Psychology at OU

Hello,

I am a mature student having had children and in my 40's.

I've always been interested in and gravitated towards helping and caring for people and am really interested in Psychology.

Getting to undergrad level seems possible by studying part time over six years however due to my age this worries me somewhat. If I chose not to do a post-grad course what would my options be realistically?

I would like to become a school (child) counsellor ultimately and wonder if I should even go through university.

Any opinions and advice would be gratefully received.

Reply 1

Reality Check

Original post by senorasenora

I'm sensing from your post that the aim is the job, rather than the academic study. Or, putting it another way, were you able to become a counsellor without going to university, you'd take that option. Is that right?

Reply 2

senorasenora

Original post by Reality Check

The aim is most definitely the job, at my age I am looking to do something different for at least the last fifteen years before retiring.

However, I do think that maybe doing at least an undergraduate course would be better and give me a little more scope than doing a counselling diploma but I am just looking into it at the moment.

Reply 3

senorasenora

Thank you that is really helpful and I will look into that.

So far, looking on the BACP website (as opposed to the BPS for Psychology) it seems it would take around 4 years to become a counsellor.

I've just read on another thread that theres an abundance of counsellors and that it is not easy to get a steady paid position so that makes me nervours with regard to pursuing it, if I thought it were enough to gain stable employment I would definitely do it.

Reply 4

Shikana12

Hey,Not to put you off doing open university, but if you are looking to work within this sector, it's best to attend a university which is accredited by the British Psychological Society. If being a psychologist is not what you are going to be doing ( no BPS means a lot of years studying) its a great option.

Reply 5

CLMKat

if you did the ou fdn degree you would get the best of both worlds. I graduated Summer 19 and can advise further. If you're not quite sure how you see your end ' ideal job' will be, I personally feel that the OU will give you a much more rounded knowledge of both psychology and counseling.
It's been a while since I saw the course outline, though.

Reply 6

Nerol

Original post by senorasenora

You can become a qualified counsellor by doing level 3 and 4 counselling qualifications. This is 3 years part time study and level 4 involves a 100-hour (maybe more) placement.

Jobs are competitive, but you can continue training, for example, by specialising in child counselling. A company called Place 2 Be offers training in this area. You could also continue training in IAPT or CAMHS services.

If its about gaining a counselling type job, I'd suggest going down this route rather than Psychology. I did my BSc with the OU, but have decided to now gain my counselling qualification. I start level 4 in September. I then hope to do a Counselling Psychology doctorate.

Reply 7

mevans_

Open Uni Psych course is now accredited by BPS, not sure if it was before when you wrote this thought. I'm planning on doing it myself as it gives me more flexibility with working, and especially given the current climate, studying remotely seems like a better idea since that's probably all I'd be doing while paying for a full degree and accom on a campus uni!

Reply 8

Lord Asriel

Original post by senorasenora

Getting to undergrad level seems possible by studying part time over six years however due to my age this worries me somewhat. If I chose not to do a post-grad course what would my options be realistically?

I would like to become a school (child) counsellor ultimately and wonder if I should even go through university.

You would not be able to work in the field with just a psychology undergraduate degree and even if you were to go down that road fully you would be a Psychologist rather than a counsellor, which are very different professions. If you did no further postgraduate training you would either be eligible for graduate schemes open to all generic degree holders, or the various non graduate jobs in healthcare such as Support worker or Healthcare Assistant.

If you want to be a counsellor, you should pursue a BACP accredited course of study as Nerol suggests, that combines academic bits and placement elements. If you are on a time limit that is going to get you where you want to go quicker.