Psychotherapist: Entry requirements

Although this area of work is open to all graduates, the following subjects may increase your chances:

psychology;
nursing;
medicine;
social work;
sociology.

Entry with an HND only is not possible. Most entrants are graduates, many of whom have previous experience from working in a related area, e.g. social work, mental health professions, psychology and psychiatry.

A pre-entry postgraduate qualification is essential. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) publishes the Training in Counselling & Psychotherapy Directory which outlines the main training courses. Courses are normally part time and take four to six years to complete. They include theory, supervised clinical work and clinical seminars. Training in an established institution will almost always include undergoing personal therapy. Not all training programmes necessarily give clearance to practise as a psychotherapist, so check course content and qualifications carefully.

For a recognised position with a public institution, training that conforms to standards set by the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) or the British Psychoanalytic Council is usually required. Prospective employers usually specify which psychology qualification they seek in their job adverts, so it can be useful to consult job postings on the NHS Jobs website before deciding on a training course.

For private practice psychotherapy, there is currently no registration or licensing of psychotherapists in the UK, and so there are no specific qualifications required.

Pre-entry experience is required. Life experience is essential for prospective psychotherapists in order to cope with the extremes of human emotion, ambiguity and vulnerability that they are likely to encounter. Psychotherapy is commonly a second career with many people coming from clinical psychology, psychiatry, mental health or social work backgrounds.

Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:

self-awareness, sensitivity and empathy;
a broad-minded, non-judgemental attitude and a respect for others;
a genuine interest in the emotional problems faced by people;
common sense;
an understanding of the importance of confidentiality and also an awareness of its limitations;
a belief in people’s inherent ability to change and develop;
an energetic and positive approach;
an ability to establish rapport with others;
a sense of humour;
an understanding of equality and diversity issues;
confidence to explore with a patient difficult and painful aspects of their life.

Psychotherapists also need to be able to separate their own feelings and emotions from those of the patient, with the resilience not to be overwhelmed by the clients' problems.

The selection process is rigorous and some training courses are heavily oversubscribed.

Training in psychotherapy is expensive (personal therapy and fees) and grants are few. As many of the courses are part time, students often work during their training. There is a limited number of training posts in adult psychotherapy in The National Health Service (NHS) offering varying degrees of financial support in exchange for clinical practice, usually at an NHS site. The NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, for example, has led to an increase in training posts in cognitive behavioural therapy in many NHS trusts. Vacancies are advertised on the NHS jobs website.

For more information see work experience and find courses and research.

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