To think I could become a counsellor/therapist without going to university?

[careerwanted]

Now that my DC are at school I’ve decided that I’d like a career for myself. I’ve been thinking about what I would like to do and potentially looking at becoming a counsellor or therapist.

The only qualifications I have are GCSE’s ranging from A-E grades. I don’t want to go to university and build up any debt but happy to pay for courses that I can save up for and pay for. Looking at the City of Bristol college which offers evening courses such as introduction to counselling £200 and then level 2 and level 3 at a slightly higher cost (no problem as I could save for this).

I’m planning on going to the open evening and discussing with a careers advisor the right path to take but wondered if any MNers know if it would be possible to become a counsellor/therapist without going to uni and doing these courses or am I just getting carried away with myself?

I’d be really interested to hear from anyone who has decided they’d like a career and went for it. What did you want to do, how did you do it. Was it worth it?

Thanks

[Lowhangingfruit]

Where do you live? A quick search shows courses up to level 2 at most colleges x

[cjpark]

A friend of mine has just finished her BSc in Counsellling and is now BCAP registered. It was a hard and expensive slog! £9K a year plus having to have counselling herself at £75 an hour now she's qualified. Its pretty poorly paid too - you either have to build up your private list or she's gone into NHS work which seems to be seeing people who have been waiting for over a year and sorting them out in 6 sessions!

[yelyah22]

Most people I worked with in addiction services didn't have a degree - they did the (IIRC) DANOS training up to at least level 2. So that's possible?

[Summersoulshine]

Helpful, positive response. Thank you.

[Sunshineandeggshells]

Melberryb do you have regular supervision?

[Melberryb]

I know this post was a while ago but interestingly no... you don't need qualifications even though BACP would have you thinking otherwise. "There are currently no laws in the UK regarding counselling and psychotherapy.However guidelines recommend that, in order to practice, counsellors should have completed at least an appropriate diploma, or completed a course that was a minimum of 400 hours therapy training."
www.counselling-directory.org.uk/profquals.html

I have actually been practising as a "therapist" for a number of years and have a huge client base. I am always completely upfront and tell people I am not professionally qualified but have a number of references and the rest is up to them.

Legally it can be done and I truly believe as long as you are completely honest and upfront then it is ok.

It's sad as there are not enough affordable, accessible places for people to talk in a safe environment. I guess the flip side is you are then open to any Tom dick or Harry having a go... although i have number of people who will vouch I'm pretty good!

Best of luck x

[sinceyouask]

Possibly HCA roles in mental health inpatient settings, or support, time and recovery worker roles in the community might be something you could consider?

[JoanBartlett]

Some career titles are protected by law like solicitor, doctor, barrister, nurse and you cannot call yourself those things unless you've done loads of qualifications. Others have no restrictions - so I could set up as therapist or counsellor or life coach tomorrow whether I could even read or write.

However whether you get any customers/clients is another matter.

[LaurieFairyCake]

As for placements - no one was allowed clients until the 2nd year of the Diploma - so that’s at least 2 years 3 months after starting to train.

And the placement staff decided if you were ready, along with your supervisor- no one started counselling clients until 2 trained professionals said you were ready.

And yes of course there were still people who really struggled.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I trained counsellors at level 2/3/4 in a college.

To do the Certificate in Counselling Skills at level 3 you needed to have gcse maths and English or sit a test in them. They were qualifications so that the college would allow you entry to most courses.

You do not need further qualifications before you start. However the academic req are demanding - you have to write essays, there were 4 on the certificate course, 8 on the diploma course plus a 7-10k portfolio evidencing your practise on placement.

You do not need a degree, a third of the class I taught did not have degrees. They had all sorts of jobs - PA’s to social services, TA’s, a teacher, someone who worked in Tesco.

And there was a large piece on the radio yesterday about trying to encourage working class people into counselling so please do not let it put you off.

When I trained people fee reductions were available for those on low incomes.

As for jobs I’ve been constantly and easily employed for more than ten years (I did have multiple academic quals beforehand) - there are plenty of jobs in London - I can only speak about London

[selfishcrab]

Even to volunter in counselling you need a certain level of qualification.
It is not as easy as people think, the orginisations will take the best and you would be up against qualified counsellors gaining experiance.
If you really think this is the field for you then do an introduction to counselling first (they do this at city of bristol) because it's not just money that it costs!
I'm lucky to have a paid job in counselling but that is 2 years and accedition later!
A level 4 doesn't qualify you either and it would still put you at a voluntry level.

[doricgirl]

Another Bristol option is helpline volunteering - there are quite a few based in Bristol off the top of my head:
Self injury Support
Bristol Mindline
Womankind

[KnitFastDieWarm]

If you're in Bristol OP (noticed you mentioned city of Bristol college) I'd highly recommend volunteering with One25. They work with women involved in street sex work in Bristol, most of whom also have drug and alcohol issues. I use to volunteer with their outreach programme befor wi got pregnant and I know they're currently looking for drop in centre volunteers. I completed several in house training courses on managing addiction, helping abuse survivors etc, while with them. Would be a great way to test the waters

[AndrewJames]

Counselling isn't psychiatry though, Andrew

I didn't say it was. Psychiatrists need a medical degree, everyone knows that counselling is not psychiatry.
Counsellors need to know when their clients do need a psychiatrist though, that is the point.

[pinkstinks]

An interesting view:

www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/19/what-im-really-thinking-disappointed-counsellor

[Wickedstepmum67]

What Isadora and others have said: you can opt to do a degree level course to train as a counsellor, but it is not absolutely essential. You can do a diploma level course, which is often a slightly more cost-effective route. I am a qualified and registered counsellor and did not do a degree level course in order qualify. It's worth saying that a good diploma level course will absolutely offer practical and relevant training that will prepare you for practice as a therapist. Yes, it's expensive, time-consuming and demanding whichever route you take - also very definitely not a way to get paid much very soon! I would recommend doing a level 2 or 3 course to start with as a way to see if this is really 'for you' without a massive financial commitment.

[ManInTheMoonMarigold]

Would you consider something like a youth work apprenticeship instead?

[Crabbitstick]

goodmoves.org.uk
Voluntary sector jobs can be found here. An admin job could give you relevant experience and insight into what you might like to do, while being more rewarding because of context you're working in. Good luck.

[repetitionrepetition]

it takes a really really long time to become a (properly accredited) counsellor and a huge amount of money. jobs are also very scarce.

[BadPolicy]

Samaritans aren't a counselling service, they wont offer you training / experience in it.

Taking your question differently, you can become a counsellor without going to 'a university' - there are lots of colleges that offer the level of qualifications you need, usually at a lower cost.

[Jellycatspyjamas]

As others have said, anyone can call themselves a counsellor/therapist but contracted work is scarce and generally only available to people trained to post-graduate level. Private practice is hard, isolating work and the more training, support, and practice you've had the better you'll be. It's not a career for the feinthearted both the training and the actual work are incredibly demanding - you're often supporting people in the worst times of their lives and you need to know your own psyche pretty well to cope. In any reputable course both clinical supervision of your practice and personal therapy are requirements for very good reason.

There are some excellent independent training providers out there and some pretty poor ones, look for one that is BACP/NCS accredited so you at least have some assurance that the course is ethically run. It also means that registration post qualification is much easier. Expect to take at least 3 years to qualify from a standing start (intro course, certificate and diploma level course).


It's a great job but you need to really want to do it.

[zoomiee]

It’s essential that you have good training in the profession- it gives you a backdrop regarding psychological theory and the actual work that you do with patients must go through the process of scrutiny with a qualified supervisor to ensure you are working effectively with that person, and not bring your own issues into the session.

It astounds me, often, that people think this is a job that is pointless, unnecessary or a luxury , that anybody who does a 6 week course can practice , and that crap Counselling is representative of a whole field.

The basic standard to be able to work in the NHS or within schools is a BACP accredited course and significant experience and client hours. To practise privately is less regulated, but in order to build up a good reputation and quality service, you will need the credentials.

If you think Counselling is a career for you, take an introductory course and see from there. Working to ‘help’ people is not as straight forward as it seems on the outside and is full of obstacles, setbacks and personal challenges to overcome. Having said all of that, if it ignites in you a passion to the profession, you should absolutely go for it. There are rewards, of course, but it takes a lot of time, patience, and personal expense.

[BeALert]

I have the Postgraduate Diploma in Counseling from a university, and before that I did an evening course Intro to Counseling for a year.

I also did 175 hours of supervised counseling (this doesn't mean a supervisor is in the room with you but that you do 175 hours of counseling others in a voluntary setting, see a supervisor regularly, and write reflections on your counseling practice).

I chose not to do the final year to get an MA.

It didn't actually cost me that much because although there were fees to be paid, I received a Hardship Fund from the uni - this is pretty rare though.

If I wanted to be a BACP accredited counsellor I'd need to do more supervised counseling hours, but I feel confident at this point that I could do a good job.

The training was very useful especially in situations where I realised I was out of my depth and needed to refer to my supervisor and potentially refer clients on to other sources of support.

[holdthewine]

Be aware that you can apply to university as a mature student without the normal qualifications... so if you see a course at Bristol University or UWE which appeals, don’t think you can’t! Also OU after a foundation year has a sociology degree course which may suit.

[MrsEight]

Counselling diploma is 2 years - you don’t need a degree.