Psychotherapist job profile | 杨贵妃传媒.ac.uk

You'll need to complete accredited training to become a psychotherapist and should look to register with a relevant professional body

As a psychotherapist you'll help clients explore and express their thought processes, feelings and behaviour. Sessions with clients can cover a range of emotional, mental health and social issues, including:

addiction
anger
bereavement
eating disorders
mental ill health, for example anxiety and depression
post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) 鈥�
psychosis or personality disorders
relationship difficulties and divorce
sleep disorders
work difficulties, redundancy and job loss.

During sessions you'll use psychotherapeutic approaches to help clients understand the issues they're facing and find new ways to alleviate and deal with distress. You'll also support them to make positive changes to the way they think and behave. Depending on their circumstances, you may see clients over a few sessions or for a longer period of several years.

As well as working with individuals, couples and groups, some psychotherapists focus on work with families, children and adolescents.

Types of psychotherapist

There are several .

You can also take different approaches to your work, depending on the theoretical models you adopt and the therapy you practise.

Approaches include:

constructivist and existential psychotherapy
family and systemic therapies
humanistic and integrative psychotherapy
outcome-oriented and hypno-psychotherapies
psychotherapeutic counselling and intersubjective psychotherapy
psychotherapy for children and young people
psychoanalysis
sexual and relationship psychotherapy.

See the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) for more information on .

Responsibilities

As a psychotherapist, you'll need to:

conduct a series of sessions with a client to assess need, build trust and explore issues
encourage the client to talk about and explore their feelings, attitudes and behaviours
run group sessions with people undergoing therapy in a clinical setting
help clients to develop strategies for coping with issues and for making positive changes to the way they think and behave
evaluate therapy sessions and outcomes and write reports
conduct group sessions in a training capacity for other professionals, such as social workers, nurses and teachers, who are interested in learning more about how groups work and how they function within them
undergo supervision with a qualified supervisor to reflect on sessions, and to raise personal issues and professional concerns arising from work
keep abreast of developments in theory and research
network within the health professional community and other potential business areas to maintain continuity of work and client base
work to targets (if working for the NHS, for example)
supervise other psychotherapists (with appropriate training).

Some work activities can overlap with the work of a counsellor, although the training route is different.

Salary

Starting salaries for trainee psychotherapists in the NHS usually start at 拢38,682 (Band 6 of the鈥�).
Qualified NHS psychotherapists typically earn between 拢47,810 and 拢54,710 (Band 7). Salaries for specialist and principal psychotherapists can rise to between 拢55,690 and 拢74,896 (Bands 8a and 8b). Salaries for consultant psychotherapists can be higher. Most psychological therapists are paid between Bands 7 and 8, with a smaller percentage on Band 8a or Band 8b.
There's no standard scale of fees for private practice work and rates vary considerably. Psychotherapists typically charge between around 拢55 and 拢100 for a 50-minute individual adult session. Sessions for couples or families are likely to be longer than 50 minutes and you'll charge accordingly.
Fees charged depend on a range of factors, including your qualifications, modality, experience, location and whether you provide face-to-face, online or telephone appointments. You may offer a limited number of reduced rate sessions for clients on a low income.

You may find that there are fewer jobs that specify psychotherapist qualifications compared to those asking for CBT therapists or psychological wellbeing practitioners (PWPS). Also, starting salaries may be lower than expected despite the higher qualifications that psychotherapists have.

However, although there are more CBT roles in the NHS than other kinds of psychological therapy posts, adult psychotherapy is still widely commissioned throughout NHS trusts and roles should be available across all trusts.

Other sectors you can work in include education (schools, colleges and universities), private healthcare, charity and voluntary, and criminal justice, as well as employment assistance programmes (EAPs) and within workplaces. Salaries vary between sectors and may not be the same as in the NHS.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours are typically Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. However, you may work outside these hours, particularly in private practice when sessions may take place early in the morning or later in the evening to accommodate clients' working patterns.

Part-time roles may be available.

What to expect

If you're employed by the NHS you'll usually work as a member of a multidisciplinary team that includes psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, family therapists, occupational therapists, mental health nurses and other therapists.
Self-employment and freelance work are possible. However, it takes time to build up a client base and it's not always possible to achieve a full-time practice. You'll need to consider issues such as overheads, tax, insurance, supervision and support groups before committing to self-employment or freelance work.
Jobs are available throughout the UK. If you're a self-employed practitioner you may work from home, in an office or from shared premises. You may offer sessions in person, via the telephone or online.
You'll need a good support framework, as the work can be emotionally demanding.
Travel within a working day, absence from home at night and overseas work or travel are uncommon, although there may be work available abroad in places such as war zones and disaster areas.

Qualifications

There is currently no statutory regulation for psychotherapists in the UK. However, joining a voluntary register demonstrates to employers and clients that you meet recognised standards of education, competence and ethical practice.

To be eligible for voluntary registration, you'll need to complete a psychotherapy training programme accredited by an organisation that holds a Professional Standards Authority (PSA)-accredited voluntary register.

The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), for example, accredits a number of postgraduate training programmes at Level 7. Training typically takes around four years part time, followed by a further period (often up to two years) to complete the requirements for registration. This includes around 450 hours of practice, as well as training in theory and skills development.

Before choosing a course, decide which psychotherapy approach ('modality') you want to train in, as training providers differ in their focus. Contact the relevant professional body for your chosen modality to explore recognised training and accreditation options.

Courses usually include a mix of written assignments, supervised clinical practice, skills workshops and clinical seminars. You'll be required to undertake personal therapy and receive regular supervision throughout the training. See .

To get a place on a postgraduate training course, you'll typically need a degree or professional qualification in a relevant subject such as:

education/teaching
psychology
nursing
medicine
social work.

You'll also need experience of working in a 'helping' profession, such as nursing, social work, mental health, probation work or teaching.

If you're interested in psychoanalytical psychotherapy, you can complete a training programme accredited by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC). For a list of member organisations providing training, see .

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) also accredits training routes into psychotherapy. Search for .

Psychotherapy is often pursued as a second career, with many people coming from clinical psychology, psychiatry, mental health, education, nursing or social work backgrounds.

If you want to work with children and young people, the training route is different. Find out more about becoming a child psychotherapist.

Skills

You'll need to have:

self-awareness, sensitivity and empathy
a broad-minded, non-judgemental attitude and respect for others
emotional resilience and maturity to deal with complex or distressing issues
the ability to think clearly and remain grounded under pressure
excellent verbal and written communication skills
highly developed interpersonal skills
time management and organisational skills to meet deadlines and deliver objectives
the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team
a clear understanding of professional boundaries and ethical practice
an understanding of, and commitment to, confidentiality and its legal/ethical limits
a problem solving and solutions-focused approach to work
belief in an individual's capacity for growth and change
a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
confidence and compassion when exploring difficult or traumatic aspects of a patient's life
general IT skills
a commitment to ongoing professional development, supervision and self-reflection.

Work experience

To get a place on a psychotherapy training course, you'll need work experience in a helping or support role. This might include work in mental health, social care, nursing, education, youth work or the criminal justice system. Experience working directly with adults or children in emotionally demanding settings is especially valuable.

Experience can be gained through paid full or part-time employment, voluntary work or in a personal capacity.

Counselling experience is also advantageous. Some training providers expect you to have completed an introductory counselling or psychotherapy course before applying.

It's also important to have life experience. Training providers often look for applicants who can reflect on their own personal development and demonstrate emotional resilience and self-awareness. This helps you cope with the intensity of both the training and future clinical work.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Psychotherapists can work in a range of settings, including:

hospitals (within in-patient areas)
community mental health services and outpatient clinics
GP surgeries and primary care practices
NHS Talking Therapies services (formerly IAPT) in England
psychiatric hospitals and units
residential care settings, such as children's homes
alternative education settings, such as special educational needs schools and pupil referral units
student counselling and university wellbeing services
local authority social services departments
private companies offering employee wellbeing services
prisons and youth offender institutions.

Another option is to set up your own private practice. While this can offer greater flexibility and autonomy, building a client base can take time. You may provide services to individuals, couples, families or groups and accept referrals from private healthcare providers or organisations.

Employment opportunities also exist within universities and training institutions. In these roles, you could teach psychotherapy trainees, deliver workshops to health professionals such as nurses and social workers, or engage in clinical research.

Look for job vacancies at:

Professional development

Once qualified, you should register with the UKCP, BACP or BPC. Registration provides assurance to clients that you've fulfilled the qualifying standards of training and experience and it is usually mandatory for jobs in the NHS. You can also become a member of a professional body relevant to your area of psychotherapy.

You'll need to undertake continuing professional development (CPD) throughout your career. Professional bodies provide a range of CPD activities, including events, member forums, seminars, courses and special interest groups to help increase your knowledge and build a network of contacts. Being a member of a professional body will also help you to keep up to date with new developments in psychotherapy. Postgraduate training providers may also provide CPD courses.

You'll also undergo periods of supervision to help enhance your practice, which involves presenting your client work to a supervisor in order to reflect on the psychotherapy process. With experience you can undergo training to become a supervisor yourself.

If you are setting up in private practice, you may take courses in areas such as business administration, finance and marketing.

Career prospects

Your career prospects will be determined to a certain extent by your interests and expertise. It may take some time to advance, due to fewer supervision openings for psychotherapists.

With experience, however, there may be opportunities to move into more senior psychotherapist or specialist roles and take on a greater level of responsibility.

There are some opportunities to take up a managerial position within NHS mental health services, where you'll spend less time on clinical work and more on managing a particular service and team.

Within private practice you'll work on building your reputation and client base, expanding your business as you become more established.

Lecturing and clinical teaching in universities or training institutions is another career development route. Also, with extensive experience, it's possible to become a training therapist (training student psychotherapists) or a supervisor, providing support to other psychotherapists.

You may have the opportunity to carry out research, either to further your expertise in a specific area of psychotherapy or to act as a consultant to allied professionals and community organisations.

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