Psychotherapist

To become a psychotherapist, you'll need to:

• study for a degree such as psychology, nursing, medicine or social work
• do an accredited postgraduate qualification
• complete 450 hours of practice

Your postgraduate course should be recognised by one of the following:

• UK Council for Psychotherapy
• British Psychoanalytic Council
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
• Association of Child Psychotherapists (APC)
• National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society

Training can take between 3 and 4 years to complete.

To become a child psychotherapist, you will need to complete 4 years of training with the APC.

You'll also need experience of working with children or vulnerable adults.

Some courses may expect you to go into therapy yourself during your training. This is to help you deal with any issues that may affect you as a therapist, as well as to experience therapy from a client's point of view.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
• finance for postgraduate courses|https://www.gov.uk/funding-for-postgraduate-study
• university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

You could start by doing a Level 3 or 4 Diploma in Counselling before moving onto further training at degree and postgraduate level.

You'll be encouraged to take an introductory course to start, to make sure that this is a career for you.

Some colleges have a minimum age limit to start this type of course. They may also expect you to have had experience of working with vulnerable people.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Career Tips

Training in psychotherapy is personally and emotionally challenging. It can also be costly and takes a lot of time and dedication. It's important to think about how it will impact your life before committing to a course.

Further Information

You can find out more about careers in psychotherapy from Health Careers and the UK Council for Psychotherapy .

You can also explore other careers in the psychological professions .

As a psychotherapist, you would:

• build trusting relationships with individuals, couples or groups
• encourage clients to talk about their thoughts, feelings and behaviours
• help clients find ways to cope with their issues and to make positive changes
• create and update confidential client records and write reports
• keep up to date with theory and research

You could work in the community, in a therapy clinic, at a health centre, in an NHS or private hospital or from home.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.