Becoming a counselor?

[TrappedinSuburbia]

How do you go about this? I currently work in care and need a change and think I would be very good at this, just no idea how to go about it. TIA

I'm currently studying to be a counsellor and it takes quite a bit of time if you are going to do it part-time like me. I began with a Level 2, 10 week introductory course (1 evening), then a Level 3, 1 year course (2 evenings)and you need these qualifications to get onto the professional diploma course. I'm now doing the Level 5 advanced professional diploma and that is 2 evenings a week for 3 years. You also have to do voluntary placement hours on top of this. As counselling will soon be a protected career (like nursing) you will need to have at least a Level 5 qualification in order to be registered as a qualified counsellor.

There are courses on offer throughout the UK but the best way to find one is to go onto the BACP's (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) website and find an accredited one in your area. There are also different methods of counselling so it's good to have an idea of these. A lot of people like CBT but I am studying Person Centred Theory as that method sits best with me.

Also, just be aware of the cost to retrain, as it quickly adds up!

I have enjoyed every minute and it is definitely life changing as you will learn so much more about yourself and others too. Still another 2 years to go till I'm fully qualified but I'm looking forward to it! Let me know if you want to know anything else.

Ooh, good question OP and answer from inneedofchoc. When you say the training costs add up, please could you give an idea?

Have done the training including the one year certificate, and it was worth doing, and personally i have learned a lot. Unfortunately, certainly in the area I live (Staffordshire), there seem to very few jobs, and a few people I know of, who did the further qualifications, have gone back to other fields, and are annyoyed that courses seem to be 'pushed' in a way that has saturated the market.
Personal-development wise, I feel it is worth doing it, if you can afford it, and probably no training is ever wasted, but if you work from home doing it(no overheads), you need to think about how much of your 'space' you will need to make available, whether you want home and work tied together in this way etc. If you work from premises, you are obviously going to need quite a few clients per week before you even break even. I think some areas are more receptive to counselling than others iuswim. Good luck!

That's interesting sloggies. I am considering starting to train in counselling later this year. As it will be part-time I wouldn't expect to be at the point where I could start earning for a few years, but it was something I had hoped would make me some sort of money somewhere down the line. I had read that there was a need for counsellors but perhaps too many people have done courses now and there isn't enough work to go round.....

I have completed the first two parts of training (Counselling concepts and skills)and have been volunteering at a local centre to help with a charity which supports people recently bereaved.

As I am not a qualified counsellor but using my counselling skills I would echo what inneedofchocolate has already said.

I would do an introduction to counselling course first to see if it sits well with you. Many people are intereted in it as a career but I think it is so much harder than people sometimes appreciate! There is a huge time committment to do the full training and it does not come cheap as you are expected to have your own therapy at the same time.

A very fufilling career!

Maybe think about the Intro course, as Honkytonk suggests. Also, a lot of people I did the certificatewith were using it as part of their jobs, so it was an 'add-on' skill if you like, which may be another way to look at it.

I would say start with an introduction course as this is an eye-opener as to what counselling involves.

I would also say that you need to be prepared for the fact that while this might be the career you want to pursue, it is very much a career that chooses you rather than the other way around, as your tutors can decide at any time that you are not suited to counselling. Only 10% of people who start out on counselling courses actually go on to become counsellors.

It is costly because as well as course fees you will also have to undergo therapy yourself during the time you are studying.

Working from home shouldn't be an option tbh as the kind of job counselling is means that you are potentially leaving yourself vulnerable if your clients, who are potentially also vulnerable, or volatile, know where you live.

Yes I was planning to do the one-year introductory course first, which is only one evening a week (plus I presume, study in between) and see if it is something I would like to commit more fully to. I am certainly interested in doing it but would only make a decision after the initial course.

Is that true WannaBe - only 10%? Blimey, that's interesting.
It's making me think perhaps even doing the one year course would be self-indulgent!

Just to answer questions about the cost of training, I paid £250 for the 10 week intro course (a few years ago), £1250 for the 1 year course and it's costing me just over £3100 for the 3 year diploma. It did used to be compulsory to have personal counselling whilst training but this is no longer required (although it is recommended).

I know that this is a lot of money and I would definitely recommend doing the 10 week introduction so that you have a better idea of what's involved.

I have a group interview for a 10 week introduction to counselling course today! Any tips anyone can give me?