn't really.

A 2 year course which is BACP accredited will have had another couple of years before that of Level 2/3 in order to get onto it, so really it's 4 years.

But length of training is not the only important thing in counselling. You could meet someone who has bags of qualifications but you just don't connect with and it would be no good for you. You need to connect with the person ,and it sounds like you like her. Based on that I'd be inclined to say give it a go. She is qualified, registered and has 8 years of experience - that's plenty for her to practise safely. So if you like her, give her a chance.

My DH is a psychodynamic therapist, so just asked him. A diploma is certainly sufficient and he is registered with BACP which is a recognised body. Being accredited means that you've got sufficient experience and you can work at a high professional level. DH has just gone through accreditation and it wasn't easy. However, he works closely with eight others in the same line, some of which qualified well before him, but he's the only one who's got to accreditation. I don't know what her background is, but many who get into therapy have done voluntary work mentoring/working as an appropriate adult where someone struggles with capacity beforehand.

This is from me (not DH) but I imagine the first couple of sessions are about her getting to know you and working out how best to support you. If you have any doubts or she doesn't seem the right person for you, it's worth phoning another couple of therapists - any decent ones will give you a free initial chat.