The 2016 Ipsos Mori survey found that almost 52% of people in Ireland had experienced mental health problems. Qualifying as a counsellor and psychotherapist give you a chance to help and counselling and psychotherapy courses can give
According to experts, poor mental health can lead to other serious illnesses. A qualification allows you to work in many different settings, from HR to a full-time medical career. There are also openings in the educational sector for counsellors who would like to work with children.
What personal qualities do you need for counselling and psychotherapy courses?
Mental health professionals need to have a certain number of skills. They should be empathetic and understanding. In addition, they should be able to discuss difficult topics with patients. They need patience and the desire to help others.
What can I expect?
There are a number of different courses in psychotherapy, counselling and mental health. We outline these below.
Certificate
A qualification at certificate level gives a good grounding and understanding of the issues involved in counselling and psychotherapy. At certificate level, you can use your knowledge in careers such as HR. However, you will not be qualified to work as a mental health professional.
Undergraduate
Degree courses are suitable for complete beginners as well as for people already with certificate qualifications. It is also possible to use a degree in counselling to work in related fields, such as addiction study (available at ICHAS as part of a 3-year course). You can do an undergraduate degree either full- or part-time.
Postgraduate
If you already have an undergraduate qualification in counselling and psychotherapy, and would like to learn more, there are many postgraduate courses available. Largely, these are Masters courses. There are choices between research and taught courses, that well help students get the most out of their qualifications. They will then be able to begin using it in the real world as a fully qualified counsellor or psychotherapist.
What comes next?
Many course options for counselling are twinned with other specialisations. Therefore, it is possible to use your qualification as an entry point into the career of your choice.
Have a look at the counselling and psychotherapy courses around Ireland on the Courses.ie database. In addition, you can explore psychology courses to give you a fuller idea of mental health courses.
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