Becoming a Counsellor?

Cashew

Anyone trained to become a counsellor or know anything about it?

Could it lead to a second income outside of the 9-5?

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 reducing their confusion and 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.

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Explore_types_of_jobs/Types_of_Job/p!eipaL?state=showocc&pageno=1&idno=77

specialK

Hi
I done counselling for over two years, then gave it up.

The above quote makes it seem rosy. but there is alot to consider. For instance, the whole learning process is very costly and once qualified, you need to pay to see a counsellor yourself, to off-load.
You need to know what your boundaries are, the people you could not offer counselling to.
An exercise used to test me was, a young Catholic girl has been referred to you. Her doctor is not keen on allowing her to have an abortion, this is her 4th abortion and the doctor has lost all sympathy for her. We were asked to discuss this and why she keeps on getting herself in this situation. After we all spoke of our opinions, we were told there was more to it and it was her father that was getting her pregnant, so your whole opinion changes.

It is not an easy job and I admire all the counsellors out there, for the simple reason, I could not do it. You start seeing yourself and things differently and you will hear all kinds of things, you need to stay neutral.

I figured life is hard enough without knowing all the horrible facts of another human being. I don't mean to sound heartless, but it took me over two years to decide this, it is physically and emotionally draining. I know I could not handle being counselled at the end of a session with a client, I can cry at adverts FGS!

Sorry to be so negative, you may be made of stronger stuff, but like I say, it is a costly process and then you pay out for your own counselling. If you offer to work for Relate, you pay them for the privilige of using their name.

I take my hat off to you if you can do it, I was one who had to walk away.

Cashew

Thanks for the input.

Doesnt sound like something to enter into lightly!

specialK

Glad to assist!

That is exactly what I done A friend went on and after a further year, she gave it up. People would say to me that I'd make a good counsellor, but helping out people you know if so different to what you can be faced with, in the big wide world.

Good luck in whatever you decide, I know a woman who gave her job us a teacher and she now specialises in counselling for children. Her advice to me was, be sure it's what you want to do alot of people break up their relationship as you really do get to know another side to YOU.

Like I say, I don't want to sound all doom and gloom, just want to let you know the reasons I failed.

Anglea

I got involved with a voluntary counselling agency and dealt with some extremely distressing situations where you had to get child protection involved. Not for the faint hearted. I think it depends on what is going on in your own life and how involved you are likely to get. If you can distance yourself and enjoy helping people then you will be ok.

And there are counselling charities that will train you for free if you choose to go down that route but they want you to stay with them for a few years although you can have private clients as well. There will always be people that like to avoid going to the doctors or local counsellors with their troubles and would prefer to pay a stranger in a different town than their own.

Lilith1980

I am training to become a counsellor at the moment and this is certainly not a profession you can just do to get extra money.

I am probably going to have spend about £5,000 by the time I qualify and the training can be very tough emotionally so I'd think carefully before you enter into it

Karmacat

Just confirming what people are saying, really - not something you go into for the money! I've been around this area for over 20 years, and because I work in a very specialised niche, I've been able to make a go of it, but the training takes years - 3, probably 4, and at the end of that nobody just walks into a job - there are well-trained people doing the job for free, so most people have to go that route at first - 3 or 4 voluntary hours a week, all you get is your supervision expenses (someone you can talk freely to about your clients) and possibly expenses.

To be honest, most people who train as counsellors are either middle aged women with rich husbands who can support them, or young retired people with a nice pension pot who want to give something back.