How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank
This question crossed my desk more times than I can count, so I figured it a good topic for a short post. You will likely have more questions, which you can ask, and you will have to do some of your own research as I can’t really tell you how YOU can become a counsellor, only tell you what I did.
Why can’t it be easier? Well because there are so many routes to working in the helping field and each of us has to find a path that works. But it doesn’t have to be a perfect path, just find one that works and ensure that your program is accredited and/or the route to doing the type of work you want to do.
Choosing a career is a complicated process, choosing a career that does not have a linear path is even more challenging. People who provide helping services, therapy, counselling, psychotherapy, are a varied group of professionals, with diverse education and experience. Since there are a number of routes it can be helpful to ask yourself these three questions:
- Where do I want to work? (Hospital, Children’s Services, shelter, College or University, health clinic, private practice)
- What type of Education and Experience do I have and how much time and money am I able to put into further training?
- Where do I live? (Are there rules governing the practice of counselling in my region?)
Most of my clients don’t have the answers to these questions yet, so the process of finding the right route into the profession of counselling can be quite daunting.
At this time counselling professionals all over Canada and the US are hard at work to help the government regulate the profession, so it is important to find out if your own Province or State has specific requirements and laws governing counsellors/counselors.
For example, in Ontario Canada, regulation is underway. For some information on how things are going in Canada see The National Symposium on Counsellor Regulation
http://www.ccpa-accp.ca/en/symposium2011/
For more specific information on my route…
How I became a counsellor (The circuitous route!)
Let’s just say my career path was organic: Meaning the training flowed as a result of the work. I didn’t decide when I was 5 that I was going to be a counsellor, coach, entrepreneur, consultant, etc, etc, etc. I was influenced both by the passion of my mentors for various approaches and by the needs of my clients for further resources and interventions.
Like many helping professionals, I was often the person people talked to about their problems or desires long before I made it my career. I did a lot of volunteering and when I did my undergraduate degree I focused on issues of abuse and trauma. I didn’t find myself to be too employable with my arts degree and my lack of career navigation skills, so I drifted. And drifted; working in restaurants and private corporations (where I finally learned more about the business side of things…i.e. career navigation skills).
Despite a growing interest in business I decided for once and for all that I wanted to get back into the work of counselling, but I felt I needed more formal training and so I learned all I could about various programs in Canada that offered graduate training in Social Work, Counselling and Clinical Psychology.
I decided on the University of British Columbia and started with a diploma in Guidance (because I didn’t have all of the required courses necessary to apply to the Masters in Counselling). It was during the Masters in Counselling where I was introduced to the methods I would continue to train in and use to this day; Narrative Therapy and Solution Focussed Counselling. You can find this degree at some other Universities, in the Faculty of Education.
Why did I choose Counselling over Social Work or Clinical Psych? For a few reasons, which are the same reasons most people end up in one career over another; opportunity and misinformation! But hey, it all worked out. The Counselling Psychology Department at UBC was the place for me and I’m so glad I chose it, but was it the only route? No way. Just the best choice for me at the time. I didn’t have an undergraduate degree in Psychology so a Clinical Psych program would have been a tough sell. I didn’t want to work for CAS or in a hospital so I mistakenly ruled out Social Work. Not mistakenly because I wish I had chosen it, just that I have lots of colleagues and friends who are Social Workers who do exactly what I do, some even in the same organization.
*nb with that said, IMHO, there are jobs available to Social Workers in Ontario that I have not seen given to Counselling Psyc grads, such as Children’s Aid Society and in Emergency wards in Hospitals. That may change as counselling becomes regulated, but that is what I have seen in the past. If you think that is your preferred work, or you want to make certain you are eligible for those jobs check out MSW degrees, see link below.
I did a placement at a University Counselling Clinic and at a High School clinic. I really enjoyed the University Clinic and that helped me narrow down my future career goals, which became very narrow when I returned to Kingston and my own Alma Mater, Queen’s University. I still required more work experience so I held an advising position and also worked at a Woman’s shelter. After a couple of years I joined the staff at Queen’s.
I joined the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association when I started my private practice. Truthfully, so I could have access to their liability insurance. As the years went by the resources offered by the association inspired me to become even more involved and at the time of writing I’m the Ontario Anglophone Director.
Rather than a book about me, I hope what you got out of this rather unorthodox “behind the resume” was the idea that a career is not always linear. You don’t always know exactly where you will end up. Not everyone has known that they would be a Veterinarian since the age of 5 and they still managed to have meaningful and successful careers.
I often tell me clients that a career path doesn’t always look like a path until you look back on it. Your career can grow and change and hopefully you with it.
How to find the right program
You will likely spend hours scouring University websites trying to figure out if you have the requirements to apply to their programs. I finally narrowed it down to UBC but didn’t have all of the requirements; I found out by calling the department directly that many students take a diploma program first in order to get up to date.
What are some other routes to becoming trained to offer therapy?
You might want to explore becoming a Psychologist, Psychological Associate or a Social Worker too.
*Currently the terms Psychologist and Social Worker are registered and protected and what that means for potential students is that there is a linear career path. You must follow the regulations of the college to earn the right to use one of these titles.
If your main interest is in becoming a:
Psychologist http://www.cpo.on.ca/
Social Worker http://www.ocswssw.org/en/default.htm
Certified Counsellor http://www.ccpa-accp.ca/
Best of luck to you, if you have more specific questions feel free to get in touch via email. I regret that I don’t generally have the time to answer these questions informally “over lunch” but do have consulting hours. Tips for getting the most out of an appointment, do your research first, come up with a list of specific questions.
