Getting into the field of psychology

The pathway to qualifying as a psychologist seems out of reach for me right now. What other related roles (eg counsellor, therapist, well being practitioner etc) could I aim for and what degrees/training would I need, which would still keep the door to becoming a psychologist further down the line still open?

Which specific area of
For most roles in psychology, you more or less have listed them. You could look into psychiatry, but that's more medicine than psychology.

The standard requirement to become a psychologist is to get a degree in psychology (either at bachelor's or master's) before doing a doctorate. I would ensure that the bachelor's/master's is BPS accredited, so you can manoeuvre into clinical psychology as well as psychology research. If the degree is not BPS accredited, your options are only limited to the academic.

See the following for finding BPS accredited degrees: https://portal.bps.org.uk/Accredited-Courses
The good news is that a good number of psychology related degrees out there are BPS accredited, but there would be a few that do crop up. In other words, I would always check the degree in the BPS search engine to double check.

The lowest entry requirement to getting into a BPS accredited degree is CCC at A Levels (I think) for a bachelor's, whereas it's a 2:2 (I think) if you're going for a master's. I am not sure why you think this is out of reach for you right now.
You would need at least a 2:1/Merit in your psychology degree in order to do the doctorate. If you fail this, then it's an even more of an uphill battle.
Competition for doctorates is stiff, so I would aim for a 1st class in a straight psychology degree where possible, along with quite a bit of relevant work experience in psychology and a GBC membership.

On a related, but side note, what are your thoughts on where I do my conversion master’s? As long as it’s BPS accredited, does the prestige/ ranking of the university matter later on when vying for limited job/ doctorate positions? Also whether it was done online or in person on campus?

On a related, but side note, what are your thoughts on where I do my conversion master’s? As long as it’s BPS accredited, does the prestige/ ranking of the university matter later on when vying for limited job/ doctorate positions? Also whether it was done online or in person on campus?

Thanks for your response @MindMax2000

I am more interested in practising as a psychologist than in a research role; ideally counselling psychology, although I do have an interest in educational psyc as well.

I have a 2:1 in an unrelated degree, so was initially thinking of a BPS accredited conversion master’s and following the pathway you mentioned: relevant work experience, then maybe another more specialized master’s, then a doctorate. But I have a young child and realised that the time and financial commitment involved would make it out of reach right now so wanted to look for an alternative pathway that would lead to being able to getting into a (fairly well) paid role sooner. Ideally a role that would still count towards eventually being able to get back on to this psychology pathway.

Counselling seemed to be a quicker route to paid work via level 4 Diploma+ work experience. But I wasn’t sure if this kind of work would count for later on if and when I was applying for doctorate positions.

Consider CBT, do not believe you even need to take a psychology degree. Becoming a clinical psychologist is highly unlikely for most students. The BPS state graduates after doctorate have a measly 15% of employment, seems like a pointless commitment for several years for potentially nothing.

Thanks for your response @MindMax2000

I am more interested in practising as a psychologist than in a research role; ideally counselling psychology, although I do have an interest in educational psyc as well.

I have a 2:1 in an unrelated degree, so was initially thinking of a BPS accredited conversion master’s and following the pathway you mentioned: relevant work experience, then maybe another more specialized master’s, then a doctorate. But I have a young child and realised that the time and financial commitment involved would make it out of reach right now so wanted to look for an alternative pathway that would lead to being able to getting into a (fairly well) paid role sooner. Ideally a role that would still count towards eventually being able to get back on to this psychology pathway.

Counselling seemed to be a quicker route to paid work via level 4 Diploma+ work experience. But I wasn’t sure if this kind of work would count for later on if and when I was applying for doctorate positions.