You’re bored of your job and it’s offering you nothing in the way of fulfilment anymore. You may be looking to change career but you’re not sure where to start. You’ve learnt strong skills you don’t want to throw away in your current job such as flexibility, good communication, problem-solving and an interest in people and you want to find another area to use them in. Sound familiar? Then maybe you could consider taking a foundation degree in counselling and start a journey to a rewarding but challenging career as a counsellor or therapist, where you could help others and really make a difference.
Chrysalis courses offer fully accredited part-time courses at various locations across the UK. They can fit into already busy lifestyles and are open to anyone, regardless of previous qualifications. If you want to learn about counselling and therapy models and how you put them into practice to help people struggling with different aspects of their lives, and to gain a greater level of self-knowledge and understanding as you gain a certificate in counselling skills, this could be the option for you.
There are lots of useful transferable skills that help make a good counsellor. Here are some of the most important ones.
Excellent Communication Skills
You may have trained as a journalist or a teacher and have learnt how to talk to different people and to listen when they talk to you. That’s great: the first skill that springs to most people’s minds when you think of counselling is the ability to listen. Clients need to be able to rely on you to genuinely hear them, not just the things they speak, but what they are trying to say (or not say). You might be the only person they feel they can open up to so it’s imperative that you give them the space and environment to do that and never let your mind wander onto your own problems – and you must be able to empathise. It’s important that you are warm and non-judgemental so you can help a client feel at ease. You also need to remain calm should they disclose anything distressing – keep actively listening, don’t show doubt (in them or your own abilities) and be optimistic about their chances of recovery. You may have clients that come from all sorts of different economic and cultural backgrounds and you need to be able to talk to and understand them all, and remain unclouded by biases. If you have been a teacher and you have an affinity with children, becoming a therapist for children could be a good option for you.
People know they can trust you
If you have been working as a solicitor or a financial advisor or accountant, then you work with a lot of sensitive information that people need to know you won’t exploit them with, so you need to earn their trust. You must have certain codes of conduct in place. It’s the same for counselling: if you don’t exude trustworthiness, you’re never going to get clients. If they are worried you won’t take them seriously or might be inwardly laughing at them, they won’t want to disclose any of their problems to you and will probably go elsewhere for help. On top of your demeanour, having a commitment to a code of ethics is crucial to winning people’s trust. Being clear and transparent about your ethical code will reassure patients that, although they are placing themselves in your hands and may feel vulnerable, they are working with a trustworthy professional who will keep their clients’ needs at the forefront of their work. Your code of conduct should include not discussing patients with anyone else, having a complaints system in place and setting healthy boundaries (it’s exceedingly unethical to, for example, start a romantic relationship with someone you treat during therapy) that protect both you and the client. In fact, a background in law could be helpful in understanding the legal issues involved here.
If you gain a foundation degree in counselling with a reputable organisation such as Chrysalis Courses, you will be well on your way to joining an accredited register, recognised by the Professional Standards Authority, who monitor the professionalism of counsellors.
Organisation and Flexibility
You may have been self-employed (as many counsellors are) previously, perhaps as a photographer or a web designer, and learnt how to schedule your own work, fit it around your clients and be strict with yourself about deadlines. Well, it’s the same when it comes to counselling. You need to be exceedingly organised – know which client has which needs and when you are seeing them – getting muddled is not an option when it comes to revealing sensitive details about people’s lives. You must be flexible because your clients are also busy people with lives outside the therapy room, so they may cancel on you or, alternatively, need you outside their allotted appointment and you need to be understanding, especially if they are having a crisis. That said, you need to care for yourself too and have laid down boundaries about your availability outside ‘office hours’ – if you don’t get the chance to switch off, you could become mentally exhausted and you won’t do your job well. You also shouldn’t become over-involved with needy clients or let them become too reliant on you – they need to know that this is a professional relationship that will come to an end. If they need emergency help or are feeling suicidal, perhaps refer them to the Samaritans.
Self-Awareness
A foundation degree in counselling will give you the skills you need to learn about yourself, your own needs and triggers for any mental health issues you may have faced in the past. This will help you become a better counsellor and you may already have learnt introspection previously, nursing or being an author, for example. Consider having counselling treatment yourself so that you can develop your self-knowledge and also see what the experience entails from the other side. The National Counselling Society provides a list of accredited counsellors in the UK should you want to pursue this option.
