You could do a diploma, degree or postgraduate course in counselling or psychotherapy.

You might be able to study counselling alongside another subject like psychology, sociology or criminology.

You should look for a course that includes practical skills training and supervised work placements.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
• a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

You could start by doing an introduction to counselling course. This can last up to 3 months and can help you decide if counselling is the right career for you.

After that, you can do further training and complete courses like:

• Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills
• Level 4 Diploma in Counselling Skills and Theory
• Level 5 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling

You can find out more about the recommended training to become a counsellor from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

You'll find it useful to have paid or unpaid work experience in counselling. You can find counselling volunteering opportunities through Do IT and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

You can volunteer and do training courses with counselling organisations, such as Relate, Samaritans and Cruse.

This can be useful experience before you take up professional counselling training.

You'll need:

• counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
• knowledge of psychology
• the ability to understand people’s reactions
• excellent verbal communication skills
• customer service skills
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• sensitivity and understanding
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults

As a counsellor, you could use different types of therapy to:

• discuss and agree what to cover in sessions
• build trust with a client in person, online or over the phone
• listen carefully, ask questions and check understanding of the issues
• help your client to talk about their feelings, see things more clearly and find ways to cope
• empathise but challenge when necessary
• keep confidential records

You could work with individuals, couples, families or groups.

You could work in a therapy clinic, at a GP practice, at a school, at a college or from home.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.