Training as a counsellor - any recommendations for courses, please?

[ItWasAllYeIIow]

Hi,

I am 50 and need a change of direction work-wise.
Any counsellors here? I am looking at courses, but would relaly value some recommendations, and any advice too.
I already have a Psychology degree from just under 30 years ago, but didn't actually do anything related afterwards.

Thanks in advance.

I followed the CPCAB diploma route. I completed levels 2 and 3 Counselling Skills/Studies at college in the evenings and then completed a level 4 diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (Integrative). Following this I chose to do a level 5 specialising with children and young people as my background is in education. My level 4 was a full day a week and also required me to complete 100 placement hours which I did in the evenings to fit around work. It is full on and takes work and dedication on a lot of levels. I now work in private practice and at a youth counselling agency.

Thank you for this. Would you be willing to share what salary you are on? Are you content in your work - was it all worth it?

My fees are between 2500-3500 per year for 4 years, then you have to be in therapy at around £75 a week. Plus travel expenses to the course. There are lots of hidden costs, one of which is working part time in order to for filfil course requirements

then private supervision is about £150-£200 a month which is a requirement so it’s all very expensive

so on top of annual course fees at least another £500 per month

don’t forget my course is level 7 and for psychotherapy - hence the stricter requirements too

BUT

I will be able to charge upwards of £75 per session in private practice so can look at earning £40k a year for very part time hours that fit around me (this will take time to build up) and imv its a profession that gets better with age. I intend to carry on working because it’s actually a way of life rather than work. I get enormous satisfaction from it

on the contrary to what others have said there is plenty of work for psychotherapists if you are good:competent at it and well qualified but I agree not many salaried jobs if that’s what you are looking for

Agree with all of this having done some training myself. It does cost a fortune if you do it properly.

I completed the CPCAB route to gain a Level 4 Diploma in Person Centred Counselling. I work in private practice, including working for Better Help, but have another role as a Wellbeing Advisor. All work gives me an income of around £26K

I am thinking I need to up my hours to full time in something better-paying than what I am currently doing.

I would be very wary of assuming counselling would pay well or that you can do it full time! I think any more than about 20 hours a week would be very difficult. Counselling training can be an eye-wateringly expensive process due to the hours of personal therapy/supervision needed.

The only people I know who are doing it as a job, are in the fortunate position of having high-earning husbands with large pensions and garden rooms where they can run their sessions. It's not well-earning but they are doing it as it's interesting whilst waiting to retire. If you've got to fork out for overheads like room hire and insurance it quickly gets expensive.

I don't earn big bucks, put it that way! However, this is partly because I haven't taken the leap of doing it full time (I qualified in 2023). Currently I still work at a school in the mornings and work 4 evenings a week in private practice/agency.

At some point, I either hope find a counselling role in a school/college or brave working in PP full time.

However, a number of my peers have taken the leap and have been successful in running a full time private practice.

I am definately glad I did it. I love the job and hope to continue to progress.

Thanks so much for this, that's really helpful. Lots for me to think about.

It is definitely not a high paying profession - people see the hourly rates and think wow..

just like with florists - oh wow £50 a bouquet, sell 5 a day and £££££

it’s not like that..you are working for yourself and there are lots of overheads as pp says, and constant development and there are limits on how much you can do before affecting your own welfare

it’s a slow boil career that builds up over time

Thank you. Are you pretty much doing full-time hours?

Sadly I am feeling it is beyond me right now, I don't have any of the above going for me! And a lot of money to get proficient, for a slow build up to decent pay (and I am in the South/London, so it's really extra tough financially).

Thanks, yes, I think it's possibly not going to pay enough fast enough for my circumstances just now.

My first Saturday job was at a florists! Boss was loaded!

Thanks, I am starting to think it isn't the earner I need it to be (not being greedy, but am a single mum and living in one of the most expensive areas in the country). Might have to put it on the back burner for a while.

Start with an introduction to counselling course. City Lit in London has a really good one. It’s cheap and it’ll give you a better idea of what’s in store. Take it from there.

I’m training as a psychotherapist and it’s super hard, time-consuming and very expensive. Counselling is definitely cheaper to train in, and less intensive. I’ve heard lots of horror stories of people not managing to get any work after qualifying (both as counsellors and psychotherapists). There are few jobs out there, and private practice is competitive. There seem to be more jobs for child psychotherapists, rather than adult ones.

I was moved to make a username to answer your questions because I think there are lots of misunderstandings about our roles.

It's not a profession to go into for high pay for lots of reasons. The training can be very expensive largely because it is usually self-funded. On top of the upfront training costs you will be paying for a lot of personal therapy and supervision. Additional CPD helps you specialise and find a niche but can be very expensive- I have paid almost £10,000 on training in the last year alone. So when I charge a client £60-70 for a session those hidden costs aren't seen by clients they are just horrified by the cost! This is before even factoring in tax, national insurance and business costs.

You will also find your hours of work will be limited by your own capacity and situation. I'm in private practice partly because I have to manage a chronic health condition. I like having the freedom to work with clients I can choose to work with in my favoured modality - I know so many NHS practitioners who enjoy the salary and perks but hate being restricted to mainly CBT and short term work. Balancing my caseload is on me too so for example I am careful not to overload on trauma work. I have seen a few therapists who overloaded themselves in various ways and they have ended up burning out. It's a marathon not a sprint this profession!

The work can be very rewarding but huge online companies and charities have changed the landscape. They offer counsellors lots of hours but at offensively low salaries- think £25 an hour. I have clients who were offered counselling through these companies because they got sessions free through work / college - they have ended up working with me privately because the whole experience was so disappointing. Their workplaces are just ticking the 'employee wellbeing' box and the companies make huge profit while paying the therapists insulting wages. I know therapists who used to find this work rewarding and well-paid but conditions have deteriorated.

I'm sorry if this is off-putting but I want to be honest with you. The people I know enjoying this work are single with no children or married with the reassurance of a second income. The most stressed counsellors / psychologists I know are single parents in private practice. They are constantly worried about market forces hitting their client base. Many are very good at their jobs but they find it hard to find clients willing or able to pay. There can be huge entitlement in clients- they expect us to be charities or assume we are a branch of the NHS when we're not. It's a shame because good therapy is absolutely life changing.

Best of luck as you make your decision! Always start by HAVING counselling/ therapy then take it from there. Any accredited training course will require this anyway.

I would also recommend the CPCAB course.

Double check eligibility for the diploma as there’s a good chance you’ll have to take a Level 2 and Level 3 before progressing to a Level 4.

I would also be wary of online courses - to register with the BACP, a large percentage of your course has to be face to face.

City Lit is a good shout - it’s a great college. Also worth testing your interest with an initial Level 2 online course - NCFE do a distance learning Level 2 Counselling Skills course you can do remotely and should be fully funded. You’ll still have to do a Level 2 in person if the course you choose requires that, but it gives you a starting point.

They probably had economies of scale. My analogy was about how people perceive the profession and think they can earn that money straight away

as pp said she has spent £10k on CPD…so that all comes out of her £70 an hour

to earn a good or high salary you will need to be in private practice and it takes time to build that up after post initial training - think years not months. It’s about how you sustain yourself - I would have spent about £40k qualifying but hope to earn that annually for a decade at least into my retirement and then still work so it was worth it as I already had paid my mortgage etc and had a job already

it’s definitely not a full time immediate occupation

This is good advice. There are many many people with counselling qualifications who aren't working in the field. If you are happy going into private practice on your own then go for it (though research costs locally and if there's any gap in the market). But if you want to get a job in it you may be disappointed.

I work as a counsellor and mentor to students on placement. I think I am fairly well versed in what’s what. I haven’t read all your replies so apologies if I am repeating. However, as you already have a first degree in psychology you should be able to go straight onto a masters or post grad diploma which will put you at level 7. Cost would be 9k or upwards but you would complete in a year, if disciplined and full time. You’d have to work very part time or not at all. Level 7 would put you in a good place for the BACP Scoped plans which is going to change things muchly for many newer counsellors and those who aren’t yet accredited. If you do it in CBT and then get accredited with babcp you should be able to work for NHS at band 8 and earn circa 50k outside of London. CBT is the most commonly offered NHS therapy.

Crysalis is sneered at but if you work in private practice it won’t matter too much. You would need to pass a proficiency test with BACP (I’m only really familiar with that ethical body) to be accepted as a member with them, if your educator’s course isn’t accredited by them.

I get a sense most people start with achieving a level 4 or 5 in Person Centred and then add on extra modalities from there. That’s what I have done.

Some go down the TA or psychodynamic route which I think are possibly more academic in nature but are not necessarily more in demand on qualifying. From what I can see, currently CBT and EMDR have the strongest evidence base for efficacy and demand is higher than supply. Many therapists and clients hate CBT. In fact lots of therapist hate on other modalities and it can end up being a well debated minefield. What matters is what speaks to you, makes sense and feels right but seems doable in terms of getting a job or clients if you set up solo.

Lastly, please make sure if you take a degree or masters the course criteria mandates at least 100 placement hours. There are a few that actually don’t and graduates than have to spend another 4k minimum and 2 years getting a lower level 4 just to be able to practice.

It is really confusing. Hope this helps though. I actually found it useful, pre training to find jobs on indeed and then work backwards to see what route Inwould need to take to get that job, as well as understand if it would suit me, etc.

‘It’s an expensive hobby for most’ as said by our tutor sadly at the end of the course rather than at the beginning.

From the 30 starters only 3 worked as counsellors in the end.

I was asked to supervise a Chrysalis trained counsellor coming into my workplace. I refused due to the reputation. Turns out I was right. Her practices were a nightmare.

@ItWasAllYeIIow yes full time hours

£75 sounds expensive! Lots of therapists do reduced rates for students / trainees.

I would have open eyes but wouldn't let this thread put you off. I would do an introduction to Counselling course to refresh your knowledge and then look at the routes. Psychology degree might help. You could look at CBT route in NHS if salary security is important. EMDR is also in demand. Make sure any course is UKCP or BACP accredited.

that is the reduced rate!!

I have to have a UKATA or UKCP accredited therapist

again because TA is has so many requirements!

but in London that’s the going rate where I am and plenty more expensive

I think also my post was responding to being asked what I pay so..