British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy
The BACP definition of counselling / psychotherapy states that “ Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change and/or enhance their wellbeing”.
Your course does not have to be BACP – accredited , but if it’s not you ‘ll need to take our Certificate of Proficiency before you can progress to become a registered member or be eligible for our accreditation scheme.
There are lots of different websites out there with guidelines about the differences between BACP and UKCP but roughly speaking the BACP requires less training in terms of time (2 years) whereas the UKCP courses can take up to 4 years and requires much more client contact hours and personal therapy hours.
Professional counsellor training takes three to five years and can be diploma or degree level. Qualification requires a minimum number of client hours acquired through a work placement. The training begins with an introduction to counselling.
These sessions are used to help people find the internal motivation they need to make long-lasting changes. On average you should only need one to three sessions . Will I Always Need to Go to Therapy ? In general, there should be an endpoint for your therapy sessions .
Good counselling should reduce the client’s confusion, allowing them to make effective decisions leading to positive changes in their attitude and/or behaviour. The ultimate aim of counselling is to enable the client to make their own choices, reach their own decisions and act upon them.
You can ‘t, or at least you shouldn’t, half ass it. I am a qualified counsellor and bacp accredited . This is the least academic route to become a qualified practising counsellor . I actually have a psychology degree as well which was helpful in understanding some of the issues in counselling but it was not necessary.
You must have completed and graduated from a BACP accredited course, or professional counselling or psychotherapy training that: included at least 450 hours of tutor contact hours. lasted at least two years (part-time) or one year (full-time) included a supervised placement as an integral part of the training.
To become a counsellor , you can study courses at a diploma level, bachelor degree, graduate diploma or masters degree in counselling . Counsellors can work in private practice, especially in the area of relationship counselling , in drug and alcohol services, or with gambling help services.
Counselling is a talking therapy that involves a trained therapist listening to you and helping you find ways to deal with emotional issues. Sometimes the term ” counselling ” is used to refer to talking therapies in general, but counselling is also a type of therapy in its own right.
CPCAB is an awarding organisation – also known as an awarding body or examination board which awards qualifications – whereas BACP is a professional membership body which represents the interests of counselling. In practice therefore BACP accredited courses may be linked to national qualifications or they may not.
A counsellor will utilise psychotherapy to help clients going through mental health difficulties. In some cases, professionals may choose to call themselves a psychotherapist . Others may refer to themselves as a counsellor . In these settings, people are free to talk about their feelings to a trained professional.
After completing our level 4 diploma you can deepen your therapeutic understanding and practitioner skills by further study. These qualifications will enable you to: Work as a counsellor in independent practice ( Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling ).
In recent years, counselling has become more highly recognised by the NHS as an effective way to help people with mental health problems. Various programs to improve access and recruit more counsellors mean that it is a good time to consider a career in counselling .
Starting salaries for counsellors can vary considerably but may be in the region of £20,000 to £26,000. Experienced counsellors can earn between £30,000 and £40,000. Some lead or specialist counselling roles, such as those in addiction, attract salaries higher than this.