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

There are no mandatory requirements of education and training to be a counsellor or psychotherapist as it's not a statutory regulated profession. And you do not 'need' to be a member (accredited or otherwise) of the BACP. The term counsellor is not a protected title (like doctor or dentist) so legally there is no restriction on what you do unless you break the law in some way.

That said, you are unlikely to get work unless you understand the range of qualifications available to you and the scope of practice you wish to perform. Plenty of good advice above about the type of qualification you might want to aim for, but none of this is set in stone. I'd start off by finding jobs you like the look of and see what they ask for in terms of qualifications and experience.

Lastly, the BACP is one of several professional membership organisations which run registers for counsellors and psychotherapists and offer other membership services. They are the largest in the UK and therefore the most well known but they are not the only option.

Bit bonkers to suggest that someone non acadmic can't be a good counsellor.

I'm not a fan of counselling myself, but I imagine the skills can come from all walks of life.

Bit bonkers to suggest that someone non acadmic can't be a good counsellor

No it isn't. How are you going to counsel someone when you don't understand anything about mental health? How are you going to help anyone when you haven't learned how to do so?
the skills cannot come from all walks of life. You need extensive training.

Counselling isn't psychiatry though, Andrew

I do, as it happens, hold a personal belief that counselling isn't conducive to most mental health conditions, but that's not what OP was asking.

Do you have a volunteer bureau in your borough? (Google your borough + volunteer)

We have one and you can make an appointment with them for a meeting. They have a huge central database of volunteer opportunities. At the meeting you're asked what areas you'd be interested e.g. horticulture, young people, historic buildings, that kind of thing. A broad range of options. They then send you details of 3 organisations who are looking for volunteers.

One of the ones that came up was youth mentor support, supporting secondary age kids who are having trouble at school. You'd be allocated one or two children and focus on building relationships with them so they could better access education. It included a training course.

That kind of thing might be a good route. It would give you some exposure without committing money and may help direct you. Plus would get you experience.

I am intereseted to know how someone who is not a fan of counselling believes psychological distress should be addressed? Genuine question

opal. I totally agree. One of the women I started the course with was a ‘natural’. She just knew what was needed somehow, whereas I just didn’t have that insight or ability to develop it and even if I’d gone on to the next stages of the course, I think my ability wouldn’t have been great. I agree we could all get a plaque made and set up as counsellors next week but I’m not sure you’d get many clients.

If someone is coming into this area ‘cold’ as it were, you definitely up your chances of work by attending one of the most appropriate courses, and approaching charities that provide counselling. It can be done with minimum training I’m sure but competition wise you are lowering you chances of getting work.

Sometimes, it can't harry

It's not a particularly popular view, but some wounds really are just too deep. Likewise, many things thst may cause distress are temporary and like physical conditions will heal themselves given time. Some forms of psychotherapy can be effective and some medication can work. But in many serious cases, nothing will work.

I'd just go to Uni to be honest - it's not real debt and it will really broaden your horizons beyond just a career.

Alternatively, look at apprenticeships maybe? They're for anyone who wants to do one not just youngsters.

It might not be 'real' debt but it is difficult to work outside it with young children.

I always think when I see 'retrain!' advice people miss the point a bit.

But anyway - counsellors (apparently) don't earn much so it's not something I'd acquire debt for, real debt or not.

Yes, I think you can get a diploma in Cbt or counselling without a degree. You would need to do a certificate in counselling first. Certainly in Scotland that is possible. The courses are validated by COSCA and some also aligned with universities. Life skills and experience is more beneficial than a formal education, I think. I met some people who are doing the diploma who don't have degrees and will be fantastic counsellors.

Yes I'd agree with that opal but if (and it's a big if) careerwanted has a partner who is able to support the finances for 3 years then the debt (as long as it's only student finance debt) is inconsequential and just a way of attributing a tax to yourself once earning enough.

Once earning enough is key!

Hi OP

I am part way through the level 2 course. I didn't do the short intro course, wasn't a requirement.

I am finding the course incredibly challenging - in a good way....i think!
I do not think I am cut out to be a therapist but I feel sure the skills and knowledge gained will be useful in many many jobs.

I am also training for a volunteer "helping" role in a charity. It's a national charity and I think the training is quite high quality.

I hope to eventually work in a paid capacity in a helping role. I spent ages reading job add and volunteer roles. I have chosen a volunteer role that involves elements such as inter agency referrals. I think if you try to narrow the area you'd like to work in eventually you can try and match your voluntary experience.

Also good to get to know the job market so you are realistic. There is a huge charity sector where I live but unsurprisingly the vast majority of roles are unpaid. I am quite prepared that long term I may not get a paid job but it's all self improvement and I can continue in a part time voluntary capacity.

Good luck.

I op

You will need need levels 2 and 3 as the level 3 will get you on to the level 4 higher diploma
This will enable you to qualify and practice.

But you will need to pay for a minimum 50hrs personal therapy, it might be more now
The level 4 courses are about 5k now not including the books you will need
Also supervision whilst on a placement in yr 2
I think all in it's about 8/10 k for all the courses therapy and other extras

You don't get any grants for any of this either

Just a note on the University thing - I am a big believer in higher education and have several pg degrees myself. But it's not the be all and end all and often people shout "university!" without necessarily thinking if through. There's three major factors to consider: can you afford it now, will it make a difference to your earnings in the future (corollary q of "does that matter?"), and can you actually do a degree, work-wise.

OP, there will be a way you can find a career like you've described without uni, but keep it in the back of your mind. My only concern about it at this stage would be that with a baseline of GCSEs, you don't yet know if you are suited to the sort of study you do at HE. A college course of some kind would be an ideal way to work that out - to find out if you enjoy studying, if you're any good at it, if you have the self motivation skills to get through a degree with the added needs of your family taken into account.

Could you look at doing a MOOCS type course? Perhaps FutureLearn would have an intro to therapy or psychology so then at least you could do that initially to see if it is something that you would like to academically pursue. One of the short MOOCS will at least let you know if studying the subject interests you as you will absolutely have to do lots of study to become a therapist.

What about looking at the OU psychology degrees?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.