Career Paths: How to Become a Counselor

Counselors have an important job: Through listening to people, they help them identify and solve problems in their lives. They also help people learn new ways to process and act on information.

Counselors actively listen to their clients, who may come to talk about myriad issues, including illness, divorce or relationship troubles, bereavement, job loss, or general anxiety or depression. As a counselor, you’ll help people cope with these things, as well as make positive changes. But they don’t offer advice; instead, they help people explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.

Counselors do this work in a confidential setting, and may see individual clients multiple times.

There are many steps you can take to become a counselor. Those steps include:

1. Get a degree in counseling or psychotherapy

   According to National Careers Service, the first step to becoming a counselor is getting a university degree in counseling or psychotherapy. “Some undergraduate courses offer counselling in combination with other subjects, for example psychology, sociology or criminology,” the service writes. Just be sure to look for “a course that includes practical skills training and supervised placements,” the service instructs. “You can search for courses through the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.”

2. Consider volunteering

   Before you can apply for a job as a counselor, you’ll need some real experience under your belt. “Paid or unpaid experience is essential for course and job applications,” National Careers Service writes. Luckily, “many counselling bodies offer volunteering opportunities and you can find these on Do-it,” the service writes.

3. Undergo counseling yourself

   To receive accreditation, which is needed to work as a counselor, you’ll have to undergo therapy yourself, National Careers Service says. (Once hired, you will regularly meet with a supervisor, too, in order to reflect on your practice.)

You’ll need many skills to be an effective counselor, but here are four crucial ones:

Listening Skills:

One of the main functions of being a counselor is actively listening to clients. After all, if you can’t listen, you can’t help clients assess and work through their problems.

Calm in Stressful Situations:

Clients may have emotional reactions when they’re with you, including crying or expressing anger. You need to be able to keep calm when clients are not.

Communication Skills:

In addition to exceptional listening skills, you’ll need to be able to communicate effectively with clients in order to help them understand and work through any of their issues.

Organisational Skills:

You may be juggling multiple clients and demands on a given day. To do this, you’ll need organisational skills to keep your schedule and your sessions running smoothly.

According to Glassdoor data, a counselor can expect to make £21,892 per year on average. However, you can expect to make more or less depending on your education level, location, and years of experience. Glassdoor data shows counselors can make up to £42,000 per year.

Counselors can work in a variety of settings. Those might include:

• Therapy clinic
• Doctor’s office
• School or university
• At home
• Domestic violence shelter
• Homeless shelter
• Youth services provider
• Human resources department
• Faith-based organisations

You may not want to be a counselor but there are plenty of other jobs in related fields you may enjoy. Here are a few other options:

Career Advisor 

Average salary: £25,685 per year

Education required: College degree

Social Worker

Average salary: £32,417 per year

Education required: College degree

Psychologist

Average salary: £39,475 per year

Education required: College degree and post-graduate training

Psychotherapist

Average salary: £36,152 per year

Education required: College degree and post-graduate award

Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

Average salary: £39,365 per year

Education required: College degree and post-graduate training