Accessibility links
The UK’s official graduate careers website
Accessibility links
This career is open to all graduates and Diplomates. A pre-entry qualification in counselling is more or less essential however, and the following subjects may be useful for entry to diploma or Masters courses in counselling:
Previous counselling skills and evidence that you have the necessary personal qualities are just as important as academic achievement to get onto one of the counselling courses. You will need to undergo Criminal Records Bureau disclosure checks if your client group comprises of children under the age of 18 or vulnerable adults.
Counselling courses accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) are the most widely recognised in the profession but there are a variety of different certificates or diplomas in counselling available. They usually last between one year (full time) and, more usually, two to three years (part time). The main aim of these qualifications is to enable you to practise counselling in a wide variety of settings.
Requirements for certificate-level courses tend to be flexible and entry without a degree or HND/foundation degree is fairly common. Many diploma courses however, prefer degree-level qualifications, but will often accept a certificate in counselling or other suitable alternative. Diploma courses usually cost in the region of £3,500 - £4,000. The BACP offers some bursaries to assist with course fees for students but only if they are on BACP-accredited courses.
If you do not have much background in counselling, you could consider a part-time introductory course. Such courses are usually run by adult education departments, further education colleges or university external studies departments. Most courses provide an insight into non-directive, person-centred models of counselling but can be based on varying theoretical perspectives.
Relevant experience in a helping capacity is also very desirable. It is particularly useful if you can demonstrate experience of working with a diverse range of clients. You will need to show evidence of:
The demand for counselling is increasing in areas such as employee counselling, adoption, education and addictive behaviours, and competition for full-time paid positions is high. Many paid posts are part time or combined with other duties, such as teaching, nursing or advisory work.
Recent initiatives within the NHS have aimed to improve access to psychological therapies for the general public. This has led to such therapies being made more widely available within the NHS as a result of the recruitment of a large number of practitioners. Further details available from Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) .
There are many voluntary opportunities available across the counselling sector. Some basic counselling skills training is usually required before embarking on voluntary work but some agencies select and train their own volunteers. Such voluntary experience can be highly valuable and may even lead to further training and paid work. Organisations like the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) , the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and Volunteering England can provide information about the availability of voluntary opportunities in the voluntary sector. You can also search for charities that work with specific groups in your local area via Charities Direct .
Counselling is often taken up as a second career. Many people find that an interest in counselling stems from being in a job where they become aware of the personal difficulties faced by others or from experiencing such difficulties themselves.
For more information see work experience and find courses and research.
This website is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets if you are able to do so.
