How To Become A Counsellor: 9 Useful Tips

Counsellors are mental health professionals, specialising in the treatment of emotional and psychological issues. A counsellor will work with people suffering from stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as any other condition that’s negatively impacting their clients’ lives. The main aim of counsellors is to help people to work through their problems and improve their mental well-being.

People often confuse counsellors with psychiatrists, but psychiatrists are much better trained than counsellors are, not to mention that they are doctors.

If helping to change people’s lives appeals to you, then becoming a counsellor is something that’s worth considering. Here are nine tips for becoming one:

Undergraduate Degree

It is important to preface this section by saying that in the United Kingdom, there are no laws preventing you from becoming a counsellor without a degree or any experience, but an undergraduate degree is recommended. The most common type of undergraduate degree in the United Kingdom is a bachelor’s degree, so when you first search for university courses, bachelor’s degrees will be the ones made available to you.  It is very unusual for British universities to offer degrees in counselling, so you will have to get a degree in something else. The most common degree undertaken by people intending on becoming counsellors is psychology, sociology, social work, and human services.

Master’s Degree

While there are no educational prerequisites to becoming a counsellor in the United Kingdom, it’s still worth pursuing a higher-level degree, if only to demonstrate to your clients that you are committed to counselling. You don’t have to return to university to complete your master’s degree. Thanks to internet course providers, you can do your Master’s in Counselling online, which saves you the trouble of going into college in person. Once you have completed your master’s degree, you can then post information about it on your website. People searching for counselling are considerably more likely to want to work with you if you have a high-level degree than other counsellors that don’t.

Getting Experience

Once you have completed your university degrees, you can go ahead and start getting real, practical experience. You might want to reach out to established counsellors and ask them to help you out and give you advice. An experienced counsellor’s advice will come in very handy, helping you to learn about what qualities and skills you need as a counsellor. As most British universities don’t offer actual courses in counselling, you will need to learn about becoming a counsellor from somewhere else.

Assistant Counsellor

Some established counsellors employ assistant counsellors to work with their clients when they aren’t around. Becoming an assistant counsellor is a very good way of improving your skills and getting real-world experience in counselling. You should be aware that you will be paid considerably less working as an assistant counsellor than you would if you were working for yourself. If you just want experience and don’t care about earning a lot of money, then it’s worth considering this. You could also ask an experienced counsellor whether or not they would be comfortable with you sitting in on sessions, to watch and learn from them.

Industry Networking

Networking is a great way to establish yourself as a counsellor and build a positive reputation. One of the greatest advantages of networking with other counsellors is that the counsellors that you meet will be able to refer clients to you if you specialise in an area of mental health that they need help with. It’s very common for counsellors to make referrals to other counsellors if they aren’t able to fulfil a client’s wishes. It is also common for referrals to be made if a counsellor has a very heavy workload and can’t fit new clients in.

International Counselling

Since the COVID-19 pandemic first officially began, many counsellors have been meeting their clients online. Video calling software has made this possible. Working online has given counsellors the opportunity to see clients in other countries. While you don’t need a license to operate as a counsellor in Britain, if you are taking on clients from other countries, then you may potentially need some form of license or accreditation. It is important to research whether or not licensing is necessary to see international clients before taking them on.

Online Portfolio

If you want to become an independent counsellor, then once you have got degrees and qualifications, you can go ahead and create an online portfolio for yourself. An online portfolio is a website that showcases your educational background and employment history. If you have any previous clients or people that you have worked with, then you can ask them to write out a testimonial for you. You can then put this testimonial on your site’s landing page. A testimonial on your website’s landing page can help potential future clients feel comfortable about reaching out to you because it shows that you are experienced.

Digital Marketing

In order to begin finding clients, you are going to need to market yourself. Digital marketing is relatively easy and doesn’t require professional help. There are myriad courses available on the internet which will teach you how to properly market your business online. If you don’t have the time to manage your own digital marketing effort, then an alternative is to hire an agency. You should bear in mind that a digital marketing agency could be very expensive to hire. Some can charge thousands, so if you are on a budget then it’s better to do it yourself.

Formal Employment

If you do not want to work as an independent counsellor, then you can get a job at a company that offers counselling services. Some of Britain’s mental health trusts employ people as counsellors. It’s also possible to get a job in the British prison service working as a counsellor, where your clients and those you speak to will be prisoners. You don’t earn as much money working as a counsellor for large companies and agencies as you would if you were independent, but your career will be a lot more stable.

Becoming a counsellor in the United Kingdom is a lot easier than it is in other places. If you want to become one, then it’s still worth getting a degree of some kind. A university-level degree will make you a lot more appealing to clients and employers.