You have been given some absolutely fab input above, I just wanted to also chime in and say that as someone in a similar position (passionate about mental health, studied counselling skills up to just above level 2, thought I wanted to become a counsellor), the past six months have definitely lead me more into MH Nursing for a few reasons:
- Security and versatility - MH nursing sounds like I would still very much get to use the skills I so much enjoyed when I was learning about counselling and doing skills practice sessions. The difference is that most counsellors I have spoken to stress that there's lots of competition for roles, with full time, permanent ones few and far between even at the best of times. Albeit some have said they didn't have any issues and haven't even in the current climate, but everyone I know who is a nurse is absolutely singing the praises of the amount of jobs there are to be found, and the security you can usually expect once you find somewhere you like.
- Potential for serious, tangible change for patients - whichever way you slice it, according to nurses I've spoken to, there's much more capacity to make real material changes to your patients' lives and challenges with MH nursing. Of course counsellors can do this, but as a counsellor your job is, in the simplest sense, just to listen and help patients understand what they want. MH nurses do that, but also seem to have more opportunity to initiate real change through more areas of a patient's care.
- Opportunities for continued development - counselling demands this, of course, but I felt that a MH nurse likely has more employer-funded opportunities to undertake additional training/specialisation than a counsellor. MH nurses I know have also been able to progress up the pay scale more quickly, and thus had more financial opportunity to undertake their own further training privately if they so wish (e.g., counselling diplomas if, for some reason, your employer won't sponsor this).
- Potential long term to move into counselling - if you're a MH nurse who has been delivering therapeutic interventions like CBT as part of your job, I'd wager that, even if you somehow didn't have qualifications to the same standard as a counsellor, you'd have an infinitely easier time going and getting other jobs that are perhaps more similar to 'just' counselling than vice versa!
For me I was passionate about what studying counselling skills enabled me to do for others - but ultimately MH nursing sounds like I definitely wouldn't get bored any time soon (I might as a counsellor), would likely have more secure roles readily open to me, and could still branch more easily into working only as a therapist/counsellor later on if I wanted. It really seems like, if it interests you, it could be the best of both worlds, with plenty of room to specialise and find a role that suits you and your interests (CAMHS, community nursing, etc).