How To Become A Professional Counsellor

Counselling training

You don’t need a degree to be a counsellor. Training providers offer a number of options at entry level, as well as further training to support qualification and career progression. Many providers also offer courses in a variety of specialist areas, such as addiction, trauma therapy or couples counselling. The options are diverse and plentiful, enabling you to choose a flexible programme that allows you to learn more about a particular area of interest.

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) recommend a three-step process to qualification, which involves an introductory course to counselling and gaining a certificate and diploma. However, the criteria to become a member eliminates the need to do the Introductory and Skills course, and allows you to start at Diploma level if you should so choose.

First degrees in related subjects such as education, nursing, psychology and social work are also useful and may help you to secure a place on a counselling or postgraduate course.

Counsellors help people to identify and process problems in their lives. Often these problems are beyond the conscious threshold; they are unconscious. Therefore, the client may be totally unaware of what is affecting them. Part of the counsellor’s role is to make the unconscious conscious.

As a counsellor, you’ll actively listen to clients. This involves using empathy to understand life from the client’s perspective. Counselling offers a quiet haven in which clients can discuss their issues, with the aim of reducing confusion and increasing their ability to cope with challenges, and/or to make positive changes to their lives.

Sessions with clients can cover a range of issues, including:

  • relationship difficulties
  • grief
  • unresolved childhood issues
  • unemployment or job uncertainty
  • anxiety.

Counsellors are impartial and non-judgemental. They may make suggestions but they don’t give advice. Counselling normally consists of three components: exploration, understanding and action. We explore our client’s inner domain, understand it from their perspective, and then suggest a course of action.

Responsibilities

As a counsellor, you’ll need to:

  • establish a relationship of trust and respect with clients
  • agree a counselling contract to determine what will be covered in sessions (including confidentiality issues)
  • encourage clients to talk about issues they feel uncomfortable about
  • actively listen to client concerns and empathise with their position
  • accept without bias the issues raised by clients
  • help clients towards a deeper understanding of their concerns
  • challenge any inconsistencies in what clients say or do
  • support clients to make decisions and choices regarding possible ways forward
  • refer clients to other sources of help, as appropriate
  • attend supervision and training courses
  • undertake personal therapy (mandatory for accreditation)
  • liaise, as necessary, with other agencies and individuals, such as GPs, hospitals and community mental health teams, to help make changes based on the issues raised by clients
  • work to agreed targets in relation to client contact
  • undertake group as well as individual therapy on occasions
  • keep records and use reporting tools.

Salary

  • Starting salaries for counsellors can vary considerably but may be in the region of £22,000 to £30,000.
  • Experienced counsellors can earn between £35,000 and £45,000. Some lead or specialist counselling roles, such as those in addiction, can attract salaries higher than this.
  • Counselling jobs in the NHS usually follow the Agenda for change – pay rates. Jobs are often advertised at Band 5, 6 or 7, depending on your qualifications and experience.
  • There is no standard scale of fees for private practice work and rates vary considerably. Private practice counsellors typically charge between £35 and £120 for a 50-minute session, depending on a range of factors, including location and the client’s circumstances.

Salaries vary depending the type of employer you work for, your location, whether you’re in private practice, your experience and specialist skills.

Skills You Need

Attending and active listening

The art of being in someone else’s company and being able to give them your full attention, with no distractions – attending – makes clients feel supported and important and it’s crucial to a counsellor building a therapeutic relationship with the client, as is active listening.

The client needs to feel that their problems and issues are recognised and understood by someone empathetic but impartial. By actively listening, you not only take in what the client says, but also encourage them to keep talking. During client sessions it’s essential that you’re able to strike a balance between talking and listening and know when each action is required.

To ‘attend’ successfully you need to pay attention to a client’s body language, listen to pauses and silences, maintain eye contact to demonstrate to clients that you value what they have to say and moderate your tone of voice so clients don’t feel rushed.

Respect for confidentiality and professional boundaries

Confidentiality issues need to be strictly observed. Only in exceptional circumstances should anything discussed in client sessions be passed on to third parties other than the counsellor’s clinical supervisor. You will also need to be aware of, and keep up to date with, the ethical and legal responsibilities you have towards your clients. In terms of professional boundaries, clients should be supported to come to their own decisions and conclusions without being influenced by their counsellor’s views.

Resilience, patience and humility

The work of a counsellor can be very intense and demanding. You’ll support clients through emotional issues on a daily basis, which can lead to burnout if you let stress, performance pressure and overwork build up. You need to develop sufficient emotional robustness and a capacity for self-care, as well as a willingness to recognise your own limitations.

A non-judgemental approach

A counsellor’s job isn’t to pass judgement or give advice on a client’s actions or feelings; instead, through talking therapy they aim to help clients see things clearly, from a different, more optimistic viewpoint. To do this clients must feel free to express their thoughts and feelings without judgement, criticism or rejection. As a counsellor you need to contain and manage your own reactions in a supportive and professional manner.

A genuine interest in others

Technically not a skill, but essential nonetheless. For a lasting and gratifying career you will need to remain curious and committed to improving the emotional wellbeing of your clients. Being able to demonstrate real interest in your clients’ individual situations will promote a positive and trusting client-counsellor relationship.

Other useful skills include:

  • excellent communication skills
  • critical thinking
  • teamwork
  • compassion and empathy
  • flexibility
  • confidence
  • time management.
  • List

Careers in counselling

Once qualified the majority of counsellors make a living by setting up their own private practice and combining this with part-time work, however becoming self-employed requires experience.

Within the education sector you could work in schools, colleges and universities, helping to support students with study and personal issues.

Opportunities exist in healthcare, although NHS (National Health Service) posts are limited. You could find work in hospitals, GP surgeries or community and occupational healthcare teams, helping clients with a range of problems.

The charity and voluntary sector also provides an array of job options. You could work for charities focusing on mental health, homelessness, domestic violence, adoption, the rehabilitation of offenders and family relationships.

Throughout your counselling training and work experience it’s up to you to decide which area you feel is most suited to you.

Becoming a member of a governing body such as the BACP, The National Counselling Society (NCS), National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists (NCIP) or equivalent can aid your career, as it shows recruiters that you observe and maintain their high professional standards.

Currently, there is no well-developed career structure for counsellors, although opportunities for progression are increasing. Continuing professional development (CPD) is a constant feature of the job.

Successful private practice is a possibility with some years of experience, as is the management of agencies offering counselling and related activities. You could also move into clinical supervision. This involves helping counsellors to monitor their work. Another option is to use your knowledge and counselling skills to move into settings such as teaching and social work.

Privacy Policy