Internships
In the second term of the training students are required to begin their internship as a trainee counsellor on placement in a professional setting. Most take place in a GP’s surgery or Health Centre. This provides an in depth experience of working as a trainee professional counsellor/psychotherapist in a recognised setting. Over the course of the placement it will, through phases of practice, provide the opportunities to undertake duties expected of a full time professional. This work will be undertaken with the support and guidance of a clinical supervisor and mentor.
Careers
Training as a Counsellor or Psychotherapist can be a very enriching experience. It is also a significant undertaking, and it makes sense to research the types of options which may be available to you after successful completion of your training.
Advice and background information on Counselling and Psychotherapy are available in several places online, as well as more detailed advice on careers and job searches. Graduate careers website Prospects gives an overview of both Psychotherapy and Counselling careers, as does the government careers website, Next Step and the NHS Careers pages – these resources are particularly helpful for those unfamiliar with the profession.
The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) both have more detailed information about training, and the BACP have an excellent new student area on their website.
In terms of employment opportunities, students can find work in the independent, statutory and voluntary sectors, and many Counsellors and Psychotherapists take a ‘portfolio approach’ to their work, combining several different areas. Take a look at the Careers Profile to the right, to see how one of our recent graduates uses this approach.
The three sectors are outlined below - for an idea of what the current opportunities are in each area, take a look through some of the job pages of the websites and journals listed beneath them:
Statutory Sector
This sector includes the NHS, a major employer for Psychotherapy and Counselling related work, which may be in community-based clinics, in-patient areas of hospitals or GP surgeries as well as in a variety of other settings, often as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Other areas within this sector include police and prison services, student health services, social services departments and on the IAPT programme (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies). Jobs are often advertised in some of the following websites and journals:
• NHS Jobs Online
• Nursing Times
• Community Care
• Times Educational Supplement
• Times Higher Education
Voluntary Sector
It is likely that you will have built up links within the voluntary sector during your training, as many students take a placement with one of the charities and NGO’s within the region at some point. These include organisations such as Mind, Barnardo’s and WHAC (Women’s Health Advice Centre). As well as the individual organisation’s websites, jobs may also be advertised in:
• The Guardian and Guardian Jobs
• BACP online jobs database – available only to members/student members
Independent Sector
This sector includes, but is by no means limited to private practice, which students may have already started building up towards before the completion of their studies and full registration as a Counsellor or Psychotherapist. As a therapist in private practice they may receive referrals from GP’s, BUPA, employee assistance programmes and solicitors as well as self-referrals. Other avenues of paid work include freelance work for private health organisations, Insurance companies and the courts and legal system.
