Counsellor vs Psychotherapist (and everything in between!)

[redhappy]

I am interested in both of these as a possible career.

Could anybody explain the differences please? (particularly in terms of training, and job options available once qualified).

Perhaps there are other types of therapist that I haven't heard of that would be worth considering too.

Would be grateful for any responses [smile}

haste thee to the bacp website and the bacap website

they both have all the info you need there

quite complicated to explain and too lazy to type it all up

Ok, thankyou

Yes was quite a broad question!

The difference? About an extra £25p/h

[ba-boom-tish!]

ok! I want the one that pays more and you get to work from home, hours to suit....

Beware though, the training is very long and involved if you want to become officially accredited (recommended as new legislation in the pipeline making accreditation vital). It is 2-4yrs part-time on the whole, though you may be able to find shorter more basic courses.

You have to have personal therapy alongside the training for most courses, so it isn't a cheap undertaking. Having said that it's hugely rewarding and on a personal level you find out tons about yourself and it really changes your relationships.

In this climate the work prospects aren't brilliant as a self-employed therapist as clients willing to pay £40+ an hour on a weekly basis can be hard to find. However by the time you finish training the climate could have changed, as the general trend in the NHS etc is towards talking therapies so more funding/interest in general.

certificate then pg diploma + 2 yrs getting enough hours to be accredited
longer as psychotherapist

v badly hit by the recession as not a necessity

Ok, thanks all. Yes, I was expecting a long training period , so not put off by that.

I am thinking very longterm about what kind of lifestyle I want, how I want to spend my time, what I find fulfilling...

In real terms, I am thinking about what I want to be doing in 5 years time, and how I go about getting there.

Can I ask how many clients you see a day? I imagine not many as it must be demanding, and is there a lot of paperwork etc to do outside of sessions?

My upper limit is 5 clients per day though I prefer fewer. That would only be for 3 days a week though max, as there's supervision to fit in too, admin and also time to re-charge my batteries; it is very demanding work in some ways and you need good relaxation techniques/ways to look after yourself, or you could easily feel overloaded.

Paperwork depends on whether you are working for an agency/charity, or whether you are self-employed. Also some agencies involve hardly any paperwork; others demand a great deal.

If you are interested, I would suggest doing a very basic counselling skills course first, just to check it's going to be for you. On my course the drop-out rate in the 1st year was huge, as lots of people realised it just didn't feel right for them.

If you go for psychotherapy training you will need to have therapy yourself for thre duration, depdending on the approach you choose you may need to see someone three or four times a week for four years!! You need to be very sure this is for you, its not just a lifestyle its a calling really i would say, you have such huge responsibilities to the clients.
Not trying to put you off, but as others have said maybe start with a certificate in counselling and build on that (several Psychotherapists I know have started as Counsellors). Good luck.

Counselling training is a minimum of 3 years, psychotherapy is for 4 years. Both requires 1 year post-qualifying clinical practise. Both are expensive trainings - psychotherapy costs up to £50k but is usually around £30k. Counselling is much less as you don't need your own therapy (though I would recommend it).

Job opportunities at the moment are almost nil unless you are a CBT therapist. This may change in the future but counselling services are being cut left righ and centre.

Demand for private work has increase which is good, but there is now an abundance of unemployed therapists so there aren't enough clients to go round.

The bulk of counselling is done in voluntary organisations.

If you want to earn money do a Masters in CBT. It is also your cheapest and quickest option. The motto for healthcare in this climate is 'pile it high, sell it cheap' so do a course that leads to accreditation with BABCP and you may have a good chance of finding a paid post.

I agree with TigerseyeMum, the best option is to train as a CBT therapist as the government/health bodies etc recognise this type of therapy above all other types of therapy - whether we agree with that or not.

Also, private CBT therapists are very sought after with long waiting lists so you should be well set for setting yourself up in private practice.

I am not a CBT psychotherapist and am not particularly interested in that way of working so read as much as you can about it before you commit to a very in-depth training. If you don't believe in the type of therapy you practice, you'll really struggle.

Think also about your 'hours to suit me' attitude. You will have a responsibility to your clients to see them regularly , ie no time off for long holidays. ALso you may have to do a lot of evening work which could be difficult with your own family life?

In my area CBT therapists charge £85 per hour, psychodynamic charge $40-50 per hour (though my manager's course cost him £9,000 to train in CBT and my psychodynamic one cost me £20k...he earns twice my salary and is actually not a very 'nice' person - he likes money :)

Bitter, moi?