Has anyone trained as a CBT counsellor or know anything about training? I would love too but....

[JumpingDizzy]

I only have gse's and NVQs.
Do you think it's a non starter?
A few of my friends have had CBT and it's helped them enormously.
I'd love to be able to do this for people.
I'm 40 so no spring chicken but think there's a few years in me yet
I'm a qualified hairstylist but really don't want to do that full time again.
I've toyed with a few things but this keeps on coming back to me.

Any advice is much appreciated. TIA

This is the best place to find out BACP Search for CBT and it will give you training options. Good luck with it.

the guy I saw started off by training and working as a mental health nurse, then got a place to train as a clinical psychologist (pretty competitive I believe!). some counsellors seem to do CBT as well, so possibly you could think of training as a counsellor.

thanks very much for the website.
cheers TC.

where in UK are you? it would be best to start with a basick foundation skills in counselling course then progress - many courses will only take postgrads though as counselling accreditation with BACP etc usually at postgrad level. I think there's an association of CBT therapists so you could check with them? Many places offer a part-time BA in counselling and you can do CBT as part of that.

thanks cremeeggs, I'm in the North East near Durham.

I trained as a therapoist and this was part of the training. I am not specialised in it but have a fair idea how to aproach it.

I would suggest doing a course in counselling or psychology first. Do try BACP - they are good.

Hi JumpingDizzy

I'm just at the end of a Level 3 Counselling Skills and Theory course, and thinking about moving onto a Foundation Degree in Counselling. I know that South Tyneside College Foundation Degree has an option to go down the CBT route, and that's the route I'd like to go down.

I agree with cremeeggs, try a Basic Counselling Skills course and see if it's for you. I can highly recommend the counselling courses at City of Sunderland college. They have been fantastic. I did my Levels 1 and 2 at Newcastle, but I don't think they do counselling any more (and I wouldn't recommend them if they did!). Training is a long process. It'll take at least four years part time till you qualify, and there's a lot of personal reflection as well as theoretical work. It's hard-going with a high drop-out rate, but it's very worthwhile and interesting. You learn loads about yourself.

By the way, we have a hairdresser on our course, and she is one of the most talented and insightful of all of us - she has developed natural counselling skills from all those years spent talking to people!