Counselling Placements for Students in the UK

If you're a student in the UK, you may wonder about counselling placement for students and how to secure one. Counseling placement is a training opportunity for students, where counselling students work under professional supervision. In this blog, we will guide you through counselling placement in the UK, and how you’ll secure a position here.

Types of counselling placements for students

What are the requirements for getting a placement?

Getting a placement for counselling is not impossible, but difficult. The competition is huge, so you need to fulfill all the requirements properly to get a counselling placement in the UK. These are-

• Counselling qualification

Most of the placement recruiters hire students who have a degree, a diploma, a bachelor or a master's in counselling. The minimum criteria is level 4 of a diploma in counselling, a bachelor's degree with psychology with counselling, or a postgraduate degree in psychotherapy or counselling.

The students must complete the introductory and intermediate courses before applying for a placement. This is the minimum educational requirement, which provides a solid foundation, ethical rules of counselling.

• Membership of professional body (BACP, UKCP, NCPS)

In the UK, placement holders must be members of professional organizations such as-

• BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy)
• UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy)
• NCPS (National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society)

These organizations hold strict regulations for counselling. If a student is a member of these professional bodies, this is a sign to placement providers that students are aligned and familiar with the core principles of counselling.

• Training hours completion

Students are required to fulfill a set of training hours before securing a placement. For instance, a diploma degree holder is required to have at least 100-150 hours of training.

• Insurance and DBS check

The placement provider also needs insurance for the student. Sometimes the organization arranges group insurance, and sometimes it is the responsibility of the student. Insurance protects the student and the respective organization from any legal issues.

Moreover, a DBS or Disclosure and Barring Service check is necessary to work with difficult, special needs adults and children.

• Applying for placement

If you’ve completed all the requirements stated above, now is the time to apply for placement. List down all nearby placement opportunities, and send them your CV.

Here is a table of categories of organizations you can search for placement-

Benefits of counselling placement for students

• Skill development
• Practical knowledge gain
• Improved career decision
• Increased employability
• Qualifications for professional counselling

How to secure a placement, along with challenges

To secure a placement in the UK, you need to meet the requirements of professional bodies. Here is a foolproof, step-by-step process to ensure a placement in the UK-

• Academic fulfillment
• Membership of a professional body
• Research placement opportunities
• Prepare your CV
• Apply for placement and start practicing

Challenges you may face during placement-

• Work-life balance

Combined with academic pressure, a part-time job, and counselling work, it can be overwhelming for any student. It becomes very difficult to extract time for personal life as counselling is time-consuming.

• Extreme competition

Well-known counselling organizations, such as the NHS, and other youth-related professionals receive a lot of applications throughout the year. So the competition is really tough, and you need a strong CV to secure a placement.

• Financial limitation

Travel cost, insurance cost, DBS check, and supervision fee are expensive. So counselling placement comes with a large financial limitation.

• Handling difficult clients

Students may need to handle difficult clients in special niche-based counselling. This can be confusing, what to respond to, maintaining boundaries and ethics.

Conclusion

Securing a counselling placement for students may feel overwhelming at first. However, if you’re consistent and attentive, counseling placement may become a full-time career opportunity in the UK for you. Learn more about student career opportunities in the UK from London Language Club, your all-time helpline for admission and study opportunities.

FAQ

Is counselling placement too expensive?

Yes, counselling placement can be expensive depending on travel cost. The average cost is 1k pound per year.