Published at 15:59, Wednesday, 07 May 2008

It’s good to talk: A counsellor can literally change the lives of those they help

COUNSELLORS help people to explore feelings about their lives so that they can reflect about what is happening to them and consider alternative ways of doing things.

Working in a confidential setting, counsellors listen attentively to their clients and offer them the time, empathy and respect they need to express their own feelings, and perhaps understand themselves from a different perspective, thereby enabling them to make changes in their life if they decide to do so.

Counsellors do not give advice, but help clients to make their own choices within the framework of an agreed counselling contract.

There is no clear distinction between the terms counselling and psychotherapy. Counsellors working in particular fields such as marriage guidance, addiction, sexual abuse, or health tend to specialise in the models most used in those areas.

Across most areas of counselling, typical work activities include:

establishing a relationship of trust and respect with clients

encouraging clients to talk about issues they feel they cannot normally share with others

actively listening to client concerns and empathising with their position

accepting without bias the issues raised by clients

helping clients towards a deeper understanding of their concerns

helping clients to make decisions and choices regarding possible ways forward

attending supervision and training courses

undertaking personal therapy which is mandatory for accreditation.

Range of typical starting salaries: £18,000 to £25,000 but with considerable variation. Private practitioners can charge £30 to £50 per hour.

Range of typical salaries at senior level/with experience: £30,000 to £40,000.

Around 25 per cent of British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) members are voluntary and 75 per cent of counsellors are part-time.

There is a lot of scope for self-employment or freelance work. Many counsellors have a ‘portfolio’ career combining part-time, voluntary and private work.

Working hours are mainly nine to five but some posts may require evening or weekend work. The BACP recommends a maximum of 20 hours client contact time per week.

Counsellors are usually office based, but their work may involve travelling to other locations, or working from home. Phone and internet counselling services are growing.

Counselling is normally undertaken one to one, but it can involve work with couples, families, or groups.

Around 75 per cent of counsellors are female, with a higher ratio in private practice.

The job is potentially stressful because of the painful and sometimes contentious nature of personal problems experienced by clients.

Professional supervision is essential to help counsellors work through any difficulties they experience, and is a requirement for all members of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) who are practising counsellors.

THIS career is open to all graduates and diploma holders. The following subjects may be useful for entry to diploma or masters courses in counselling: psychology, education, social work, nursing and other health-related subjects, theology/religious studies and social studies.

Ultimately there are no minimum academic entry qualifications. Previous experience of counselling skills and evidence that you have the necessary personal qualities are just as important as academic achievement. You will probably need to undergo Criminal Records Bureau disclosure checks.

A pre-entry qualification is more or less essential. Courses accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) are the most widely recognised.

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 courses tend to be flexible and entry without a degree or HND/foundation degree is fairly common.

Many diploma courses 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. The BPS offers some bursaries to assist with course fees for students on BACP-accredited courses.

If you do not have much background in counselling, you could consider a part-time introductory course. These are usually run by adult education departments, further education colleges or university external studies departments. Costs are generally around £100 to £300 for a 12-week course.

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:

a non-judgemental outlook and a willingness to work with all kinds of people

excellent observation and listening skills

patience, tolerance, and sensitivity

an appreciation of confidentiality issues.

Although the demand for counselling is steady and increasing in areas such as employee counselling, adoption, education and addictive behaviours, competition for full-time paid positions is high. Most paid posts are part-time or combined with other duties, such as teaching, nursing or advisory work.

There are many voluntary opportunities and the proportion of volunteer counsellors is particularly high in Scotland. 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 Organsations (NCVO) and Volunteer England can provide information about the availability of opportunities in the voluntary sector.

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.

THE BACP offers an accreditation scheme (MBACP) for counsellors that requires you to accrue at least 450 hours in both theoretical and practical training. An element of personal therapy and a stipulated level of supervision are also required.

It is not essential to complete a BACP-recognised course in order to meet the criteria for accreditation, but MBACP accreditation is increasingly demanded by employers.

Many private, voluntary and charitable counselling organisations also run in-house training schemes that focus on the particular needs of the client group with which they are concerned. They are generally aimed at counsellors already working in these fields, or those who wish to add a specialisation to their counselling training.

As with many helping professions, counsellors should be prepared for continuing professional development throughout their career, including short courses on new therapeutic approaches and possibly progression to MA/MSc or PhD qualifications in counselling.

Courses are often self-financing and you may find that part-time training is the only realistic option. Details of the full range of courses available are given in the Training in Counselling & Psychotherapy Directory.

Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk