Mental health nurse or counselling psychologist?

Hi everyone,
I'm currently in year 12, going into year 13 and I have always thought I wanted to do mental health nursing because it's sort of like being a therapist however now I'm thinking of doing a degree in counselling and psychology. Does anyone know the difference between the two and if the career is a good one? Can I get into any of these careers with just an undergraduate degree?
Thanks

While mental health nurses can move into therapeutic roles, the general qualification has no therapy trg and will not qualify you to work with clients in this way (it is often physical related, medication etc). You will need additional trg to do therapy, which is often funded later in your career. So i would not go into mental health nursing if you goal is to become a therapist, as the role does so much more which is not related to therapy.
Counselling is generally a practical trg course, so you dont need a degree for this (its still a few years of trg which you will have to fund yourself). I wouldnt go into any therapy careers unless you have strong knowledge of what they entail, as most people erronously believe therapy is just talking or giving advice. This is very rarely true, and in reality it is a very intimate and often intense space where you are often exposed to significant trauma (rape stories, serious assaults, abuse, loss, grief, pain, suicide) each and every day. Most people would not choose or be able to work in a job that does this, so make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Therapy can also come in lots of different packages and ways of working. Psychology is very different to counselling also (particularly at practitioner levels like Clinical or Educational) with therapy not the main part of the role.
For context im a Clinical Psychologist, my partner is a Counsellor and my brother is a mental health nurse, so we are a one family mental health team!
Greg

I’m also interested in clinical psychology! Can you please provide some guidance on the career path which led to your success and what the job entails? I’m quite hesitant due to the length of study and very high competitiveness ; I’ve also been told that first time applicants are usually not accepted.