Professional Pathways in Psychological Therapy Training: A Guide to UK Qualifications

I receive a lot of queries about therapy training, routes to qualification, and what training entails. As I have spent 15 years training and supervising clinicians, I thought it may be useful to put together a guide for those interested in pursuing a therapeutic career. This guide outlines the main routes to becoming a psychological therapist in the UK. Each pathway offers distinct training approaches, career outcomes and professional recognition requirements. Therapy itself is rewarding on many levels, and I hope this guide is a useful starting point for those interested in training.

Therapy Training Routes

Psychology (Doctoral Level)

Psychology is a regulated profession with a regulatory body and accrediting body standards:

1. The Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC): regulates professional titles and protects public interests. Registration is mandatory for practitioners using protected titles (Counselling/Clinical/Educational/Forensic). Programme approval status: https://www.hcpc-uk.org
2. The British Psychological Society (BPS): the professional community organisation for Psychologists, providing support and ongoing training.  Training programmes should be accredited, and are searchable athttps://www.bps.org.uk

Approved/Accredited courses are published on the HCPC and BPS websites.

Counselling Psychology

Training integrates psychological science with the traditions and practices of psychotherapy.  Curriculum includes training in critical mental health, assessment, formulation, counselling, psychotherapy, and complex therapeutic approaches (typically humanistic, CBT, psychodynamic, and systemic training). You are required to undergo personal therapy to understand the experience of being a client, and for your own wellbeing and personal growth.

• Entry Criteria: BSc psychology, experience, and some need a Level 3 counselling skills certificate.
• Level of Training: Level 7 (MSc) & Level 8 (Doctorate).  Year 1 is L7, progressing to L8 after 1 year.
• Length of Training: 3 to 4 years full time (part time options as well)
• Professional Recognition: The Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)and The British Psychological Society (BPS)
• Career options:  Roughly equal distribution between NHS and independent practice.  Many have portfolio careers, with a mixture of NHS, private work, consultancy, academia, and court work.  The profession is essentially a combination of clinical psychology training plus the practices and traditions of psychotherapy. Graduates complete with a lot of skills in different therapeutic models, suitable for most settings.
• Where it can take you:  Leads to BPS Chartership.  HCPC registration allows you to use the protected title of ‘Counselling Psychologist’.

Clinical Psychology

Trains to doctoral level in mental health work, and aimed slightly more toward an NHS career.

• Entry Criteria: BSc psychology, experience.
• Level of Training: Level 7 (MSc) & Level 8 (Doctorate).  Year 1 is L7, progressing to L8 after 1 year.
• Length of Training: 3 to 4 years full time (part time options as well)
• Professional Recognition: The Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)and The British Psychological Society (BPS)
• Career options:  Most work exclusively in the NHS.  Some do private work with additional consultancy.  Typically will work only in the NHS, often in a management type role, work with service development, and carry out assessments as well as clinical interventions.
• Where it can take you:  Leads to BPS Chartership.  HCPC registration allows you to use the protected title of ‘Clinical Psychologist’.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Usually trains in the delivery of cognitive behavioural therapy only.

• Entry Criteria: Usually need to have a BSc in psychology, social work, nursing, or similar.
• Level of Training: Level 7 diploma or MSc.
• Length of Training: Usually 12 to 18months long.
• Professional Recognition: BABCP
• Career options:  Often NHS employed. Some work in private practice.  NHS trained practitioners often work within the NHS in primary care settings (GP surgeries and community centres).  Training is usually delivered through university training routes in partnership with NHS providers.
• Where it can take you:  Some work privately, many work in the NHS.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is typically a longer form of working where you work in more complex and challenging ways with clients over the longer term, with time for deeper relational depth.

• Entry Criteria: Usually need to have a BSc in a relevant subject.
• Level of Training: Training is to postgraduate MA or MSc.
• Length of Training: Usually 18month to 2 years long.  Some programmes are only part time, and are over 4 years.
• Professional Recognition: UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy) or BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy)
• Career options:  Most work in private practice, and not many work in the NHS.  Training is more about relational dynamics, and deep ‘process’ work rather than delivery of specific techniques.
• Where it can take you:  Can provide a good foundation for ongoing study toward a PhD.

Counselling

Usually trains you in person centred counselling, some courses come with additional training in CBT as part of an integrative approach.  Diploma training usually covers just one model of therapy, where MSc programmes cover integration of two or more.

• Level of Training: Level 5 diploma, some are BSc, some are Masters.
• Length of Training: 1 to 2 years long, depending on your route.  You will need extra hours of experience to gain accreditation.
• Professional Recognition: BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy). There are 2 levels. You reach ‘registered’ status when you graduate from your programme, and ‘accredited’ status after a few years of supervised practice.
• Career options: Usually in private practice, or in a clinic with other counsellors.  Very few work in the NHS.
• Where it can take you: A level 3 qualification is needed as an entry requirement for a doctorate in counselling psychology.

What to Know Before you Apply

• Training as a therapist requires a lot of reflective work and personal development.  Sometimes this means ‘going back to get the basics right’, which can feel strange, but remember: roots have to grow down so branches can grow higher.
• Not all training programmes are equal.  The ‘higher’ qualifications are more competitive, but not if you are the right person.
• Application usually requires an interview, and participation in a variety of selection activities.  Be prepared to show your skills in roleplay activities or discussion groups. Every one of us has life experience that has shaped who we are, how we manage our own emotions and relationships. Programme teams are not looking for ‘perfect’ students, they are seeking well rounded candidates who are able to reflect on life experience.
• Training is also a personal journey, so be ready to undertake your own therapy.
• Counselling Certificates: A Level 3 skills certificate (or equivalent) is often an entry requirement, particularly for Counselling Psychology training. These are normally delivered through local community colleges.  A skills course needs to include skills practice, placements, and a piece of assessed work at the end (a case study or reflective essay).  Aim for accredited courses delivered in person, as these will offer you skills practice and provide a grounding in the key therapy training models in which you need to be competent. Make sure the staff running the programme are accredited practitioners themselves, and they are on the register of one of the accrediting routes listed above.
• Costs of programmes vary, usually depending on the training provider and the level of resourcing.  Compare what is ‘in the package’ and ‘what is extra’ before you apply, and add up all the costs on a spreadsheet first.  You are likely to need to pay for (a) indemnity insurance, and (b) personal therapy.  In Psychology clinical supervision is usually provided for free as part of placement, but this is not the case for many counselling/psychotherapy placements.  You may need to factor extra supervision fees into your financial plan.
• Placements are often unpaid, which means working for at least 1 day per week as a volunteer. You will need to factor the possibility of reduced salary/income into your financial plan. Some have managed to negotiate with employers to adapt an existing role they are already working in to enable them to meet their training needs, such as Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner jobs in the NHS.

Where to Get Experience

Local charities that enable you to work with real people are a great place to start.  Many healthcare providers operate day centres and community groups.  Experience as a support worker is also valuable, as it will enable you to showcase how you supported people with a variety of needs and worked as part of a team.  Many who go on to psychology programmes gain experience as Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners, or Assistant Psychologists, which often also include training as part of the role.  Your experience does not necessarily need to be directly doing ‘counselling’ but can involve supporting people as part of a team.  In interview you will need to speak about your experience, and demonstrate reflection on how you supported service users.

Remote work: Telephone or online experience is helpful, but it will also help to have some live experience in person.  I generally advise against doing only telephone based work, because you will need to be able to work with people in a live setting in the future.

Tips for the Interview Day

A course interview will cover academic and practical experience, as well as a conversation about ‘who you are’.  As well as hearing about your academic abilities the team will want to know how you have reflected on your own life experience and have a clear sense of ‘who you’ are before you start training.

• Everyone has had a life history. Know how yours has shaped you.
• Your aim is to show the admissions team you have the skills, talents, and reflective ability to learn from experience.  You are not trying to convince people you have had a perfect life. Be ok with your mistakes, and show how you have learned from the rough times.  It is ok to still have ‘sore spots’, as l long as you know how they still affect you.
• Know what motivates you to want to help others. It comes from somewhere, and you need to be able to speak at depth about it.

Which Route to Choose?

The route you choose depends on what kind of work you want to be doing in the future, and how much autonomy you want to have.  Generally, the further up the academic scale you go the greater your job security, the higher your salary, and the more opportunities are open to you.

Courses come and go, and pop up at various training providers from time to time. Most advertise via google, and it is always worth checking the programme is registered on one of the accrediting bodies listed above.

I hope this is a helpful starting point for anyone considering a therapy career.  Any questions please send them my way and I will be happy to help.

–Garrett

Garrett Kennedy CPsychol | AFBPsS | HCPC Reg | FHEA

Chartered & HCPC Registered Counselling Psychologist

Registered EuroPsy Psychologist