To have my doubts about some counsellors....

[RagBagMag]

Both I and DH have had some bad experiences with counsellors in the past, and at the time we just put it down to one of those things/a clash of personalities.

However, as time has gone on, I've heard of various friends and acquaintances going on to retrain as counsellors (our local further education college runs a course) and, to be honest, almost every single one of them has been a very troubled person, with plenty of ongoing issues of their own.

I can see how this may be beneficial- an ex addict, for example, will probably have an extra set of knowledge and skills as a drugs counsellor - but surely in a general sense this is a bit worrying? I've briefly looked at the course, and I'm not sure of the ins and outs of it, but it doesn't seem to be university standard, yet the students will be dealing with people with huge and serious problems.

Now a relative has declared her intention to enrol on one of these courses, and honestly the thought of her being in that position of power over vulnerable people is terrifying. She was the school bully, and continues to try to bully and control the people around her, she struggled to function normally, which results in the borderline emotional neglect of her children. She'll absolutely love hearing people's problems and she'll 100% dictate to them and repeat certain things to her family and friends.

AIBU to think courses like this sometimes attract a certain kind of person? Perhaps it's unfair of me, because I'm sure there are plenty of brilliant ones out there, but the prospect of encountering someone like that as my counsellor would put me off looking for that sort of help if I'm honest

as it ‘just isn’t the right time for them to deal with their problems’ and ‘they’re not in the right head space’?!
I would t say it’s the clients fault, but sometimes folk just aren’t in the right place for lots of reasons. Or aren’t with the right counsellor/therapist. You do need to be in a place to deal with whatever might come up as you start looking at things - it can be very hard to really explore your true thoughts and feelings about things especially if there’s been trauma or adversity.

That’s not the clients fault, and a good counsellor will support them to be in a better place even if the client isn’t able to work on the underlying issues.

They also really need to have worked through their own “shit” and know themselves really well - I wouldn’t see anyone who hadn’t had their own therapy over a period of years.

That is part of the training to be a therapist. You have to have so many hours of therapy, I believe around £10k worth, to become a therapist. They also have their own weekly therapy to deal with any issues caused by counselling other people. Also the sessions are limited to less than an hour for a reason, so the therapist isn't worn out by the patient.

Agree with Op. I know 3 people who became/are becoming counsellors and the thought of anyone going to them with their problems scares me!

Therapist isn’t a protected title, there is no legal minimum required training or therapy to call yourself a therapist.

@jellycatspyjamas that’s interesting about psychologists. The best therapy I have received was from a counselling psychologist. As pp mentioned above they were a Dr. They had trained in various different therapy approaches? Models?
I don’t know about Ed psychs but I think counselling and clinical psychologists spend a lot of time with patients and it shows in what they do. IMO obviously. The few counsellors I saw were useless and stated the obvious but I know there are good ones out there. I wish they were easier to find as they’re cheaper as well!

That is part of the training to be a therapist. You have to have so many hours of therapy, I believe around £10k worth, to become a therapist

The danger with stating this, when it’s not in fact a legally binding requirement is that people see someone calling themselves a therapist and assume a minimum level of training, therapy and clinical supervision and so don’t ask and find themselves sitting in a room with someone who has the equivalent of an evening course in listening skills.

Don’t assume levels of training or skills, ask the person you’re thinking of seeing what their level of training is, how long they’ve been in practice and how many hours of therapy they’ve had as part of their training. A good, ethical therapist will be happy to tell you.

Please don’t rely on general assertions of what a therapist “needs@ to have or not, because there’s no legal minimum requirements for counsellors or therapists.

In fact I just checked BPS and university websites and clinical and counselling psychs need to undergo more clinical practice in training than any of the bacp approved courses.

Sorry that was to @jellycatspyjamas. So they seem to have more clinical experience than counsellors or psychotherapists by the time they finish training and with more complex cases.

Interesting.
I have just signed up for the level one course at our local college.several reasons. It's a low cost/risk way to investigate whether it's something I want to pursue properly. I am also the sort of person people confide in.
However what is interesting to me is that at least 4 of the 15 already work in caring jobs and are doing the job because the counselling their people need isn't available and they are hoping the course will help.

That may well be the case, it doesn’t mean they keep that practice up and it’s not always gained in complex settings. Like others I can only speak as I find and it’s not uncommon for me to see quite narrow, medicalised processes employed by psychologists which doesn’t fit with my understanding or experience of mental health. Different strokes for different folks with the usual caveat that there are good and bad in every profession.

For me, if I were looking for support with my mental health I would look for a well trained, experienced humanistic therapist because I know their approach fits with my value base, my understanding of human growth and wellbeing. Other choices are equally valid.

I'm pretty sure there's no requirement for having counselling oneself in the course everyone here seems to be doing.

Case in point - one of the women I know who trained to be a counsellor is part of a very traditional and in my opinion extreme Christian Church. She has fallen out with everyone in her life, family and friends, had screaming fits at her old work colleagues, and now is paid by her church to offer counselling to those in her local community who otherwise can't afford it. She is homophobic, believes domestic violence is the fault of the woman and divorce is wrong, all the rest of it. Her counselling is a way to reel vulnerable people into the church, in my opinion. God knows what she's telling them.

@jellycatspyjamas I don’t mean to be facetious but what do you think clinical and counselling psychs do at work? Of course they keep the practice up, they see patients all day long. And they do gain that experience in more complex settings. Most counsellors seem to train in charities, no outcome measurements, and no accountability to instigate behavioural change.
Personally I find humanistic counsellors the worst. Very woolly, no sense of a treatment plan just a vague kind of ‘ all people are good and will move towards self actualisation naturally’
We have a glut of humanistic counsellors round here as the local uni does a course in it.

And I do agree with you OP. A lot are just quacks.

www.bacp.co.uk/careers/careers-in-counselling/training/

@jellycatspyjamas I don’t mean to be facetious but what do you think clinical and counselling psychs do at work? Of course they keep the practice up, they see patients all day long.
I’m not quite sure why you’re so invested in this but in my work I come across a huge range of “helping” professions. Some psychs do keep up practice, others work in non-patient facing roles, research, academia, consultancy etc for some it’s a gateway qualification into roles that need a professional qualification. To say clin and counselling psychs solely work in practice with patients is like saying all social workers work for the local authority and all teachers teach.

I don’t have an interest in pitching one profession against another, so I’m not bothered if you don’t like humanistic approaches to therapy - what suits one person won’t suit another. I’m just wary of looking at a job title and assuming that means x or y.

Oh there are loads of scammers and well-meaning idiots out there. Always do a thorough check into the background/qualifications of any counsellor you are thinking of seeing. I know two or three who I would recommend to other people as I have known them for a long time, am aware that they are properly trained and qualified and also know them as kind, ethical, sensible individuals. But I have also encountered one or two who I wouldn't trust to advise an old lady across a road.

An additional problem is that 'counselling', like a lot of jobs which involve having some sort of power/authority over others, can appeal to extremely dangerous people. There are plenty of abusers who go into 'helping/caring' professions, both for the ego boost it gives them to be percieved as wonderful, helpful people... and for the access they will gain to vulnerable people who they can abuse, and who will not be believed when they complain of the abuse because, well, they are mental, aren't they, and that poor Wonderful Counsellor facing all these nasty accusations from the 'troubled' nutter they are trying to help...

Absolutely - I've said this for years. I did a counselling course years ago and the majority of the class seemed to be troubled individuals with lots of deep rooted issues themselves. I don't know how many went on to practice, but it definitely seemed to me that it attracted a certain type of person.