How to become Counsellor
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- training with a counselling organisation
University
You could do a diploma, degree or postgraduate course in counselling or psychotherapy.
You might be able to study counselling alongside another subject like psychology, sociology or criminology.
You should look for a course that includes practical skills training and supervised work placements.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
- a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
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College
You could start by doing an introduction to counselling course. This can last up to 3 months and can help you decide if counselling is the right career for you.
After that, you can do further training and complete courses like:
- Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills
- Level 4 Diploma in Counselling Skills and Theory
- Level 5 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
You can find out more about the recommended training to become a counsellor from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
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Volunteering
You'll find it useful to have paid or unpaid work experience in counselling. You can find counselling volunteering opportunities through Do IT and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).
Other Routes
You can volunteer and do training courses with counselling organisations, such as Relate, Samaritans and Cruse.
This can be useful experience before you take up professional counselling training.
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Career tips
There's a lot of competition for paid work. Many counsellors do a mix of part time, voluntary and private work.
Counselling is often a second or additional career, and life experience is highly valued.
You may be expected to undergo counselling yourself as part of your training and reflect on it with your course supervisor. This might be needed to become accredited.
Professional and industry bodies
You could become a member of an organisation listed on the Professional Standards Authority's counselling register. This may be helpful when looking for work, and for many jobs it is essential.
Further information
You can find out more about careers in counselling from:
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
- UK Council for Psychotherapy
- National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society
- Health careers
You can also explore other careers in the psychological professions.