Counsellor

Counsellors help people talk about their situation and feelings in a safe and supportive way, and help them to cope and make positive changes.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a counsellor, you could use different types of therapy to:

  • discuss and agree what to cover in sessions
  • build trust with a client in person, online or over the phone
  • listen carefully, ask questions and check understanding of the issues
  • help your client to talk about their feelings, see things more clearly and find ways to cope
  • empathise but challenge when necessary
  • keep confidential records

You could work with individuals, couples, families or groups.

Working environment

You could work in a therapy clinic, at a GP practice, at a school, at a college or from home.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.

Career path and progression

If you're a new counsellor, It's important to get peer support to develop your skills.

With experience you could:

  • specialise in an area like bereavement support, relationships or addiction
  • become a counsellor supervisor or trainer
  • move into management or consultancy
  • set up your own practice and work for yourself

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
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • customer service skills
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • training with a counselling organisation

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

More Information

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.

More Information

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).

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.

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:

You can also explore other careers in the psychological professions.

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