Wondering how to become a child counsellor in the UK? Well, the answers are just 9 minutes away. So keep reading for step-by-step guidance on how to become a child counsellor.
People think that adults are more entitled to seek counselling and therapy. But that is far from the truth. And unfortunately, the mental health of children is frequently overlooked and ignored.
Adults often think children are always playful, blissful with no responsibilities. However, children also deal with psychological issues like adults. Therefore, children’s issues may need therapy that is differently designed from regular adult therapy.
What does a Child Counsellor Do?
Let’s talk about a child counsellor’s job before we dive into how to become a child counsellor. Child counsellors work with the mental and emotional well-being of children. Some professionals specialise in certain areas. Such as-
- Childhood depression
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Abuse
These are just a few examples. In addition, a child counsellor treats many other mental and emotional difficulties in children. They often do it through a process called “play therapy.”
During the process of ‘play therapy,’ the counsellor encourages children to play games with puzzles or with toys they enjoy. Then the counsellor oversees the activities of children. The counsellor thereupon gets plenty of insights into their emotions and feelings.
Some child counsellors use individual counselling as well. During such therapies, the counsellors encourage the children to open up. They also encourage the child to talk about his feelings and explore his emotions. Counsellors help adolescents cope with current and past challenges too. They influence them to process their feelings rooting in past experiences. As a result, this better equips them to deal with difficult emotions such as anger, fear or shame.
For better treatment, a counsellor must also reach out to the children’s caregivers. Following this, they usually set the caregivers’ expectations on the process. The child counsellor is also likely to predict the time needed for treatment.
What are The Common Services that Child Counsellors Provide Adolescents with?
A child counsellor or therapist may provide the following services to adolescents:
- Counsellors work to help their child patients achieve mental and emotional well-being.
- They provide specialised aids in many areas. Some examples are Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression and abuse. There are many other such fields of expertise.
- They use ‘play therapy’ with games and toys. This helps them find the feelings and emotions of children (as we mentioned earlier).
- A child counsellor offers personal counselling that encourages talk therapy. Talk therapy helps counsellors explore their patient’s challenges and coping mechanisms. How their past issues and current distress affect them, are also resolved.
- A professional counsellor facilitates family counselling with the family of a child client. They guide the caregivers with better strategies for the child’s recovery process.
- Child counsellors may furthermore organise small therapy groups and mental health workshops. They are sometimes customised according to their patient’s needs.
To conclude, adolescence is a hard time in everyone’s life. And helping a youngster get through this transformative phase requires some special expertise. You can have a look at the units of the course ‘Counselling Children & Adolescents Certificate.’ This will help you get a more thorough understanding of what it takes to be able to support adolescents as a counsellor.
How to Become a Child Counsellor in The UK?
Now it’s time to talk about how to become a child counsellor UK or how to become a youth counsellor.
To become a child counsellor, one needs to go through a rather rigorous amount of education. To have a career as a child counsellor includes obtaining-
- A Bachelor’s Degree
- A Master’s Degree.
- Graduate and Postgraduate internships.
- A Doctorate or PhD program is also convenient in the future if you want.
- Lastly, get licensed or certified.
What Educational Qualifications are Required for Becoming a Child Counsellor?
For becoming a child counsellor, convincing proof of credentials are needed. It is undoubtedly one of the most sensitive professions. Therefore, the evaluation process is also fairly rigorous.
Get a Relevant Bachelor’s Degree
Ready to take the first step to learn how to become a child counsellor? Firstly, get a Bachelor’s Degree. You can attain Bachelor’s Degree in behavioural science, social science or psychology. A Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science programme includes course works in-
- Fundamental Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychology
- Statistics
These course works might cover –
- Early Development
- Adolescent Development
- Behavioural and Emotional Childhood problems
- Impairments
- Play Therapy
- Perceptual Development
- Cognitive Development
- Interpersonal Relations and Development
- Language Therapy or Art Therapy
Not every university offers child therapy as an undergraduate program. But most of them provide a combination of counselling and psychology at the bachelor’s level. In the case of long-term career goals, getting a bachelor’s degree certificate is the safest option. It creates a solid foundation for a graduate degree in child therapy.
Earn a Master’s Degree
Next, pursue a master’s degree in counselling or a related field. A Master’s Degree is one of the basic requirements of being a child counsellor. Graduate studies will strengthen your counselling techniques with-
- Child development theories
- Diagnosis procedures
- Educational and Psychological Testing and Measurement
- Behavioural and Mental disorders
- Family, Group and Individual therapy
Some master’s programs may demand you to conduct research and generate a thesis. The modules at graduate school are likely to include the following topics-
- Child Abuse Prevention
- Crisis Intervention
- Toddler Development
- Social Ecology
- Play Therapy
- Grief and Loss
- Child Life
- Family Theory
If you wish to obtain a doctoral program, you will need to compose and perform original research for a thesis later on. You will volunteer your school’s faculty members to become advisors. And also to help you submit research proposals. In addition, graduate committees will supervise your studies and direct examinations.
Get a PhD (Optional)
When you finish your coursework and exams, you will need to write a detailed commentary about the work. You will also need to present conclusions derived from the analyses and observations. After defending your studies in front of the committee successfully, you will receive your PhD.
Complete Graduate and Postgraduate Internships
As a part of graduation, doing a supervised counselling practice internship is mandatory. Therefore, it is a reasonable way to get started in your future career as a child counsellor. Combining your graduate and postgraduate internship hours will further advance your career.
Internships are usually structured into graduate degree programs. However, experience is also important in some states. And this is particularly needed to meet the certification and licence requirements.
The duration to earn enough internship credits to fulfil program requirements varies. To elaborate, the measure of eligibility usually depends on the following:
- The needs of the employer
- The graduate program’s demands
- Degree level
Under these circumstances, internships may last from six months to up to two years.
Get Licensed or Certified
The laws for certification or licence vary from state to state. State boards of counselling and health care determine these metrics. So, find out the requirements to receive permission to practice. In that case, we recommend you review with your state government.
A licence will assure your client’s family that you are qualified to help them. That’s how they will trust you with their child. And that is very important in the child counselling profession.
However, to show evidence of supervised experience and coursework, you will need certifications. And for this purpose, you might need to take one or more of the following exams:
- National Counsellor Examination,
- National Clinical Mental Health Counselling Examination,
- Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology or
- National Board for Certified Counsellors.
What Qualities Does a Child Counsellor Need for Professional Success?
Knowing how to become a child counsellor is not enough to become one. We encourage you to check with the qualities mentioned below. If they seem like a match, then you probably have the making of a fine child counsellor.
So ask yourself the following questions objectively enough:
Do You Have a “Soft Corner” for Children?
A good and compassionate child counsellor must profoundly advocate for children. Do you genuinely enjoy being around children? If yes, in that case, watching them develop, grow, and mature will be immensely rewarding. Check out this course ‘Counselling children and supporting their well-being’ by Course Cloud for better understanding. If this seems like something that you would enjoy learning, then who knows? This could be your one true calling!
Do You Understand Child Development?
A credible child therapist must have a sound understanding of the developmental stages. Although, you will get training and knowledge on this in your education period. They also need to be highly familiar with the concerns that are common among youngsters. Moreover, a good child therapist needs to be knowledgeable on child-appropriate treatment strategies.
Are you Compliant to Consult with Other Professionals?
A skilled child counsellor must consult with professionals in other areas. Some examples are teachers, social workers, and therapists related to the child. She might also want to collaborate with childcare workers, psychologists, and physicians.
To explain, is your child patient is “acting out” at home? Then there is a good chance that she is doing the same thing elsewhere. Therefore, it is necessary to consult with professionals in the mentioned areas.
It is also crucial to work with doctors and physicians. And this particularly applies if your child patient is using psychotropic medications. To conclude, collaborating with medical professionals can significantly promote your patient’s overall progress.
Are you Able to Encourage Parents to Participate?
A good child counsellor might need to take that extra mile to encourage the parents. To engage them in their child’s treatment process, the counsellor can play distinct roles. Child therapists should also highly maintain communication regularly with patient’s parents or guardians. This interaction should consist of:
- Progress reports,
- Parenting style suggestions, and
- Prescriptions on ways to improve the child’s behaviours at home and school
Are you Capable of Continuing your Learning and Staying Up To Date?
Staying updated on trends is key to maintaining a state licence. Hence, counsellors practising in adolescent populations must continue to learn consistently.
What Skills Does a Child Counsellor Need to have?
Children look at the world in an entirely different way from adults. They definitely have a different lens of observing the world. Because of this, the approach to therapy for children is much different.
A child counsellor must have outstanding interpersonal skills. Because s/he will need it while dealing with the patient and the adults who influence the patient. S/he must show a positive and caring attitude in communication. And sometimes s/he might need to be extra patient while listening to the patient and his family.
Because some of the concerns that children and adolescents may present in counselling sessions may include:
- Learning Disabilities
- Behavioural Concerns
- Substance Abuse
- Sexuality
- Identity Crisis
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Social Issues
- Eating Disorders
- Poverty
- Domestic Violence
Child counsellors encourage clients to discuss their daily experiences and emotions. They also help clients process their feelings and adapt to significant life changes, such as death and divorce. A skilled and successful counsellor will help their patients to develop behavioural changes. And more importantly, she helps them to cope with life’s challenges and make good choices.
Counsellors and therapists also must have good writing skills for documenting cases. In addition, child counsellors in private practice need accounting and business skills.
Children and Young People's Counsellor
Children and Young People's Counsellor
What are the Pay and Benefits of a Child Therapist in Average?
The average salary for a Child Counsellor is £40,000, according to PayScale. In the UK, Psychotherapist trainees can earn up to £30,401 to £37,267. And qualified child and adolescent counsellors can expect salaries between £37,570 to £43,772. Moreover, principal psychotherapists or counsellors will be paid at Band 8 of the NHS PayScale. For most senior posts, it starts at £44,606 and rises to £86,687.
Salaries will always vary from state to state and amongst multiple employment settings. However, the heightened need is boosting salaries fast. So, by the time today’s students (like you) are ready to start, the pay might reach an even higher scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that we are done with the steps of how to become a child counsellor, let’s answer some questions that people ask frequently on Google. You may find some clue here which we might have missed.
How Long Does it Take to Become a Child Therapist?
Ans: In a way, it’s up to you. Because you determine how much time you want to spend getting your Degree. But in general, you can complete a master’s in child counselling in two years. And if you are thinking of getting a doctoral program, it could take you five years or longer.
What is a Child Counsellor Called?
Ans: Child counsellors, also sometimes referred to as child therapists and child psychologists. But depending on the level of education and licence, these terms can have specific meanings. However, the core duties of each of these professionals have a lot of overlaps.
Why do Therapists Make so Little?
Ans: Reasons are-
1. The re-medicalisation of health care.
2. The re-medicalisation of Psychiatry.
3. The recent abundance of great therapists.
4. Failing to establish unique expertise in health care.
5. The rise of Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners.
6. Failing to utilise Parity Laws correctly.
How do I Counsel My 6-year-old?
Ans: Dear parents, we have solace for you. It indeed is an achievable goal! Here are a few simple ways that can help you with this:
1. Use tokens
2. Let them experience the consequences
3. Discipline correctly
4. Use actionable statements
5 Give disciplinary breaks
6. Encourage good behaviour
How do I Know if My Child Needs Counselling?
Ans: Parents can handle most behavioural issues by being determined. After all, carrying out easy disciplinary strategies help. But, a few other behavioural issues require serious attention and even counselling at times. Let’s check out what these are.
1. Emotional problems
2. Sexually inappropriate behaviour
3. Suicidal tendencies
4. Constant fights
5. Troubling behaviour at school
6. Non-responsive to discipline
7. Poor impulse control
Is Child Psychology a Good Career?
Ans: A career in psychological therapy can be a gratifying job for someone who likes to interact and help people. You will spend your time helping people. And that will lead them toward a productive, functional and happier life. So it can be deeply satisfying. The salary is also respectable. Especially if you get into the NHS, the basic starting salary is around £21K.
Can you become a Counsellor without a degree?
Ans: No.
The first answer to the question ‘How to become a child counsellor’ is, you have to be academically qualified.
If you want to start at child counselling, to start, you need to at least have a Bachelor’s Degree in –
- Counselling,
- Child Psychology or
- Social Work.
Conclusion
Children deal with behavioural and emotional challenges as adults do. Hence, being a child therapist enables you to impact a person’s life positively. Being a child counsellor also lets you work with children in their developmental years. Moreover, kids troubled by bullying, parent’s divorce or loss can also take help from your expertise.
With a child therapist’s help, children and adolescents navigate complex issues. They can also solve challenging problems that they face during their formative years.
Now that you know how to become a child counsellor, take some time to think. Do check out the course ‘Children and Young People’s Counsellor’ to consider if the units seem to appeal to you. Hopefully, your decision will work in your best interests!
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