How to get experience as a counsellor

This is a really important question, because every counsellor has different approaches and every client they help is a unique individual. The only way to be able to effectively and helpfully negotiate all this variety is with knowledge and experience. Fortunately, these things both come from the same place.

How do I get started as a counsellor?

A highly regarded counselling course will ensure not only that you have the “head knowledge'' to perform your work, but also that you have access to lots of opportunities to “practise your practice” as you grow and learn your skills. That means that the counselling course that will help you most will have some very important factors at work:

• High quality teaching from experienced professionals. That’s the head knowledge.
• In-course training and practicals. That’s the beginning of your experience, in a safe environment.
• Face-to-face teaching. While online can be convenient and helps with flexibility, there are some things that can only be learned with personal interaction. A high-quality course will insist on some learning being done face to face.  
• Relationships with professional counselling providers. This is where, once you have reached a suitable standard, you are expected to practice your skills in an environment of feedback and control.
• A course that leads to accreditation. This is enormously important as accreditation tells the world you have the skill and experience that makes you a professional counsellor.

And finally, something that many lesser courses and online learning won’t provide is a community of students who grow and learn together. Why is this vital? Because counselling can be a personally very challenging career. To go into it blind can lead to a great deal of distress for both the counsellor and those they are seeking to help. 

A high quality, professional degree will ensure that the graduated counsellor is not just the best they can be at their profession, but the wisest regarding their own wellbeing and professional behaviour.

Is working as a counsellor stressful?

A properly skilled and trained counsellor can help people without taking on the trials and struggles of their clients themselves. There is a fine line sometimes, as counsellors do care and do passionately want to help. Only with guidance and a good community of education, can the counsellor develop the resilience and habits that will enable them to lead a long and fruitful career.