How to choose a counselling/psychotherapy course?

[gladiolionthesideboard]

It's SO difficult!! there are so many choices, and I just have no idea how to pick between all the different options.

I'm in my early 50s, and so I would really like to be able to get going with something sooner rather than later (it's really late to be applying for things starting in Sept/Oct/even Jan, but I've not been in a position to look at stuff til now).

How do I even work out whether I want a more psychoanalytic training, or a Gestalt, or existential?? They all look so so interesting...

Do you have any counselling experience or qualifications? Are you going straight for a degree? Otherwise an integrative L2/3 would give you an idea of which modality you feel works for you. You could also do an integrative L4/degree and then specialise post qualification in one of the approaches you mention.

I have an MA but not in anything counselling-related, so I'm starting at the bottom.

I don't think I understand the L2/3/4 things...

It's such a big decision, and I'm so old, that I don't want to delay too much/study for too long, but I also can't afford to make the wrong choice!!

I’ve heard great things about the Mary Ward centre if you’re London.

Ok, first things first, you're not old! So we can put that one to bed for starters. I'm studying with plenty of people in their 40s, 50s and 60s.

If you are starting from scratch, then you probably need something a bit broader to start off, a Level 2 counselling course is usually where most people start, then on to a Level 3, before completing a Level 4 to qualify as a very newbie counsellor. There are also other routes through degrees if you would prefer that, or the Open Uni do a combination leading to a degree.

There are a lot of wishy washy courses out there, so you want to look for one approved by BACP or NCPS ideally. https://www.bacp.co.uk/careers/careers-in-counselling/training/ explains the routes a bit more.

I would so also advise getting a bit of more general volunteering background if you have no mental health or support experience at all.

Thank you!

I looked up Mary Ward - they do look good, thank you.

One of the things I can't get my head around is cross-compatibility. So if for eg I did a foundation course with Mary Ward, can I then move to Metanoia or Minster or Birkbeck?? It doesn't seem clear.

I also hadn't clocked NCPS as another accrediting body; I've been looking at BACP and UKCP courses.

One more question: if I qualify as a counsellor, is it possible then to continue training whilst working as a counsellor, and become a psychotherapist in due course? I think that is, really, what I want to do, but the training is so long/so expensive that it's too daunting to set out on that if I can't start to work along the way...

When you say foundation course at the Mary Ward centre, do you mean the Level 3 course they do?

www.marywardcentre.ac.uk/course-search