MA counselling & psychotherapy ICHAS or MA UL

dar100

Trishis wrote: »

Dar, I'm not going to go on about this - but you can't possibly know what the government is going to decide ! I work somewhere where things like this are put together all the time and you cannot say that you know what the craic is with CORU !! It's ridiculous.

Also a level 8 is four years. A level 9 is 1-2 yrs with ICHAS.

I don't have confirmation bias - if anything I'm trying to get you to be open minded and see that what the paid accreditation bodies are telling you isn't necessarily what you should believe - also you have to take life experience into consideration - there is a lot of factors that make up a good Psychotherapist - and if you are one already I hope you realise that !

I have researched this a lot and spoken to the accreditation bodies, CORU, the PSI - it's a tricky situation at the moment and even they don't know the final outcome, so I really doubt you do !

I asked for opinions and I expect them to be balanced and friendly and helpful. I dunno where the narkiness tone in your messages to me is coming from but I'm done with the chat

What I'm saying is all the main bodies are proposing the 4 year masters to be a psychotherapist, and a 4 year counselling degree level 8 to use the term counsellor. I suspect these recommendations will be taken on board by CORU. Where else will they get their info/advice from? I'm hardly implying that I know what CORU will do.

My advice to you is if you want to be a good therapist, do a 4 year masters, with a good focus on your own process, and good clinical placements, of a few hundred hours.

it is a very tricky situation, and it may not come to pass at all. However this has been a live ongoing discussion for some time, google psychological therapies forum.

My option on ICHAS come from intimate knowledge, you did ask for lived experience after you saw others opinions on here that you did not like to

mackem7200

Several people have asked on the boards over the years does anyone have a lived experience of ICHAS?, I personally dont, but have friends who have. As a long time fully accredited psychotherapist ( IAHIP/ICP since 2006) with a masters degree in integrative psychotherapy (A university masters) and other post grad trainings. I can state having spoken over the years to 3 people/friends (non clients) who did an ICHAS masters in CBT, or masters and/or degree in counselling/psychotherapy with ICHAS/NCII. They all felt their course was poor, left them poorly trained and were not happy with their ICHAS courses in general. One friend who already previously completed a degree in social care with a recognised university told me, she felt her 2 years ICHAS masters hadnt prepared her to work safely with clients and her understanding of counselling was still poor (despite a good ICHAS grade) so she had never used it and stayed in social care. Another ICHAS former student told me he was embarrassed to tell other counsellors where he had trained, and when he tried to find a counsellor accredited with IACP or IAHIP he found some of them didnt want to take him as a client when he disclosed he was ICHAS trained.He did eventually find a IACP counsellor to see him as a client. Another friend who works with children in her day job, wanted to become a play therapist and considered a ICHAS play therapy degree (could have been a masters not sure), but after she did some research (including asking me did I know anything about ICHAS and I repeated the above) re: accreditation?, she has now decided to go with CTC (Childrens Therapy Centre) as their courses are fully accredited with IAHIP. Personally I havent experienced ICHAS courses so my only info has come from the above conversations, but I think if the only way to get accreddited from an ICHAS course is to be accredited by their own accreditation body who accredit their own courses (APPC) and not say independant bodies like IACP or IAHIP etc then its not a training route I would advise to propective students. There are plenty of courses available which meet the accreditation criteria for IACP etc which may be longer, more expensive and possibly more challenging, but I think they are worth it from the feedback I have recieved from former ICHAS students. I'm sure there are many happy ex ICHAS students but personally I havent met them yet. Hope this helps.

Betsy Og

Hi :@dar100, you seem fairly clued in on the 'landscape'. Have you ever come across Human Givens?, or any opinion on it? I see a lot of practitioners quoting their only qualification as being the Human Givens Diploma, I guess whether that will cut it with CORU is a question (...which I posed in the regulation thread...).

Overall I'm looking at Counselling/Psychotherapy as a 2nd career after I have my kids through college, about another 9 years, by which time I'll be in mid 50s and def 'now or never' time. I'd plan to have the academics covered (part time), and some personal sessions done, by then, and be ready to launch into supervised sessions.

Is it worth it at that age??, I'd hope to work away until 75 or so, health permitting. Current career is well paid but otherwise unrewarding, so I think I'll have 'done my bit' to get kids through college and a few bob into a pension and no debt, and sure worst case if I fail miserably at it I can go back to old career to pay the bills. I guess as get older then self-employment is the only option, that wouldn't bother me, would be part of the attraction, but maybe a few years 'in the trenches' of HSE/NHS etc to build the CV could be a good strategy. If there's any fatal flaws in any of that thinking your advice would be appreciated. Thank you.