How do I train as a Counsellor?

[Grockle]

That's it. I need to rethink my future.

I am doing a counselling course currently, I did a 10
Week intro course, then a level 2 in counselling skills now I am on a level 3. I am working towards a level 4 diploma do I can practice as a counsellor and be accredited.

I am doing mine evenings at my local college, and it's the CPCAB course.

Thanks Bodacious - I was looking at the CPCAB course but they'e stopped running the level 4 one at my local college. Do you have to start at the bottom and do all the levels?

Where I study yes, you have to go through the levels or have an equivalent qualification.

Luckily my college goes up to level 5 but in think after 4 year of doing 2,3 and 4 I might be all studied out

I work in the NHS and have interviewed for counselling posts a few times. The last was a 1 year fixed term contract for which we have 100+ applicants. Most were impressively qualified, the shortlisted had masters degrees, degrees and a raft of other qualifications plus 15 years plus experience. This was in central London where jobs are probably more available than other areas. The pay was Band 7 NHS Agenda for change and we are a fairly generous employer. so i'm not saying don't do it but it's a long hard slog and very competitive if you wish to earn enough to do it as a job.

I trained as a counsellor many years ago and have run a counselling agency so have employed many counsellors. My advice would be to do some voluntary work where you have to listen eg. Samaritans. This will tell you if you can cope with listening to someone before embarking on spending money. Find a good therapist as you should be expected to have therapy as part of your training and the more self-awareness you have the better therapist you will be (this is fundamental in my opinion) and then find a good course - harder than you would imagine as there are a load of courses out there which in my experience are piss poor. Counselling training is an on-going thing (CPD). It always makes me smile when people say to me they would like to be a counsellor as they like talking to people. I spend my time mainly listening not talking unless I have something of help to say. Hth

This question seems to come up reasonably regularly on here, another testament to the popularity/competitiveness of counselling as a career. I believe for CPCAB, which I'm considering doing myself at some point, you do have to start at the bottom and work your way up unless you have an equivalent qualification (and by that they mean an equivalent counselling qualification, not just GCSEs for Level 2, A levels for Level 3 etc.). The BACP, the main professional body for counsellors in the UK, have just removed the requirement for trainees to have personal counselling whilst on their courses, but it is a good idea as Harlot says.

I teach counselling and you do have to go through all the levels. At the college I teach at you do:

1. a level 2, 12 week intro course
2. a level 3, 30 week course (one academic year)
3. a level 4, 60 weeks course (2 academic years)

plus you need to complete 100 hours of placement counselling hours (where you counsel others).

We removed the condition that you had to have personal therapy on our courses because there were occasionally people who had previously had years of therapy and needed or wanted very little.

however I have personally never passed anyone who hasn't had therapy - it just becomes obvious to people that they need to experience it (if they're not resistant).

Once qualified you still need to do your 30 hours CPD per year if you want to be an ethical practioner - and a lot go on to become accredited (where you have completed 740 hours of counselling)