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Counsellor
Hours
30-40 per week
Starting salary
£19,000 + per year
If you enjoy helping people with their problems and want to make a positive difference to their lives, this could be the perfect job for you. As a counsellor, you would spend time with people and help them talk about their feelings.
You don’t need training and qualifications to become a counsellor. However, most employers prefer you to have accreditation with a professional body. Counselling is often a second or third career, and life experience is highly valued.
To become a counsellor you will need to able to build trust and make people feel relaxed. You will need patience and sensitivity. You will be non-judgemental and be able to work with people from all backgrounds.
WorkDesc
The work
As a counsellor, you would spend time with people in a safe and confidential environment, where you would help them talk about their feelings.
People want counselling for many reasons, including because of relationship difficulties, the death of a loved one, or to improve the way they deal with everyday life. It would not be your job to advise people what to do. Your role would be to encourage them to look at the choices they have and find their own ways to make positive changes.
You would normally use one particular style of counselling (known as a theoretical approach to counselling). You might work with people (know as clients) with a wide range of issues, or specialise in an area such as eating disorders or addiction.
Your work would involve:
- building a relationship of trust and respect with clients
- agreeing with clients what will be covered in sessions
- encouraging clients to talk about their feelings
- listening carefully, asking questions and checking that you understand a client's situation
- empathising with the client’s issues, but challenging them when necessary
- helping clients to see things more clearly or in a different way
- referring clients to other sources of help if suitable
- going to regular meetings with your counselling supervisor
- keeping confidential records.
In most cases you would counsel clients on their own and face-to-face, but you could also work with couples, families or groups, or counsel people over the phone or on the internet.
HoursDesc
Hours
In many full-time jobs you would work standard office hours Monday to Friday, and would see clients for around 20 hours a week. You might also see clients in the evenings and at weekends as well as during office hours.
Part-time work is very common (about 75% of counsellors work part time). You could work in various locations like schools, colleges, GP surgeries, hospitals or advice centres. If you work for yourself (private practice), you could work from your own home or an office.
IncomeDesc
Income
Starting salaries for full-time work are generally between £19,000 and £26,000 a year. With supervisory responsibilities, earnings can reach £30,000 to £40,000 a year.
Counsellors in private practice typically charge £30 to £50 an hour.
Many counsellors are volunteers, so unpaid work is also common.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
People move into counselling from many different backgrounds. Counselling is often a second or third career, and life experience is highly valued.
Although there are no laws about the training and regulation of counsellors at the moment, most employers will prefer you to have, or be working towards, accreditation with a professional body such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
The BACP recommends that in order to work as a counsellor, you should complete the following stages of training:
- an introductory course – a part-time 10 or 12-week course about the basic ideas and skills in counselling
- a certificate in counselling skills – a one year, part-time course introducing counselling theories and ethics, practical counselling skills and self-awareness (this course is also useful if you do not plan to become a fully trained counsellor but you work in a job where you advise or help people)
- a diploma or advanced diploma in counselling – a detailed study of counselling theory and ethics, plus a supervised work placement. The course involves 400 hours of study and is normally completed part-time over two or three years, or full-time over one year.
Many local colleges offer introductory courses and certificate courses from various awarding bodies, including Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB), City & Guilds, Edexcel (BTEC) and ABC. Visit the Education section of the BACP website to look for recognised diploma courses.
You should check entry requirements as some diploma courses may require you to have a degree or equivalent, as well as a counselling skills certificate. You will also need to arrange a counselling placement. Your course provider may be able to help you with this.
Evidence of personal qualities can be as important as academic qualifications.
Some charities recruit and train their own volunteer counsellors, although you may still find it useful to take a basic counselling course before you apply. You may have to commit to volunteering with the charity for a set period of time in return for your training. You can find details of local volunteer counselling opportunities on the Do-it website.
Regulation for Counselling and Psychotherapy
A voluntary system for the regulation of counselling and psychotherapy is currently being developed following publication of Government recommendations. Statutory regulation is not planned at the moment but this will be kept under review.
For the latest information, see the BACP website.
Related professions
Psychotherapeutic counsellor
To become a registered psychotherapeutic counsellor, you will need to complete training recognised by the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). Most courses last around four years part-time. See the UKCP website.
Please see the psychotherapist job profiles for more information.
Chartered Counselling Psychologist
To become a Chartered Counselling Psychologist, you will need a psychology degree approved by the British Psychological Society (BPS), followed by a BPS-approved postgraduate training programme in counselling psychology.
Please see the psychotherapist job profiles for more information.
You may need to have a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check if you work with people under 18 years old or with vulnerable adults. See the following website page for more information.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
It will help your career if you work towards accreditation with a professional body such as the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or the UK Council for Psychotherapy.
You will have to meet strict rules on training, practice and ethics to gain professional accreditation. For example, for the BACP's Individual Counsellor Accreditation scheme you would need to have completed at least:
- 450 hours of formal training (on a BACP-accredited diploma or other substantial counselling course)
- and 450 hours of supervised practice with clients (150 hours of this must have been after your diploma).
Contact individual organisations for full details of their eligibility rules.
It is also important for you to have ongoing supervision by a registered counselling supervisor. This protects your clients and your own wellbeing.
As a practising counsellor, you should continue to develop your skills throughout your career. You can do this by taking courses and workshops in different counselling approaches, or on particular issues or client groups. With experience, you could also choose to train as a counselling supervisor or trainer.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
To become a counsellor you would need to have:
- the ability to build trust and make people feel relaxed
- strong communication skills, including listening
- the ability to challenge clients in a positive way
- patience, tolerance, and sensitivity
- empathy and a non-judgmental attitude
- the ability to work with people from all backgrounds
- an awareness of confidentiality issues
- self-awareness and the ability to examine your own thoughts and values
- a good sense of personal integrity and ethics.
MoreInformationDesc
More information
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) 
BACP House
15 St John's Business Park
Lutterworth
Leicestershire
LE17 4HB
Tel: 01455 883300
www.bacp.co.uk
United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
2nd Floor Edward House
2 Wakley Street
London
EC1V 7LT
Tel: 020 7014 9955
www.psychotherapy.org.uk
Skills for Health
Goldsmiths House
Broad Plain
Bristol
BS2 0JP
Tel: 0117 922 1155
www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
Health Learning and Skills Advice Line
Tel: 08000 150850
Confederation of Scottish Counselling Agencies (COSCA)
18 Viewfield Street
Stirling
FK8 1UA
Tel: 01786 475140
www.cosca.org.uk
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
You can find voluntary, part-time and full-time opportunities in a wide range of places, for example the NHS, education, youth services and charities. Opportunities are also growing for counselling services in the workplace. You could also see clients in private practice.
Competition for full-time paid work is strong, and many counsellors do a mixture of part-time, voluntary and private work.
With experience, you may be able to move into management, administration, supervision or training. You could also do further training as a psychological wellbeing practitioner. This is part of an NHS initiative to improve access to psychological therapies. Visit the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies website for more information.
Jobs may be advertised in the local and national press. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) members can check available jobs on the BACP website. You may also find the following useful for vacancies and general reading (links open new window):
Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
LMIData
Related industry information
Industry summary
The health sector is represented by Skills for Health Sector Skills Council, which comprises three sub‐sectors:
- National Health Service (NHS)
- Independent Healthcare Sector (such as private and charitable healthcare providers)
- Third Sector (healthcare) (such as small local community and voluntary groups, registered charities, foundations, trusts, social enterprises and co‐operatives)
The health sector is made up of hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, dental practices, the ambulance service, nursing homes, residential care homes, complementary medicine and a huge range of other health related activities, from sight tests in opticians to research in medical laboratories. Most people in the health sector work in the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS), which includes:
- primary care (organisations which the public goes to first) – Doctors/General Practitioners (GPs), NHS Walk in Centres, NHS Direct, Out of Hours Emergency Care
- secondary care (organisations which the public are referred onto) – Ambulance Trusts, NHS Trusts/hospitals, NHS Foundation Trusts/hospitals, Mental Health Trusts, Care Trusts (provide joint health and social care activities)
NHS policy in England is directed from the centre by the Department of Health. Local organisations, known as Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), are in charge of providing and commissioning services, controlling the majority of the budget. PCTs are overseen by 10 regional organisations called Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs).
The independent sector includes companies and charities that offer hospital and specialist services usually after referral from a doctor. Operations and other work are carried out in private hospitals, independent treatment centres, mental health units and hospices.
Key facts:
- The health sector is the largest employer in the UK, representing 5.5% of the working age population of the UK and 7.3% of the working age population that are currently in employment.
- It is estimated that the sector employs over 2 million people, including:
- over 1.5 million people in the NHS (72%)
- over 0.5 million people in the Independent Healthcare sector (26%)
- almost 40,000 in the voluntary sector (2%)
- 56% of the workforce has a higher education qualification (or equivalent).
- The age profile for the sector shows an older than average workforce, which is due in part to the fact that it takes some professions a long time to train and can mean that people enter the sector later.
There is a varied list of jobs in the sector ranging from a diverse number of clinical roles, to support and infrastructure staff, for instance: Allied Health Professionals (AHPs); Ambulance Staff; Dental Staff; Doctors/Medical staff; Nursing staff; Midwifery Staff; Healthcare Scientists; Health Informatics Staff; Management; Wider Healthcare Team; Complementary Therapists.
National and regional data
High proportions of the health sector workforce are located in:
- London
- South East
- North West
East Midlands - The health sector employs 131,515 people, which accounts for 7% of all employment in the region.
- The East Midlands employs 8% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 29% of all employment across the sector or 41,200 employees.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 133,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
East of England - The health sector employs 164,720 people, which accounts for 7% of all employment in the region.
- The East of England employs 9.8 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 30% of all employment across the sector or 52,300 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 14% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 103,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
London - The health sector employs over 249,524 people, which accounts for 6% of all the employment in the region.
- London employs 15% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 33% of all employment across the sector or 78,500 employees.
- Vacancies in health and social work account for 12% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 146,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
North East - The health sector employs 89,201 people, which accounts for 8.7% of all employment in the region.
- The North East employs 5.3 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 25% of all employment across the sector or 23,800 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be almost 46,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
North West - The health sector employs 251,960 people, which accounts for 8% of all employment in the region.
- The North West employs 15% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 23.5% of all employment across the sector or 59,200 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work account for 11% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 133,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
South East - The health sector employs 264,071 people, which accounts for 7.1% of all employment in the region.
- The South East employs 15.7% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 23.5% of all employment across the sector or 59,200 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all Industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 164,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
South West - The health sector employs 182,187 people, which accounts for 8.2% of all employment in the region.
- The South West employs 10.8 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 30% of all employment across the sector or 60,700 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all Industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 105,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
West Midlands - The health sector employs 168,746 people, which accounts for 7.2% of all employment in the region.
- The West Midlands employs 10% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 25% of all employment across the sector or 43,000 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 9% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 108,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
Yorkshire and the Humber - The health sector employs 182,848 people, which accounts for 8.2% of all employment in the region.
- Yorkshire and the Humber employ 10.9 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 24% of the total health care workforce or 42,000 employees.
- Vacancies in health and social work account for 11% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 97,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
Northern Ireland - The health sector employs 61,300 people.
- Northern Ireland employs 3% of the total health sector workforce.
- 81% of the workforce is female.
- 26% of the workforce is aged 35‐44 years.
- 96% of the workforce is white.
- 10% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 48% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 23% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
Scotland - The health sector employs 201,500 people.
- Scotland employs 10% of the total health sector workforce.
- 78% of the workforce is female.
- 30% of the workforce is aged 45‐54 years.
- 95% of the workforce is white.
- 14% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 39% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 23% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
Wales - The health sector employs 114,900 people.
- Wales employs 6% of the total health sector workforce.
- 74% of the workforce is female.
- 34% of the workforce is aged 45‐54 years.
- 94% of the workforce is white.
- 18% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 40% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 27% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2008‐2009, Annual Business Inquiry, 2007, and Northern Ireland Census of Employment, 2007]
Career paths
Further sources
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