Careers in counselling and psychotherapy

At CCPT, we pride ourselves on enabling students from a range of backgrounds and levels of experience to become fully qualified practitioners in their chosen field. This will unlock a number of opportunities.
Career opportunities
There is strong demand for qualified counsellors:
  • Over 50% of people waiting for counselling and psychotherapy on the NHS are waiting more than 3 months to receive treatment, whilst 1 in 10 patients wait for more than a year just to be assessed for treatment1.
  • 62% of schools offer counselling services to their pupils2.
  • The number of students seeking mental health support at university has rocketed by more than 50% in five years3.
How much does a counsellor earn?
  • Average salary: £25,654 (starter) to £45,838 (experienced)4.
  • Counsellors in private practice may typically charge between £40 and £80 for a 50-minute session5.
A worthwhile career as a counsellor
  • “Nearly 3 million people in Britain are in ‘distressed’ relationships where they regularly argue or consider divorce.”6.
  • 822,000 workers suffer from work-related stress, depression or anxiety annually7.
  • The number of children having therapy for anxiety has risen by 60% in two years8.
  • 17.9 million working days are lost annually due to stress, depression or anxiety9.
  • 92% of young people will experience what they see as a significant bereavement before the age of 1610.
Helping people through difficult times can lead to life-changing results for clients, and be incredibly rewarding as a counsellor.
A range of fields
Whatever your background or ambitions, once you have successfully completed your chosen course, your new skills will be highly sought-after and can complement your work in many fields, including:
  • Social work
  • Nursing
  • Police
  • Prison service
  • Working with children
  • Complementary therapy
  • Humanitarian work
  • Human Resources in businesses
  • Teaching in schools or nurseries
  • Care work (e.g. Care Assistant, Support Worker, or Key Worker)
  • Team Leader or Manager in an organisation
  • Any role where you regularly communicate with other people
1 Source: https://www.mind.org.uk/media/494424/we-still-need-to-talk_report.pdf
2 Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/497825/Counselling_in_schools.pdf
3 Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45824598
4 Source: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/counsellor (Earning potential is a guide.)
5 Source: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/counsellor
6 Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/love-sex/one-in-five-couples-in-distressed-relationships-report-finds-a7047521.html
7 Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress.pdf (Figures relate to 2021.)
8 Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/08/number-children-having-anxiety-counselling-rises-60-per-cent2/
9 Source: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm
10 Source: https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/impact-bereavement-and-loss-young-people
For helpful course advice, please call Freephone 0800 062 2900 or 0207 307 5922.