to think you can't be a counsellor if you can't cope with people being angry

[whereverwhenevernone]

I know someone who is setting themselves up as a counsellor. For many reasons I think they will be crap at this. They aren't qualified for a strat. Have a qualification which is about equivalent to a GCSE in counselling. But, because of serious issues in their own past, they are also completely and utterly unable to deal with people being angry. I don't mean violently angry or out of control, I mean, a bit pissed off or snappy or irritable.

Anyone can call themselves a counsellor in the U.K., there is no regulation.

Yes this is an issue and this is the case for many other professions which are not regulated.
This is why I would never go and see a counsellor who can’t prove
1- they have done some proper training
2- Are receiving supervision for themselves

Even like this, I’ve had counselling with crap counsellors (who were also teaching counselling ).

It’s very different than a physio whose profession is regulated (and therefore you know they have a minimum training)

@insideoutsider

Have you heard the concept of the 'Wounded Healer'? Many people who become counsellors and therapists pursued this line because of their own psychological difficulties and the desire to prevent other people suffering the way they do / did.

If this person is fully trained, they will have training, their own therapy, supervision, etc and they can become a great counsellor because of their own unique make up.

This. Some of the best counsellors I know have experienced profound trauma themselves. It's what drew me to becoming a counsellor. Experiencing the power of good therapy was life-changing. I am naturally a 'helper' and I believe my experiences enrich my work. However that said, it is dangerous to try to help others when we haven't resolved our own issues.

@insideoutsider, the concept of the ‘wounded healer’ is different.

The problem there is

• someone who has minimum training and possibly no supervision (because being a counsellor isn’t regulated)
• someone who has gone through some personal stuff (totally OK) but might well not have dealt with it well enough to ‘go over it’ (for want of a better word) - which isn’t Ok

Xpost @HollyHocks13.

Agree with you there.

@ItsAlwaysSunnyOnMN “He should have disclosed if he hasn’t you can inform bacp or ukcp“

This man won’t be a member of the BACP or UKCP so they can’t do anything about it.

@HollyHocks13 I completely agree with you.

As this man has apparently only qualified to level 2 (courses at that level are generally described as “introductory” or “helping skills” rather than counselling), he won’t be a member of professional bodies, won’t have appropriate supervision in place, won’t have appropriate insurance, and could do a LOT of damage. Any people he harms will also have no recourse. I think the public don’t realise that ‘counsellor’ isn’t a protected title and just anybody can claim they are one with no qualifications or experience at all.

@insideoutsider I think the issue is that this person is NOT fully trained, nowhere near.

And they should be registered with UKCP, BACP, BPS OR NCS (All which require a lot of training and supervised hours)

I’m not sure how much any of the professional bodies regulate counsellors.

It’s a bit of a money spin. I’m a little wary of how much it has all taken off.

@Ahorsecalledseptember well they are professional membership bodies, not regulatory bodies. But they can investigate complaints and take disciplinary action against counsellors who act negligently, unprofessionally etc - it does give some degree of protection to people who see counsellors.

He won’t be able to advertise on CounsellingDirectory if he’s not done a reasonable level of training that involves supervised training on placement with at least 100 hours work with clients.

Having a mental health diagnosis doesn’t preclude someone from being a good counsellor, indeed it can give great insight to what clients may be going through themselves.

He won't find clients very easily without being a member of any of the professional bodies or part of any more informal professional networks with colleagues who would refer clients to him, and won't be listed in any of the well-known directories online. Most clients are savvy enough to check about qualifications and professional memberships and accreditations.

If you had worded the OP differently and asked whether counselling should be a regulated profession and a protected title requiring standard qualifications a majority would have agreed with you. The person you describe shouldn't be able to advertise as a therapist with no further training . Your original post sounded more like a judgment on this person's character and suitability for training which got a less positive response.

To everyone saying, 'oh but his issues mean he will make such a great counsellor after he has trained' This is NOT what is happening. He isn't planning to train to become a counsellor. He doesn't even have a level 2 qualification. He has a more basic qualification than that. He has organised a room in his house as a counselling room and plans to start advertising for clients NOW.
Your original post sounded more like a judgment on this person's character and suitability for training which got a less positive response My post wasn't about his suitability for training, because as I have said, he isn't planning to train.

But yes, I do judge that his inability to deal with any expression of anger means his 'character' is unsuited for a profession where you are working with people who will express anger. Unless he manages to change this, this is a job that is not for him. Surely that's just common sense.

It's hard for me to understand why he thinks he is suited to do counselling work, but I think the fact that he thinks he is suited despite his lack of training/ issues with anger, in itself means that he is unsuitable for this line of work.

As others have said, the issue is the fact that counselling isn’t a regulated profession in the UK, so anyone can set up and start practising tomorrow. I’d hope that he won’t get far in attracting clients with no qualifications and being unable to advertise in the main directories.

If he’d been through the proper training then part of that process requires students to have their own personal therapy and to provide evidence of this. It’s a minimum 3 year process that requires you to show self-awareness and development, and tutors have no issue ejecting people from courses if they don’t think you’re suited, from my experience.

What makes no sense is that if he were a member of the BACP or another ethical body, and were working unethically or incompetently, a client could make a complaint and do something. Because he’s not qualified at all, there’s no recourse - he can just set up and get on with it!

YANBU. Bad counsellors are more damaging than no counselling. Someone not at peace with their own demons and not able to control their responses can be really damaging and deter people from seeking the counselling they need.

YANBU. This is very concerning. Unfortunately people can call themselves a counsellor or therapist without the right credentials. You need a full training to recognise where your own issues come into your work. This doesn’t mean being flawless or without issues, just having some self awareness.

@Ellisandra

Well, caveat emptor. Clients have a responsibility to themselves to check qualifications and registrations.

Although YANBU.

The problem is that client's often don't know that. They will assume that if somebody is advertising themselves as a counsellor then they will be properly qualified.

The one positive here is that he will not be able to advertise on counselling directory, Psychology Today, the BACP site or any of the major directories without proof of qualifications, registration with a professional body and insurance. It takes time to set up a private practice, often the main source of income is EAP work, and without being able to access these avenues then hopefully he will fail.

Some counsellors do go into training with their own unresolved traumas but training providers are good at not letting these people continue to the stage where they are seeing clients.