Question for all counsellors

[Hattie05]

I posted this message to Mhamai as she mentioned she is training to be a counsellor, then i realised theres probably a few out there in MN who can answer my questions .

Hi, I'm training to be a counsellor part-time at the moment. It's evening classes. This is my 2nd year of a 3/4 year coures, depending on you you choose to do it.

At the moment it's quite intensive, but very enjoyable. I found it quite uncomfortable to start with but have got used to it. I've definitely learnt a lot about myself. Next year will be the start of the final stage of training and that's when we have to start seeing clients, under supervision, and having lots of our own counselling .

It's relatively expensive, especially as you have to pay for all your own counselling and don't get paid for seeing clients, so you need to weigh up how valuable it will be for you. Let me know if you want any further info.

hi thanks for that. Are you a reg in disguise .

Have you had a lot of practical experience so far?
Would like to hear more details about the course, how many hours a week do you do etc.

As mentioned before, my job involves 'support' for which we are given an element of counsellor training, and for this reason, it would be vaulable to me and i also wonder if i'd get some financial help with the course (probably wishful thinking but worth a try! ).

What i'm can't decide though is, at some point in the future i may want to move jobs, and would i still want to be doing this kind of work? As i said, i find it simultaneously rewarding and terrifying! and i'm not sure if i want that to be a permanent fixture in my career .

I'm a semi-regular .

I've had no practical experience in the real world so far. We practise all the skills on each other all the time. They are really useful in everyday life, as it's basically about good listening. At the moment I do about 6 hrs a week, we have homework after every class and a few more bits here and there. You can do it with fewer hours I think. We do lots of work on the skills, plus learn about the theory and the 3 main models of counselling (psychotherapy, person-centred and CBT). I know a few people who use ths skills in their jobs and want to move more in that direction without actually becoming a counsellor.

I don't know what your job is, but if you are thinking of relate or cruse, they have they own training courses which are a lot shorter. The one I am doing leads to BACP accreditation.

Could you do an introductory course to find out a bit more about it?

Hi Hattie05, sorry I've only just come upon your post, I'm in a pretty much similiar situation to counsellor in training. I have found it very challenging and very rewarding, I do however have days where I wonder if I'm doing or following the right path but have have been assured by my own therapist that those feelings are quite normal, [whatever that is!] I would love to go into more detail but am quite tired and by brain is starting to shut down but feel free to catc up with me another time when my brain is a bit more alert!

which stage of training are you at Mhamai?

Thanks Mhamai , are you frazzled due to all that training?

Cintraining, do the introductory courses add anything towards the BACP? i'm not sure they'll cover more than i have already done. Its just decision time for me really isn't it.

I'm in my second yr of a degree for counselling/psychotherapy. We have the option of gaining a diploma at the end of next yr or going on for the full hog, I'll be doing well to get to the end of June!

Hattie05 last yr was my foundation yr which was really good, a lot of experiential work but this yr so far has been quite challenging! A lot of theory! I find counsellor in training your only out of one module and your bang into the next! I did my first critical essay on Jung which nearly drove me to distraction and managed to pull a 2:1 not bad but now I'm onto the Egan model and I havent even started seeing clients yet, that's supposed to be happening anytime now [gulp] I'd be inclined to say as counsellor said, suss out some foundation courses, I'm not familiar with what's in the Uk as I'm training in Ireland although our college is affiliated with Middlesex Uni.

Hattie - yes, you need a certain number of hours training, and they all count, even the introductory course.

Mhamai - a degree in counselling sounds interesting. Evening classes are more appropriate for me at the moment though.

Oh ok, i think i'm off to search college websites!

Counsellorintraining mine is every second wknd, Fri 7-10 and Sat 9.30-5.30 except group wknds which finish sat 3.30. I'm supposed to be seeing clients, they advise no more than two, my own therapy, a certain amount of workshops and six essays over this yr. I've to have clocked up 450hrs client time for diploma level 50hrs of supervision and 50hrs of personal therapy, it's quite tough going at times especially as I've been working on a lot of "stuff" in my own personal therapy but my therapist assures me it will make me a better therapist some day. Our tutors are forever telling us that we could never expect to bring a client somehere we havent been ourselves! Ah well if it doesent work out I can always go back to my other career as a supermodel Ps I once told my own therapist that I could never see myself as a therapist as I was a bit mad, he replied "People that are insane dont say they are" grin]I'm still not fully convinced!

Mhamai, yes, the 450 hours sounds familiar, plus the 50 + 50. This year sounds pretty hectic for you! We also get told that we need our own counselling as we can't expect to take clients somewhere if we haven't been there too! Must be a standard counselling tutor expression! I guess they may have a point, but am a bit worried about that bit next year!

Theres times counsellorintraining when I've thought "what in Gods name have I let myself in for?" without going into the gory details, I've had a lot to deal with and have dealt with lots of issues, there are times when I feel like running for the hills! but I trust for the main part that I'm on the right path! Sure who knows hopefully we can look back in a couple of years and it will all have been worthwhile.

I hope so! Do you have to write journals? We have to after every class - I'm trying to write one at the moment, not too succesfully as you can see .

Oh God don't remind me! I havent written in my personal journal since before christmas and I'm supposed to be keeping a group journal as well! That's it memo to self "Start Journaling again this wk" Thanks for the reminder counsellorintraining, how much do I owe you?