Anyone retrained as a counsellor?

[Careerchange1]

I’m so stressed and unhappy in my job that I’m almost at the point of resigning. I’m mid forties and have no debts or mortgage and enough in savings for a few years whilst I sort out something new. I’d really like to do something like counselling, mental health therapy, well being etc. I’ve looked online at how to train for these things and how much it will cost and how long it will take but I’m finding the information out there is very contradictory and confusing. Has anyone here trained as a counsellor or therapist and can give me some advice? Thanks!

Hi OP,

I’m a psychotherapist and teach on a qualifying postgraduate counselling course. I’m not surprised that you’re confused - there are a number of different routes to qualify, and no legal regulation of training and qualifications (yet!).

If you have a look at the websites of a few different regulatory bodies (BACP, UKCP, CPCAB, UKCP) you’ll find some reliable information about legitimate training routes.

Good luck!

I'm on Level 4 year 1 of a BACP credited Counselling course. I started on Level 2, then 3 and now on Level 4. I attend college once a week. After 2 years at Level 4 I will be a qualified counsellor but will study Level 5 to gain more qualifications.
At Level 4 you need to do 100 hours of counselling on a placement to qualify.
It's a lot of work (I also work full time) but is the best thing I've done and I'm really enjoying it and the learning is so rewarding.

I know a few teacher ex-colleagues who have done this, but most aren't now working as a counsellor for a living.

It's a long and costly training path and then keeping on top of supervision plus the cost of premises/insurance and the sheer draining aspect of the role meant that they couldn't take on enough clients too earn enough to make ends meet.

The one who is still doing it, happened to have a massive house with an annexe that she used for a workspace, plus a husband that earns lots of money, so was doing it for her own interest rather than to pay the bills. She enjoys it but only sees a few clients a week at a time-it's more something to do whilst she waits for her husband to retire, I think.

Thanks. Do you mind me asking how much it’s costing you? You say you also work full time. Is there a way of doing the course full time so can qualify faster?

That’s interesting. What worries me is paying loads for the training and then not making enough to live on it. Lots to think about.

I’ve looked into this in depth many times as would love to do it; but just can’t see a way to make it work if need to rely on it for a stable income. The cost of training and the length of time it takes plus the cost of one’s own therapy and supervision; it’s such a huge outlay to then go back to such a low wage/ no guarantees of private income. I couldn’t envisage doing it unless I was privately wealthy. The only people I know who have, had rich husbands.

Thanks. I’m worried about ploughing all my savings into the course fees and living costs to cover the time I’m out of work and in training and then not having a job at the end of it. Is it easy to get work as a trained counsellor or very competitive?

Thanks for the information. I don’t need a huge income as I own my home outright with no mortgage. But I still would want to be comfortable. I don’t want to waste all my money on the course fees and then not have a stable job at the end of it!

I’m doing a BACP accredited course. I’ve been registered Mental Health professional for 20 years and looking for a second income. I think the course was reasonable given the quality of the teaching, about £7000. My personal therapy is £65 a week and I’m paying privately for bi-monthly supervision for my placement (I need to complete 150 hours of placement). It’s not cheap, especially since placements are competitive and most expect you to pay for your own supervision and/or do voluntary work on top. Would I do it if I had the chance again? Hell yes! I work full time so I’ve had to start my placement after the academic part of the course (2 years). It will probably take me 3.5 to 4 years in total from start to accredited counsellor.

I'm currently retraining as a psychotherapist and counsellor on a masters course. I'm enjoying my placement, but the cost of the course and lost income is huge. You have to do SO much unpaid work to qualify. The course is also very stressful (there are definitely easier paths than the one I'm taking). I'm nearing the end and I hope it will be worth it.

I know people who make a good living as psychotherapists (rather than counsellors), but I also know people who have plunged into debt and have few clients. I think some people are more appealing as counsellors than others, tbh.

A friend of mine retrained as a counsellor a few years back. She did a BA in Integrated Counselling which cost £9,500 a year and had to and continues to pay for supervision session with a counsellor on qualifying. She couldn't find enough work so now works for the NHS as a social prescriber on £25K a year and loathes it.

Most of the people on my course are wealthy and either don’t work or work very part time. I’m really not in that camp, I’m a single parent (shared with child’s father 50:50) and work as an NHS clinician

The NHS pays qualified counsellors at band 7 now, if that's something you're interested in. I believe there is also a funded training route through them, though I'm not sure if it would qualify you to work elsewhere/ privately. Worth looking into though, if you're worried about the cost of training and the employment prospects.

Goodness that’s the type of scenario that scares me

That sounds interesting. Is there a route to get trained on the NHS? I tried looking online but didn’t really get anywhere.

https://www.acc-uk.org/news/nhs-pathways/

This might be worth a look. Disclaimer: I don't know much about it except that it does exist!

Would you consider mental health nursing? It's a 3 year course but you will 100% get a job. Community work is quite therapeutic. I work as a community mental health nurse and enjoy it.

You can also from there apply for salaried posts with IAPTS and train in things like CBT to become a qualified therapist that way. I recently did and MBT course.

Student finance I believe fund nursing even if you you already have a degree, as though it's your first. You do get a bursary as well, and many people work part time as HCAs during the course.

One NHS route is to become a mental health/wellbeing practitioner. You are paid a small salary as you train. I think it's an apprenticeship.

I know a couple of people who have done this. It's hard, but at least it's guaranteed paid work, and might lead elsewhere.

I don’t want to waste all my money on the course fees and then not have a stable job at the end of it!

That's pretty much the reason the people I know haven't stayed in it.

The ongoing personal therapy/supervision can be a bonkers cost and it often isn't a stable job. Even doing 15 hours a week can be incredibly draining so there is quite a low ceiling income. If you have a nice annexe to your house, that would save on room hire and keep the costs down, though.

My DS was going to covert his degree and become a qualified counsellor but didn't because he realised so many people cannot be helped and can be soul destroying.

I wouldn't bother OP. I got as far as finishing the level 3 and then realised how little work there is. The jobs that are available are very poorly paid. Unless you're an astute business woman who will drum up enough clients it's a waste of time.

Others have mentioned the PHP route through the NHS. These are like apprenticeships that are advertised around this time of the year for a September start. You'd do one day at uni and 4 days working. The pay is around 25k whilst training and more once you've done the 3 years. I have heard they're very intense but haven't done it myself.

Very very few steady employed jobs are available, lots of competition for them. Private practice takes time to build up, and most people I know who do it have a partner with a "normal" steady job as security. Sadly I think most trainees aren't fully aware of how hard it is to make a living out of counselling or psychotherapy, and many training providers are happy to take their money.

It’s an extremely competitive field, very little work to go around, with very poor pay, generally. Not all of us have rich husbands, some of us are single, or even have wives!

But in terms of job satisfaction, nothing else comes close for me. It’s absolutely a vocation / calling and I would never recommend it to somebody who’s unsure if it’s for them, for all the reasons that pp have described, and because in my opinion a therapist has to be absolutely excellent at their job in order to not do harm.

That sounds very interesting. I would definitely consider that. I will Google it.