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Psychology, Counselling and Therapies

Psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists all provide professional support to individuals to help improve their mental and emotional well-being. With NHS plans to increase training places by 26% for clinical psychology and child and adolescent psychotherapy by 2031 and growing public interest in mental health and the importance of psychology across many fields, it is an exciting time to consider a career in this sector. 

There are a wide variety of roles across the broad sector of Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy, so there are varying educational and training requirements.  

Job profiles 

Job profiles are available on Prospects, the British Psychological Society (BPS), and NHS Careers websites. Below is a selection of some job profiles available. 

Psychology job profiles  

These roles require you to be registered with the Heath & Care Professions Council (HCPC), which involves training at postgraduate level in your chosen specialism. To begin training you will typically need Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) through completing a psychology degree or conversion course accredited by the BPS.  

There are other psychological practitioner roles that form part of the Wider Psychological Workforce. These roles are not regulated by law, but training and scope of the roles have been developed by the BPS and NHS. These have different qualification requirements. See below:  

Counselling and Psychotherapy job profiles 

There are a variety of roles within the counselling and psychotherapy sector, which have varying qualification requirements:  

If you are interested in any of these roles, you might also be curious to read about:

Skills employers look for

Every employer is different so there are no definitive lists here.  These are meant as a guide and should be considered in addition to fully exploring role requirements outlined in person specification, job description and advert for each role you consider applying for.  

  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills to connect with clients, families, colleagues
  • Empathy, patience, and person-centred approach to clients
  • Ability to develop good working relationships and explore emotional issues
  • Ability to think clearly in difficult situations
  • Capacity to recognise own limitations, be critical and analytical
  • Counselling skills including active listening
  • Sensitivity, tact and diplomacy
  • Time management and prioritisation skills to manage caseloads
  • Ability to work both independently and as part of multi-disciplinary teams
  • Non-judgemental attitude and ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds
  • IT skills, such as word processing and using database packages.

To develop these skills, remember Career Zone also offers a range of Personal and Professional Development sessions which are available to book on Handshake and run at least once per term.  Please also read through the sections about Building Experience and Further Study and Professional Development to discover how you can develop your skills through experience and by gaining further knowledge or qualifications.

Gaining Experience

Relevant work experience is essential to develop knowledge and experience in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy. It is a requirement for entry to many postgraduate courses, and to achieve chartered status. All experiences including volunteering, paid work experience and active involvement in clubs/societies can help you to build relevant and transferable skills.  

Volunteering 

General volunteering websites: 

Use key word searches like ‘mental health’ and ‘children’ to find causes the align with your interests.  

Clinical/mental health volunteering: 

Educational/volunteering with children: 

  • CoachBright – volunteer coaches required to support pupils from low-income backgrounds
  • NSPCC – various roles including as a Childline counsellor or leading school workshops
  • The Access Project – volunteer as a tutor or coach to mentor young people from under-resourced backgrounds
  • Barnardos – various roles working with children, including on phone helplines. 

Other related volunteering opportunities:  

University of Exeter Employability Schemes 

  • Aspiring Teachers: A programme of guidance sessions and online resources, plus opportunities to gain teaching/educational experience through various partners. Gaining experience working with children can be highly beneficial across many roles in psychology, but particularly useful if considering educational psychology or children and young people’s mental health.
  • Grand Challenges | Grand Challenges | University of Exeter a project week in which you work in interdisciplinary groups with other like-minded students to design innovative solutions to real world challenges e.g. Mental Health and Social Inequality.
  • Career Zone Internship schemes: Internships can be extremely useful, so try and get relevant vacation work or placements. 

Speculative applications and where to find opportunities 

Undertaking relevant work experience will also allow you to develop new skills and gain a valuable insight into the sector. As jobs and opportunities are not always advertised, it can be useful to develop your networking skills and apply speculatively. Before exploring the options below you may find it useful to read our Researching employers page. 

Any opportunity to build experience and insight in a relevant psychology, counselling or psychotherapy setting will be beneficial. Until you are qualified, it may not be possible to work in the exact field you are aiming for in your long-term career, but you can gain experience in different settings, such as:  

  • Health centres
  • Community and public health settings
  • Community mental health teams
  • Schools and universities
  • Sports coaching or health promotion (for sport or health psychology roles)
  • Prisons.  

Start by using a Google search if you have a location and work setting in mind, remembering to mix up your search terms.

Finding part time work  

Building experience within a ‘helping’ profession, for example as a support worker, mental health worker, or teaching assistant, is useful for careers in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy generally.  

  • Pulse – advertises vacancies in psychological therapies and talking therapies 
  • Indeed – global online job site with large numbers of job adverts
  • CommunityCare – advertises roles such as mental health support worker
  • Tes Jobs - jobs in the education sector
  • Charity Job – advertises part-time roles across various sectors, including in mental health or educational roles. 

You could also have a look at Handshake, our vacancy database with employers who are targeting University of Exeter students. 

Finding advertised graduate roles, placements and internships

Competition can be strong, especially for entry-level positions. If you are aiming to get a place on a postgraduate course for chartered status as a psychologist, some require a minimum of 12 months relevant work experience. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers.  

Graduate jobs and internships 
The below are likely to advertise immediate start graduate jobs and internship opportunities rather than graduate schemes. 

General websites across psychology 

  • Jobs in Psychology – advertises vacancies across various areas of psychology (including clinical, counselling, education, forensic, sport and occupational).
  • NHS Jobs – advertises vacancies across the NHS nationally.
  • Pulse – advertises vacancies in psychological therapies and talking therapies.
  • Indeed – global online job site with large numbers of job adverts.
  • Handshake – collection for internships.  

Clinical psychology/mental health  

Most clinical psychologists in the UK are employed by the NHS. You can look for NHS and private job vacancies at: 

Educational psychology 

Sport psychology 

Forensic psychology 

For general information about finding graduate opportunities, please visit our Graduate Jobs page. 

Placements  

If you are interested in finding out more about work placements, you can also access the Work Placements SharePoint via Single Sign-On. This resource covers all aspects of credit-bearing work experiences as part of your degree, including what a placement is, how to apply for them, and bespoke information for international students or those interested in working abroad.  

Yearlong placement opportunities in psychology are often advertised through email via the University of Exeter’s Placement Team. Relevant adverts from NHS clinics, private mental health charities, or social enterprises and charities, will be emailed directly to students registered on the BSc Psychology with Professional Placement programme.  

You can also look at the links below for advertised opportunities: 

  • Jobs in Psychology – advertises vacancies across various areas of psychology (including clinical, counselling, education, forensic, sport and occupational). 
  • NHS Jobs – advertises vacancies across the NHS nationally.
  • Pulse – advertises vacancies in psychological therapies and talking therapies.
  • Indeed – global online job site with large numbers of job adverts

Further sources of support 

If you are an international student, visit our international webpages for help finding opportunities both in the UK and globally. 

To find opportunities outside the UK use GoinGlobal.

Further study and professional development

To become a Chartered Psychologist (UK), you will need a BPS-accredited psychology degree and relevant Postgraduate qualification (e.g. Clinical Psychology), plus HCPC registration. Psychotherapists (e.g. Dramatherapist, Music Therapist) also typically require professional training at postgraduate level at an institution approved by the HCPC. For roles in counselling, employers will expect candidates to have undertaken professional training and registration with a relevant professional body.  

It is important to research entry requirements and employer preferences before committing to additional training or qualifications. Use the sites below to research your further study options.  

Information and links from professional bodies 

If you have studied a related degree, check if your course is accredited by one of the professional bodies. Being a member of a professional body is voluntary; however, it can be valuable for developing networks, continuing your professional development, and generally keeping up to date with what's happening in the sector.  

Advice 

If you are considering postgraduate or doctoral level study before entering your chosen sector, please visit our Postgraduate Study page for more information about choosing further study.