1. Home: Explore careers
  2. Psychotherapist

Psychotherapist

Alternative titles for this job include Child psychotherapist, child and adolescent psychotherapist, family psychotherapist

Psychotherapists use talking techniques and therapies to help people who are distressed, or have mental health problems.

Average salary (a year)

£40,056 Starter

to

£53,218 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

38 to 41 a week

You could work

in your own business managing your own hours

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become a psychotherapist

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course

University

You'll need to complete:

  • a degree in psychology or a related subject like nursing, medicine or social work
  • an accredited postgraduate qualification
  • 450 hours of practice to be registered as a licensed psychotherapist by the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

Your course should be one recognised by the:

Courses can take up to 4 years to complete.

To become a child psychotherapist, you will need to complete 4 years of training with the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP).

You'll also need experience of working with children or vulnerable adults.

Some courses may expect you go into therapy yourself during your training. This is to help you deal with any issues that may affect you as a therapist, as well as to experience therapy from a client's point of view.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

More Information

College

You could start by doing a Level 3 or 4 Diploma in Counselling before moving onto further training at degree and postgraduate level.

You'll be encouraged to take an introductory course to start, to make sure that counselling is a career for you.

Some colleges have a minimum age limit to start this type of course. They may also expect you to have had experience of working with vulnerable people.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

More Information

More Information

Career tips

Training in psychotherapy is personally and emotionally challenging. It can also be costly and takes a lot of time and dedication. It's important to think about how it will impact your life before committing to a course.

Further information

You can find out more about careers in psychotherapy from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
  • knowledge of psychology
  • the ability to understand people’s reactions
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • knowledge of sociology and anthropology for understanding society and culture
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • to enjoy working with other people
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

You could work with individuals, couples or groups to:

  • build an accepting and trusting client-therapist relationship
  • encourage clients to talk about their thoughts, feelings and behaviours
  • help clients to explore how they behave and deal with their feelings
  • focus on the best ways for them to make positive changes

You'll also:

  • have regular supervision sessions with your mentor to reflect on your practice
  • create and update confidential client records and write reports
  • keep up to date with theory and research

Working environment

You could work in the community, in a therapy clinic, at a health centre, in an NHS or private hospital or from home.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could take on a training, teaching or mentoring role.

You could become self-employed and set up a private practice where salaries may be higher than in the NHS. You could also move into academic research.

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a psychotherapist right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy

  • Provider: Morley College
  • Start date: 29 March 2023
  • Location: London

L6 BA (Hons) in Person-Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy (Top-up)

  • Provider: SOUTHAMPTON CITY COLLEGE
  • Start date: 09 January 2023
  • Location: Southampton
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available.

Search further careers

Related careers

Skills assessment

Take an assessment to learn more about your skills and the careers that might suit you.

Speak to an adviser

You can call 0800 100 900 or use webchat to speak to an adviser.

We're open:

  • 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday
  • 10am to 5pm Saturday and bank holidays

We're closed Sunday, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Is this page useful?

Yes No

Thank you for your feedback.

Thank you for your feedback. Click here if you'd like to let us know how we can improve the service.