If you’re passionate about helping people, a career in counselling could be a good fit for you. It is a challenging profession but a rewarding one, with an average salary of over £30,000 and the satisfaction of knowing you’re playing a part in people overcoming their struggles.
Below, we’ll take a look at what the role of a counsellor entails and, if it suits you, how you might go about joining the ranks of mental health professionals.
Understanding the role
Working as a counsellor mostly means days spent in conversation with clients, often conducting a variety of talk therapies.
Your primary goal is to help people understand and cope with emotional and psychological issues. It’s important work, with a huge number of people in need of support – particularly younger people, with around a third of 18-24-year-olds experiencing a common mental health disorder.
You’ll listen non-judgementally to their stories, offering advice and working with them to develop strategies that could improve their well-being. Some of the issues you can help patients address might include the loss of a loved one, stress from work or depression.
Training and qualifications required
Taking an introductory course is a great way to get a clearer sense of whether counselling is right for you. Often run by local colleges or adult education centres, these usually last up to 12 weeks.
If you decide to follow through and become a counsellor, you’ll need to complete core practitioner training at a university of higher-education college. There, you’ll learn the necessary skills and complete over 100 hours in supervised placements. These courses take at least a year full-time.
The overall cost of pursuing a career in counselling depends on how you train. Diploma courses cost up to £3,000 while foundation degrees can be as much as £6,000.
Become an employee or self-employed
If you go into counselling, you’ll have the freedom to decide whether you want to work for yourself or become an employee of the NHS or private organisations like charities, community centres or larger private practices.
Self-employment can lead to higher earnings and empower you to deliver a more personalised service. It does, however, involve additional administrative considerations like more comprehensive tax obligations and identifying suitable levels of counsellors' insurance.
Being an employee of a larger organisation, on the other hand, can provide a stable workflow and greater support for personal development. It’s not uncommon for people to start here as they learn their trade before going self-employed further down the road.
Essential skills and qualities you should have
A good counsellor is a great communicator who knows that listening is as important as speaking. You’ll need patience, not just in hearing out your clients but in accepting that progress is often very gradual.
Adopting an honest but accepting and judgement-free attitude is important for establishing trust and helping people feel safe and comfortable in your company. A comfortable patient is more likely to open up to you and be receptive to what you say in return.
No comments