Becoming a school counsellor?
Hello,
I am just wondering how do you become a counsellor within a school?
I know for general counselling you typically complete a counselling skills certificate then go onto a diploma, all accredited by the BACP. However, are there any specific qualifications you would need to work within a school setting? And, generally, are counsellors needed in schools or is there not a demand for them?
I am just wondering how do you become a counsellor within a school?
I know for general counselling you typically complete a counselling skills certificate then go onto a diploma, all accredited by the BACP. However, are there any specific qualifications you would need to work within a school setting? And, generally, are counsellors needed in schools or is there not a demand for them?
I don't think counsellors are based within schools. Children and young people requiring counselling intervention are usually referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Search 'CAMHS jobs' to get an idea of how/where child counsellors are employed and the qualifications required.
There are also charitable and voluntary organisations that directly employ counsellors, but mainly for specific services. For example, many years ago I was employed by a Young Carers charity as a counsellor for children and young people with terminally ill relatives.
There are also charitable and voluntary organisations that directly employ counsellors, but mainly for specific services. For example, many years ago I was employed by a Young Carers charity as a counsellor for children and young people with terminally ill relatives.
(edited 8 years ago)
Hey! So what I think you need to do is to study Psychology Bsc or Psychology Applied Bsc at University level and gain a degree. Most courses like this are pretty general for the first two years and then branch out into more specific modules- education psychology being one of them, as well as counselling- you should definitlely go down this route.
You can then have a search for Masters qualifications, so maybe gaining a Masters in Counselling or Education Psychology. You should (I think) be qualified to work in a school.
Hope that helps!
You can then have a search for Masters qualifications, so maybe gaining a Masters in Counselling or Education Psychology. You should (I think) be qualified to work in a school.
Hope that helps!
Original post by CCC75
I don't think counsellors are based within schools. Children and young people requiring counselling intervention are usually referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Search 'CAMHS jobs' to get an idea of how/where child counsellors are employed and the qualifications required.
There are also charitable and voluntary organisations that directly employ counsellors, but mainly for specific services. For example, many years ago I was employed by a Young Carers charity as a counsellor for children and young people with terminally ill relatives.
There are also charitable and voluntary organisations that directly employ counsellors, but mainly for specific services. For example, many years ago I was employed by a Young Carers charity as a counsellor for children and young people with terminally ill relatives.
Thank you, I am interested in CAMHs and working within a school. It's the age group I'm interested in so I dont mind about the setting too much
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by LouOla
Hey! So what I think you need to do is to study Psychology Bsc or Psychology Applied Bsc at University level and gain a degree. Most courses like this are pretty general for the first two years and then branch out into more specific modules- education psychology being one of them, as well as counselling- you should definitlely go down this route.
You can then have a search for Masters qualifications, so maybe gaining a Masters in Counselling or Education Psychology. You should (I think) be qualified to work in a school.
Hope that helps!
You can then have a search for Masters qualifications, so maybe gaining a Masters in Counselling or Education Psychology. You should (I think) be qualified to work in a school.
Hope that helps!
Thanks! I have already done a Psychology Bsc although there were no counselling modules on my course. I will have a look into Masters etc in a more applied area
Original post by JaneKent
Have a look at the place2be website, they do school specific training with placements.
Thank you
I'm hoping to finish the bsc in psychology and then go into either educational psychology or teaching. Any advice would be appreciated. :-)
I have met counselors who work in schools so they are certainly a thing, but these were in quite impoverished schools with good levels of funding; I feel they don't necessarily represent the norm. That being said most universities have counseling services, so whilst not strictly children it is still counseling within an education setting. I would say there is most definitely a demand for counseling services in schools but certainly no funding for them.
It is important to realise that counselor isn't a protected title and can mean a lot of different things to different people. You can be a full blown counseling psychologist with doctoral level education, or you could have done a short distance course with a non-recognised body and call yourself a counselor.
For this reason it is a difficult market place to get in to and a saturated one at that. It can be very difficult to get jobs in the public sector and difficult to build up a clientele in the private sector.
It is important to realise that counselor isn't a protected title and can mean a lot of different things to different people. You can be a full blown counseling psychologist with doctoral level education, or you could have done a short distance course with a non-recognised body and call yourself a counselor.
For this reason it is a difficult market place to get in to and a saturated one at that. It can be very difficult to get jobs in the public sector and difficult to build up a clientele in the private sector.
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