Most reasonable: train as CBT therapist or counsellor

[puffinsarecool]

Hi 👋
please
don't shoot me down in flames 🔥 I know this may not be the ‘ right place’ for this question. But…. I need to make a final decision ASAP ( so posting for traffic) and want to know which career path would privately offer more clients - thank you

High intensity CBT private practice
counsellor private practice

due to qualifications it is likely it would be supporting autistic children

Ok!! So how do I send this to a different board ? And where would that be ? X

Financially CBT would be more likely to lead to more security, the NHS seems a bit obsessed with it at the moment so it could be something to fall back on if private practice doesn't work out.

On a ethical level I personally have reservations about neurodivergence and CBT- I know it didn't work for me at all.

Ah thank you for replying . If you would be happy to elaborate on that or PM me your experience I would really embrace it as I’m currently supporting our low intensity service to consider how best to support ND patients

I’m a psychologist and I’d definitely say a CBT therapist. Lots of the ones I know and work with are now 8a in the NHS and charge around £75 per hour privately which is much better than a counsellor

Thank you for responding . Do you know if they struggle to get clients?

I'm nd and cbt doesn't work on me. I'm aware my thoughts and feeling are not rational I know the logical response there is zero control with the emotional one on the inside at least I can mask it and ignore it, no one else knows I feel it but understanding it doesn't make it feel any better

Which one is recommended for the kind of clients you want to work with? Do that one.

Councillor cbt isn actually that useful for many mental health issues and is just used so much because it's cheap to provide.

I am an integrative therapist in private practice. My core approach is person centred but I also use CBT and other modalities in my private practice. I worked as a sessional counsellor for a charity for a while, combining this with private practices ce but now I work solely in PP. I charge between £50 and £75 per hour. I have some additional training in couples counselling which I love. I am full with a waiting list. I usually see 20-25 clients a week. I am 2 years qualified: HTH.

Person centred counselling is also no use for ND though IME. CBT was of more use for me with ADHD. But I don't think it would be very helpful for children.

If you want to help children with autism what about looking at occupational therapy or speech therapy? Or parent training/family therapy? Ross Greene's collaborative problem solving would be ace to do in a professional capacity if there's training for that.

Sorry I don't know which would be best in terms of number of clients.

If you are particularly interested in working with neurodiversity, look at training in dbt. Cbt is not recommended for those with autism, can do more harm than good. Dd is pretty knowledgeable about this and is on a clinical trial for dbt

They are quite different. Which one do you feel most drawn to/committed to?

You probably also need to do some research on the market locally. What rates do qualified therapists charge? Is there an over/undersupply? If you specialise in autistic young people, will that be enough to support a private practice or you want to attract a wider range of clients? (Many families with an autistic child may not be able to afford £50-£75 a week long term due to reduced earning potential.)

It's like setting up any business, you need to do some market research before you set out.