Counselling bodies

[debbs77]

Hi! Does anyone know who courses need to be accredited by to become a counsellor? I've seen so many different courses but I don't want to waste time on something that won't actually mean anything

Counselling as a profession is fairly unregulated as 'counsellor' is not a protected title so you can do any course and set up as a counsellor. Have a look at the BACP website, I think they're the organisation to be guided by and who you'd want to register with once trained if you want to do things properly!

Ah that is excellent, thank you!

It's so tricky as so many courses also need classroom training and that just isn't possible for me right now

Does anyone know anything about the ABC courses on offer? I have enrolled on a part time one at my local college, Level 3 for a year. I don't think accreditation starts until you need to demonstrate actual counselling practice. I think 100 hours perhaps gives registration with the BACP and then 450 gives accreditation but I am happy to be corrected by someone with more knowledge.

The other accrediting body is the UKCP. Generally ABC courses are a good starting point but you would need a longer course with at least 450 hours' counsellingvpractice to get accreditation from BACP or UKCP. The BACP accreditation route is long and complex, whereas if you do a course which is accredited by UKCP the registration process at the end is much simpler. The courses tend to be 3-4 years however and quite time-consuming and expensive. In order to satisfy the criteria you would need 160 hours of personal therapy and around 60 hours of supervision, depending on the course, all of which significantly increases the cost.
It all depends if you want a career as a counsellor - in which case do a longer/accredited course - or just want to do it out of interest - in which case ABC is a good starting point.

Thanks User. Have you done one of these courses? I wasnt aware of the UKCP. I've plumped for the ABC one as its readily available in my area and runs at a time that suits me. I already have a degree and am also interested in a MSc in Counselling and Psycotherapy. This is a BACP accredited course but it requires both a 'basic' counselling qualification and experience working with people with MH issues. I thought the ABC may be a good starting point. Hope I'm not hijacking, debbs77