A counsellor's journey and a call for regulation

When I read recently that Stephen Kinnock, the Health Minister, had raised concerns about the ease of the journey to becoming a counsellor, it stopped me in my tracks. His words echo a growing conversation about access, regulation, standards, and the emotional toll of this profession.

He also mentioned that the unregulated private sector may be diagnosing mental health conditions without clinical expertise. I agree with this. My years of training have meant that I know when something is outside my remit.

As a senior accredited counsellor working within the SCoPEd (Scope of Practice and Education) framework (Albertsen & Shennan, 2020), I have reached a level of practice that adheres to the BACP’s (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) highest standards. I follow a code of conduct (Bond, 2016), and I work ethically, competently, and independently.

But beyond the headlines and policy discussions, there is a deeper, more human story that often goes unheard: the personal journey that shapes every single counsellor. I urge Mr Kinnock to read my article. I agree wholeheartedly that this profession needs regulation. It is extremely worrying that anyone can set themselves up as a counsellor. Here is my story.

The beginning: A calling, not a career

My decision to become a counsellor didn’t come from a careers adviser or a neat list of job prospects. It came from a calling. I remember sitting in a counselling session as a client, my world crumbling, and thinking, "I want to be able to hold space for someone like this one day."

It sounds romantic, doesn’t it? It wasn’t. That moment was born from trauma, confusion, and a desperate need to make sense of my own experiences. And that, I’ve come to learn, is where many of us begin.

Training: The climb begins

I started with a basic listening course. It felt small, almost insignificant at the time. But I quickly realised it was the foundation of something life-changing. From there, I embarked on a Level 2 counselling skills course, and then Level 3, each step asking more of me emotionally, financially, and psychologically. A two-year Level 4 diploma, then a Postgraduate certificate, then a Postgraduate diploma, then a master's degree, passion, dedication and being tenacious drove me forward.

I remember being told by a tutor early on: "This journey will challenge  you before it makes  you." She was right.

Diploma training was intense. Hundreds of hours of classroom work. Weekly personal therapy. Supervised client hours. Assignments. Reading. Peer feedback. There were doubts. Moments I nearly quit. Times I wondered if I was strong enough.

But I kept going. Because beneath all the academic requirements was a powerful drive:  to understand, to help.

Placements: Where theory meets reality

Finding a placement wasn’t easy. I set up a placement in the school where I worked and volunteered on a Saturday with the homeless. I had to have two supervisors, as the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) requires one and a half hours of supervision per calendar month. As one of my diplomas was counselling children and the other diploma counselling adults, I needed two different supervisors with experience in both areas.

I was seeing real clients with real pain. And yet, I wasn’t being paid. In fact, I was paying for supervision, for travel, personal therapy, and for continued training. Like many trainees, I juggled jobs, family responsibilities, and self-doubt. The emotional labour of counselling is heavy. When you’re new, it’s overwhelming.

I saw clients who taught me more than any textbook ever could.

Supervision and growth

Good supervision saved me. It gave me a place to be vulnerable, to learn, to make mistakes safely. My supervisor is my anchor for many years. She helped me reflect, not just on technique, but on who I was becoming.

And I was changing. Counselling doesn’t just transform clients. It transforms practitioners. I became more self-aware. More grounded. More capable of holding emotional complexity.

I also became more aware of the responsibility this work carries. We don’t just listen. We hold people’s pain. We witness trauma. We sit with grief, rage, confusion, and shame. And we do it with care, compassion, and ethical integrity.

Accreditation and accountability

When I became a BACP-accredited counsellor, it wasn’t just a title. It was a testament to the years of hard work, reflection, and growth. Later, achieving senior accreditation within the SCoPEd framework reflected my ongoing commitment to excellence.

Clients deserve to know that their counsellor is accountable, trained, and working within an ethical framework. Without regulation, there’s no guarantee of that.

The problem with an unregulated profession

This is where I circle back to Stephen Kinnock’s point. The lack of regulation is dangerous. I’ve met individuals who’ve been harmed by so-called counsellors who had no training, no supervision, and no accountability. It breaks trust. It breaks people.

I don’t say this to gatekeep. I say it because this work requires more than good intentions. It requires skill, depth, humility, and regulation.

Would we accept unqualified surgeons? Untrained teachers? Then why is it acceptable in mental health?

Private practice: Building ethically

Starting my private practice was another climb. I didn’t just throw up a website and wait. I invested in thousands of hours of continued professional development. I set up systems for consent, GDPR compliance, and safeguarding. I joined directories. I networked. I did the slow, ethical work of building trust in my community.

Even now, I attend required monthly supervision, never-ending CPD, and review my practice regularly, this is the norm for ethically minded practitioners. I am always learning. Always reflecting. Because the moment we think we’ve "arrived" in this work is the moment we risk complacency.

To those still climbing

To trainee counsellors reading this: I see you. I know how hard it is. I know the unpaid hours, the impostor syndrome, the sacrifices. Keep going.

The world needs more compassionate, trained, ethical counsellors. Don’t rush. Let the journey shape you. It’s not just about the certificate. It’s about who you become in the process.

And remember: supervision is your friend. So is rest. So is humility.

Final thoughts: A profession worth protecting

Counselling is not an easy profession. Nor should it be. It demands a lot of us. But it gives back in ways that are profound and beautiful.

We sit with people in their darkest hours. We hold their stories. We bear witness to their pain and their healing. That is sacred work.

Regulating this profession is not about limiting access. It’s about ensuring safety, competence, and integrity. It’s about protecting clients and supporting counsellors to do their best work.

I didn’t climb this mountain to have the profession devalued by those unwilling to take the journey. And I know I’m not alone.

Sitting here, typing an assignment in the second year of a doctorate degree at Chester University, I find myself reflecting on the journey that led me to this moment. Thousands of hours invested, tens of thousands of pounds spent, hundreds of courses and an unrelenting passion for every concept, intervention, and theory I've encountered, the thirst for knowledge is something that has never left me.

I had to be best equipped for whatever a client brought to me; that was of the utmost importance to me. If I were unsure of something, I would spend hours researching it, often taking me into the midnight hours and beyond. I became fascinated by psychoeducation and neuroscience, passing what I had learnt to my clients and pupils. A counsellor never stops researching or CPD, we have a duty to our clients – how can we stop progressing?

So, Mr Kinnock, thank you for raising the alarm, but there are a lot more ethical practitioners than unregulated ones. If your concerns come from a genuine place, make counselling regulated in the UK, like in other countries, ethical-minded, qualified counsellors would welcome it, we would applaud it.

Too often, I have seen people advertising counselling services with no counselling training. To become a counsellor takes years, even decades, of learning, supervision, voluntary hours, personal therapy and a lifetime of ongoing CPD. I hope you’ll listen to those of us who have walked this path. We are here. We are ready. And we believe this profession, this vocation, is worth protecting, isn't it time it was regulated?

My hope is that by sharing this article, others, especially those in positions of influence, will see the heart behind the role and recognise why our personal journeys matter just as much as our professional ones. I am privileged and humbled to work with the clients that I do. This journey is not easy, Mr Kinnock, it is the hardest journey that I have taken, but my goodness, it is the most rewarding and fulfilling vocation ever.

References

• Albertsen, M., & Shennan, T. A critical evaluation of the revised SCoPEd Framework (July 2020).
• Bond, T. (2016). Guidelines for professional practice. The Trainee Handbook: A Guide for Counselling & Psychotherapy Trainees, 192.