r/UKTherapists

I want to raise concerns about how inaccessible the CPCAB counselling pathway can feel for neurodivergent and disabled students.

Throughout Levels 2 and 3, there were extremely long classroom sessions where students were expected to remain on camera at all times, even during periods of overstimulation. Requests to briefly turn cameras off were sometimes refused. There was also heavy emphasis on constant group participation, emotional check-ins, eye contact, and neurotypical social behaviours, despite some students experiencing alexithymia, autism, ADHD, or sensory difficulties. I also witnessed one student whose nervous system had recently collapsed due to neurodegeneration being told to keep her camera on.

The overall structure of the counselling pathway also feels unnecessarily confusing and financially risky. It is very difficult to clearly understand from the website exactly how qualification, placement hours, accreditation, and progression work. Students are encouraged to apply for Level 4 before finishing Level 3, yet information about local placement availability often only becomes visible after paying thousands of pounds for the course.

For people living in rural areas, disabled students, or those with limited finances, the barriers become even greater. Many agencies have no placement availability, yet this reality is discovered too late in the process. The expectation of 100+ unpaid volunteering hours, extensive admin requirements, and large amounts of paperwork can also become overwhelming. The paperwork is also heavily convoluted requiring the production and tracking of hundreds of files and their completion in a non-linear order.

One major question I have is: why are Levels 2 and 3 allowed online, but Level 4 is not? I have yet to see convincing evidence why “embodied empathy” cannot be assessed effectively through supervised online learning and skills work.

Counselling should be a profession that understands neurodiversity and accessibility. At the moment, parts of the training system feel built primarily around neurotypical norms, financial privilege, and geographical luck.

I also want to kindly request that fellow disabled and neurodivergent candidates write their experiences here so that the problem becomes visible.

Hi everyone. Starting my lvl4 training in September. The two-year programme, including placements and counselling is around £6.5k. They're a reputable provider and have great reviews.

The question is around feasibility of getting regular work. I've kept my expectations low and aim for around a day per work post-graduation. After speaking to a few counsellors, with their experiences in finding clients being challenging. Those that have some regular business, mentioned spending months working up to a few clients and connstant marketing / promotion (seems obvious) to help keep buoyant. One has spent the last two years working as a tutor, training more counsellors as she attempts to build up her client list. They attribute this to a saturation of counsellors and the cost of living, with people less willing to spend.

I have been informed that as a man who has experience /expertise in masculinity, working with men I may be somewhat in demand.

I need to be pragmatic and ensure I get a return on my investment. It's a business decision, as well as one of passion. Although I love the thought of working in counselling, I have to think of the return on investment.

Please let me have your opinions on the profession now. I'd love to hear your views on building up your business and the struggles (if any). Also, whether as a man, I may sit within a niche area (a doubled-edged sword? As men can often be less inclined to seek support).

Thank you.

First time in 10 years of working that I am having zero client enquiries. I love my job and done so much professionally but I am genuinely worried about my future now. Seriously thinking of alternative work and trying to come to terms with that and saying goodbye to what I love doing. I can’t make financial ends meet anymore.

Hi everyone, I recently found a placement to start my 100 hours unpaid work. They have followed up with an email saying in need to pay £195 for training in this field that they facilitate by using an outside trainer.

Seems really unfair as I shall pay for my insurance and supervision and feels quite exploitative at the moment.

I can carry the certificate over when done the training but it still doesn't quite sit right with me.

I'd appreciate anybodies feedback, thanks.

Hi everyone!

Currently trying to make the right decision for myself on whether to go ahead with a diploma as an integrative psychotherapist with a UKCP accreditation. I’m quite surprised by the how many people are saying that earning under £30k is what to expect after becoming a psychotherapist. I’ve heard that many people go onto do a degree without the motivation to get a full practice running and was hoping that if I was motivated to run a full practice and earn excess of £40k then that would be possible. I know it feels a little crude talking so openly about money but lets be candid for a moment! If for a moment we could assume anyone wanting to become a psychotherapist is doing it to help people and not to be a driving their convertible to ascot and go flying on the weekends. I’d like one day to have a family and to buy a house and am hoping they after 6 years of study this would be possible if I was organised and motivated!

Would be great to hear from people’s experiences running a private practice if you feel comfortable sharing on here

All the best x

I’ve been in a life rut for the past few years now and am struggling to take action in any direction. I’m 35 and have worked as a journalist/ copy writer for over a decade. But I’ve reached a point where I’m not enjoying the job anymore. I can’t seem to progress my pay and it feels constantly unstable. I’m now back living with my parents and trying to figure out next steps. Psychotherapy is something I’ve always been interested in but the road to study it and become qualified is confusing , intense and expensive. I have a degree in English literature and am starting volunteer work with Samaritans in the summer to ensure I can handle this kind of work. I just have no clue where to start in terms of courses. I know similar questions have been answered many times, but I’m getting so lost in obsessively reading all those threads and trying to figure out the best one. Any advice or experiences from others that retrained later in life would be really appreciated.

Hi all...

I've been accepted on to a diploma course in Psychodynamic counselling. Supervision and counselling client hours included. Just need to pay for the course and personal therapy fees.

However, I have this gut-wrenching feeling of dread at the idea of doing it. I had my psychological assessment with a psychoanalyst as part of the application process. I just bared all in as much detail as was possible in the hour and a half session - the school encouraged full transparency. The report made on me and my experiences felt contrary to the insights already gleaned from my own long-term therapy sessions and extensive inner work. It felt like it was undoing the sense of healing and self-acceptance I'd already established so far. I kind of expected that to happen, but it's made me feel unsure of whether I want to spend 3 years training in a modality that I find quite cerebral and cold.

I was going to opt to do person-centred, but the school I considered doesn't include supervision or any counselling hours to accrue for BACP accreditation. I had already done the certificate in Psychodynamic with the same school I've applied for the diploma with.

I've been a working medium for the past 10 years and just wanted to explore a deeper understanding of myself and others to complement my spiritual practices.

However, being totally honest, I like my freedom and I trust myself enough to let life experience be my teacher rather than a ccourse. At the same time, I'm not ignorant of how transformative it could be. A therapist gave advice and said, just tick the boxes and jump through their hoops and once qualified you can work how you want. They said working from a more spiritual vantage point is quite a niche area and meets a demand that is sought after but often not provided. They also said unfortunately, there is a lot of dysfunction in the training and working world of therapy.

I've sampled and tried and tested so many different careers and it always comes back to helping and guiding others in some shape or form with whatever life experience I have to this point to aid me in doing that.

But I don't want to lose myself in this course. I have a friend who is doing the same course now. The experiential sessions are leaving her feeling crazed and going through ups and downs that leave her in tears. I get this can be part of self-awareness, but I have been involved myself in years and years of deep diving and self-confrontation and you get to this point where you realise it starts to feel damaging to keep questioning yourself...you start to want to just commit to learning to accept, appreciate and trust yourself...warts and all. My friend says she feels gaslit, as though her deepest inner knowing and feeling about herself and her experiences gets questioned and shredded to pieces...she said she feels like vultures are picking at her like a piece of meat.

I know her experience won't necessarily be my experience, but I'm anxious of this course gearing me backwards into a hole instead of forwards towards the light, so to speak.

I have been feeling better about myself than ever at this point, and as the application process progressed towards the offer, I started to feel this feeling of that sense of appreciation for myself becoming threatened.

It can be difficult to discern between resistance and genuine intuition sometimes. However, one thing I have learned, is that when there is something we really want and are truly on board with, you get a full body "hell yes!" feeling about it and go for it even with knowing the potentially tough aspects of whatever it is.

Perhaps this is just my resistance to something. My gut just feels like it's saying you're afraid by not doing this course you won't be qualified enough or financially stable enough or secure enough in a vocation...so it feels scarier to not do it...but doing it feels like I'm doing something my heart is not truly on board with.

My passion is my spiritual work and pursuits, counselling was an option for a complementary side vocation for baseline earning while I developed other elements unfolding in my life...but I'm unsure it provides that security, having researched. I have been out of work for two years now due to studying and working in mediumship. It's very tricky to describe my life unfoldment CV-wise without the fear of seeming like an inexperienced drifter, despite making very conscious decisions.

I just seem to always find myself counselling or teaching others in some way. Every other job I have tried has left me unusually drained. I seem to have energy counselling for others.

As you can tell...in a bit of a mental muddle.

Any thoughts or perspectives could be helpful and are greatly appreciated 🙏🏼

Take care.

Hello all, I am starting on the path to become a qualified counsellor. I am looking to find somewhere to do my level 2 and hopefully stay on to do my level 3 and 4; I want the courses to be CPCAB recognised and ideally in person. I’ve found a bunch of different providers but I am struggling to find reviews for some of them (Astranti and Chrysallsi are the only ones I found reviews for).

As such I am wondering where you might have done the study/training, what you thought of your respective providers. And particularly if any of you have any experience with the following providers or would recommend against any of these.

• Astranti

• Basecamp Cooperative

• Sweet track counselling services

• Chrysalis

• Gloucestershire college

• Strode/ Taunton/ Bridgwater college

• Listening post

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Looking for advice around becoming a counsellor/psychotherapist. I am about to qualify as an Occupational Therapist but have always been drawn to a career in counselling or psychotherapy. I haven’t decided on an approach I’d like to start in but drawn to EMDR, DBT and internal family systems. I’d like the option to work in the NHS and privately.

A university near me offers an MSC in counselling/psychotherapy but is this the best option? What other routes are available to me. Would I have to complete level 2 certificate if I have an AHP background?

I’m setting up working remotely and wondered if there’s anything different you use to get yourself comfortable giving therapy at home. Do you use large monitors, an extra comfy arm chair, headphones? Or just off your iPad and in a quiet room?
Keen to hear any and all online therapy set up. TIA

Hi,

I'm currently at the beginning of my retraining journey as a therapist, and am Black and part of the LGBTIQ+ community. I'm wondering about the income of a newly qualified therapist practising privately versus an experienced therapist, and I want to hear from Black people about their experiences, particularly Black women. I've seen a lot of people on here talk about income depending on the population you work with, and I want to work with LGBTIQ+ people of colour, which is quite different from the vast majority of therapists in the UK.

It'd be great to hear how other Black people (cis, straight, or queer) navigate private practice and delivering therapy, and the type of income you make and how you get by.

Hey all! First time posting on here so forgive me if it's a bit rambly!

So I'm studying my level 3 CPCAB atm and feel a bit lost about what to do next.

My college offers evening classes for the level 4 CPCAB or a whole day a week on a BACP diploma course. Alternatively, I've seen an opportunity to train to become a PWP within the NHS, which is a full time paid position.

My current situation is that I'm out of work (I was working as a VFX artist but I'm losing drive in that area faassstt and can't seem to get any work anyway), so I'm not sure whether to keep trying to get a full time job and do the evening course; get a part-time job and do the BACP diploma; or go for the job stability of the PWP role.

The main concern is money, being that there isn't much of it at the moment, which makes the PWP role appealing but from what I've seen, it's not as advanced as qualifying to be a counsellor, and it's very intense with the workload. And it's CBT focused, which I don't know how to feel about having trained so far in person-centred and being very interested in Transactional Analysis.

Any advice or suggestions from people in/with similar experience would be amazing!

I recently got accepted into an msc Counselling in the uk and I have bright red dyed hair. I don’t want to limit my opportunities/be seen as unprofessional. Would having bright red hair impact me during my course, placements, or part time/volunteer work in the mental health field?

Ps. My hair is bright, not a natural redhead or a cherry cola red, if that makes a difference.

Anyone who has worked with individuals for some time and has gone on to work with couples; what training did you undertake to support your couples work? My work is trauma focused/informed and I would want to bring this into work with couples.

Hi everyone, I am a psychology graduate (albeit 10 years ago!) looking to pivot into what I have truly always wanted to do, counselling. My partner (who is from the USA) and I want to move to the States in the next few years, but I want to crack on with a Masters in Counselling / Mental Health Psychology / Psychotherapy here in the UK so I can hopefully have completed it by the time we leave, where I could then hopefully progress with getting supervised hours under my belt towards my LPC qualification.

We want to move to Colorado, so in order to start the process towards my LPC qualifications, I need a Masters programme that is CACREP accredited. As there are no CACREP accredited Masters in the UK, does anyone know any Masters here in the UK that are sufficient? I know the process is to complete the Masters and then have it validated by a 3rd party to prove it is up to CACREP standard, but it seems rather tricky finding out which Masters from which Universities would qualify.

Any help would be hugely appreciated! I guess this would apply to any person who has studied a non-CACREP accredited course and then gone on to complete their LPC qualifications in the USA. TIA!