So i’m looking for mental health care employers in or near brighton that have amazing work environments and the job genuinely teaches you something and treats you well
Good afternoon,
My apologies for asking! I have been researching but colleges’ websites are not clear and they are slow to answer. I am hoping you can help me identify the right providers. Or tell me I’m wrong.
Context: I (South West London) am applying for my L3 counselling. I have two limitations:
1/ I have restricted mobility so in class presence will be hard at best, impossible at times.
2/ I’m on UC and PIP so will need help funding.
I realise L4 courses can be restricted re in person attendance and what they consider “in person”. And their websites aren’t clear….
I‘d be very grateful for any guidance as to:
- where I can get a reputable ‘virtual’ L3 that is acceptable to the L4 providers
- reputable L4 that will accept a purely online or virtual L3
If useful: I’m degree educated, have 25+ years experience in a non related field (recruitment), have certificates in Safeguarding and Prevent, am due a to start Samaritan training and am attending workshops etc (not accredited) in listening skills, communication, recognising trauma, …
Any steer/ guidance/ recommendation would be gratefully appreciated!
Thank you.
Like does this affect your ability in any way. I suspect I'm autistic as I have all the signs. I still want to pursue psychotherapy but I just think maybe I won't do well in the field
Hi all,
I'm looking into starting private practice, and I'm considering how to track client sessions and payments. So far I've created a password protected excel file to track sessions.
I'm debating whether I should send out invoices for payments to be made, or recipes for payments made. I know neither is an option as well, although I've personally appreciated getting these as a client to help me keep track of sessions.
I'm leaning towards invoicing over receipts, but I'm curious what others do and their rationale. Ideally, I'd want a way to integrate session tracking with invoice creation, although I think that's a project for later down the line.
What do people do or recommend?
Hey all :)
I'm currently reading "Hour of the Heart" by Yalom, I personally think he's an amazing writer and, from what I can see, he was also a superb therapist.
One thing I found in all his books is the concept of the relationship between therapist and patient being the main healing factor for the patient's distress (more than any interpretation, skill, work put by the therapist).
One extract from "Hour of the Heart":
"But I would go further and say that whatever approach one has to therapy, from short-term solution-focused therapy to cognitive behavioral therapy to long-term psychodynamic analysis, building a strong trusting positive relationship with one's patients is critical."
I'd love to hear what you all think of that and perhaps hear about your experiences!
P.s. I will start my training in September, this is all still new for me :)
Hi folks, I’m just looking for some (hopefully) words of kindness and encouragement!
I’m feeling so stuck in a rut right now with my job/career.
Some context - I’ve worked for a Rape Crisis centre for almost a decade doing various roles, and the last few years I’ve been doing support work. For various reasons, the centre doesn’t train its support staff (that’s a whole other post lol) so I decided to get my diploma in counselling and psychotherapy, and I was lucky that both my training and job agreed that my support hours could count towards my placement hours. Absolutely not taking that for granted because I know I’m lucky there!
I’ve been qualified for around 6 months and after getting my private practice all set up and ready to go it’s feels painfully slow getting clients. I currently have none - I’m on two directories but I don’t know how else to advertise myself. Social media feels kind of iffy??
I’ve been looking for jobs as in the almost decade I’ve been in my job, I’ve had less than an 8% pay rise, I need to get some of my loans from studying paid off, and I feel like I’m ready for a new setting and change of scenery (plenty of other reasons but I won’t go into them just now). I applied for a job that I honestly thought I’d be perfect for, based on my experience, diploma, and a degree and masters, but it’s been radio silence.
I’m just feeling very stuck and I don’t know where to go next. I know private practice can be slow to pick up but how can I get even some traction?
My clinical supervisor advised against EAPs since they can be poorly managed and lead to super quick burnout. ARe there any jobs going that pay more than £27k?? 😅
Any advice/encouragement/insight would be hugely appreciated 🙏🏻
I am currently on my level 2 CPCAB course in London, and plan to go onto Level 3. By the time I'm ready for Level 4, my partner and I are hoping to have moved up North. Currently looking at Leeds but open.
A big factor in where we move is where I can do my Level 4 counselling diploma. Has anyone had experience of a centre up North and any feedback or advice?
Hi everyone,
I've been looking for a placement that could offer face-to-face and it's been so difficult.
Not only that, my course has a list of requirements that I find hard to meet with placements
supervision needs to be provided at no fee
Insurance (though I think they are growing lenient with this given the fact that no placement actually does it now :( )
adult clients
and I have to be able to work in a person-centred way, the supervisor should be able to supervise me in that way.
I'm based in East london, and it's just been so disheartening. It's almost as if no placement could offer what I'm looking for, or out of london. Or they want second years minimum with at least 100 client hours! But why would anyone do a voluntary placement if they've got the hours?? Really confused on that tbh.
I've emailed/applied to so many its just been crazy that I haven't been able to find one or at least get an interview. I've been looking since January
I've been holding off joining the BACP student membership for financial reasons. But the course has said we'd need to try looking again for one to join in September they can sign off. Idk if I should join now or should try in August.
Any hope anyone?
I've been accepted to two counselling related doctoral programs: GCU Doctorate of Counselling Psychology, and U of Edinburgh Doctorate in Psychotherapy and Counselling.
I'm not from the UK, so I'm having a bit of a hard time understanding the difference between Counselling Psychology as a field and Psychotherapy as a field. From my understanding, it seems like DCounsPsych job opportunities have quite a bit of overlap with DClinPsych, in addition to being able to open a private therapeutic practice, whereas the Doctorate of Psychotherapy limits to private practice (and possibly third sector? Not sure what kind of jobs there are in third sector for psychotherapist).
If my ultimate goal is to own a private practice and become a citizen/permanent resident of the UK (I'm originally from the US), any advice on which program would be better suited? I'd like to pick the program that will form me into the best counsellor/therapist, while also being mindful of the risk of relying on private practice - especially as an immigrant.
In addition to private practice, I'm also excited by the prospect of teaching and perhaps a little bit of research. I'm open to the idea of working in public health / third sector for a few years while getting myself set up.
Hi all, looking for comments, positive or negative, regarding this.
History...I booked the Intro course at CityLit thinking it was a L2. I wanted an in person one so OK paying for it. It now seems as it is only 30 hours ( 10 sessions x 3 hours) CPCAB courses won't accept it as L2 for entry into L3.
It is accepted on to L3 at CityLit. However their September entry is done and dusted.
They run an intensive from January which includes weekends.
Our tutor made it seem like "a lot".
Anyone done this? Is it just the weekends as well as the weekly that makes it "a lot"?
I am reluctant to ask Tutor for more as she is heavily pushing academic route for training and I can't afford that (as I have no A levels let alone a bachelor degree)
I'm sorry for the flair, as I'm not a therapist. Id just really appreciate a therapist's perspective.
I have had 29 sessions of therapy with the NHS in secondary care. Next week is the final session and I'm devastated. I'm not risky, Ive just lived a life that has been profoundly sad at times and often without a secure base. This is the first time I've attached to anyone in over a decade apart from my two gorgeous nieces and I don't think I'm strong enough to go along with the goodbye session.
I have a gift for her and it would mean a lot to me if she accepts it. It's inexpensive but personally chosen. What happens if I leave the gift with the CMHT and avoid the final session? And yes, I know I'm reverting to type and using avoidance to avoid triggering the feeling of being abandoned and also to want to parent her and protect her from a sad ending.
I'm going to write to pals so she will be under no illusion of how incredible she is
Seriously, what's the difference, and does it matter that much? I've just been fucked around by Heartwood counselling who kept wording things weirdly to put a deposit down and then it turns out all places have already been taken but now I have place on next year's course.
Hi everyone, I'd really appreciate some honest input from people who know the UK mental health and counselling world, because I'm a bit lost on what's realistic here.
My husband is in the final round of interviews with a large UK company, and most probably we'll be moving early next year on his Skilled Worker Visa. I'll be coming as his dependant, so I'll have full work rights from day one, no sponsor needed in my case. We're planning to settle down in the Milton Keynes area (about 40 minutes from London), as my younger sister lives there and we want to be close to family.
I'm an EU citizen with a bachelor's and a master's degree in Psychology. My master's specialisation was in adult clinical and health psychology, and I've done a few extra method-specific trainings on top of that (ACT, Grief Recovery, Strength-Based Coaching, and so on). I'm also fluent in English and Spanish (both around C1) on top of my native language.
Work-wise: I spent 4 years volunteering as a peer counsellor with university students during my studies. After that, I worked for 3 years at a university as a psychologist, supporting the mental health of international students in 1-1 sessions, all in English. Alongside that I've been running my own practice for about 3 years, seeing non-clinical counselling clients in individual sessions in my native language, under supervision. I'm probably somewhere around 2,000 counselling hours by now.
Longer term though, my real dream is to move into perinatal and maternal mental health. I also have a nursing midwife qualification (though my actual healthcare experience is only about two years, as my very first adult job, as a surgical assistant in a private clinic, not in maternity/obstetrics unfortunately). So once I'm through the maternity stage with my own little one, that's the direction I'd love to specialise in eventually. I know that's far away from now, but it's the goal I'm quietly working towards, and I'd love to know if it's actually realistic to get there in the UK.
On the paperwork side: UK ENIC has assessed my qualifications as RQF Level 7, and I'm about to start the GBC process with the BPS.
My main question: once our little boy starts nursery (around age 3) and I come back from maternity leave, do you think I have a realistic shot at any kind of mental-health-support role to start with, as a non-native speaker with solid but not native English and foreign qualifications that are recognised here?
A few specific things I'd love your thoughts on:
I know these are very specific questions, so honestly no worries if you can only weigh in on one or two. And on that note: is there any official body or organisation in the UK where I could book a proper, formal career consultation for this kind of thing? Someone who could look at my background and give me tailored advice on the realistic routes would be a huge help.
Any honest reality checks, "I did exactly this" stories, or "don't bother with X" warnings are very welcome. Thank you for reading this, really appreciate it!
Doing this from a throwaway as I don’t really want it attached to my usual Reddit account, but I really need to touch base about this with others who get it.
I recently qualified after a long slog of a diploma (I’m a lone parent and worked throughout so it took a longer than planned). I had wanted to do it for years by the time I got there. I have lived and breathed this training for so long, and used to feel so passionately that this was the right thing for me, but over the last 6 months I’ve slowly started to feel doubt creeping in
I’ve felt a bit ambivalent for a while but I put it down to burnout, to issues with the training and profession itself, and I really thought it would improve over time but it hasn’t. I’ve officially launched my private practice, I don’t have any clients yet but I find myself not doing much to try to get them when I could be doing more. I’m still at my second placement and I basically dread going in even though it’s supportive and well run and my supervision group is genuinely wonderful.
I just feel like I’ve lost all passion and interest for the field. I have to force myself to pick up books to read. On the rare occasions I do I usually come away feeling a bit better about everything and a bit more motivated and positive about my chosen career. even though I dread going into placement, I often come out feeling much better about it and if the sessions go well I feel good - but it only takes one difficult session to send me into the doom zone about it all. It’s like all my motivation has evaporated.
It’s notable that I had another supervisor for a long time who really knocked my confidence and I’m kind of rebuilding from that, but it feels like this goes beyond that a bit. I see people on this forum talking about how hard the training was but that it was worth it and I just don’t feel the ‘worth it’. I keep thinking maybe it’ll feel different once I’m actually working in this field and making a bit of money, but I’m not sure if that’s true.
Ive been harbouring fantasies about just not doing this any more and going into another field; an adjacent one but not counselling. I’ve voiced this a little to a couple of people who have suggested that I am perhaps still burnt out, and deeply affected by the Bad Supervisor and my own imposter syndrome and I think all those things are true, but perhaps something deeper is there too. Ironically I can’t afford to have my own therapy at the moment which I know is sorely needed, but I’m currently working part time at minimum wage and on universal credit, so there just isn’t the funds for it currently.
Anyway. All of this is to say that I am feeling so ambivalent about it all and I suppose what I’d really like to hear is that others have been through this and come out the other side of it. But really regardless of what happened In The End I would love to hear any experiences that perhaps aren’t the ‘no regrets’ stuff I wish I felt.
Hello everyone,
Next year I will begin my training as a psychotherapist. Recently, I had a conversation with an acquaintance who has been working therapeutically in various fields for many years. She advised me to start thinking early about possible specialisations. In my region in particular, there are many therapists, which is why having a clear niche can help me position myself well for the future.
I am very much looking forward to the therapeutic work, but I have also long had the dream of eventually opening a small group practice and employing a few staff members. For this reason, I am currently exploring which areas could be both fascinating and in demand in the long term, as well as economically viable.
She gave me examples such as ASD and ADHD diagnostics, as well as working with neurodiversity. She mentioned that these areas are exciting and currently in high demand.
Over the past few months, I have come across a few additional areas that also seem interesting, and I would be grateful for your experiences and insights:
I would really appreciate feedback on my ideas, as well as any new perspectives on which areas might be worth exploring further. :)