Annual Salary
£40,056 to £53,218
Average UK salary in 2019 was £30,378
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Social care or Therapy or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Social care or Therapy or go back to all job sectors
Psychotherapists use talking techniques and therapies to help people who are distressed, or have mental health problems.
Average UK salary in 2019 was £30,378
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: in your own business; managing your own hours
There will be
6% more Psychotherapist jobs in 2026.
In your local area
You could work with individuals, couples or groups to:
You'll also:
You could work in the community, in a therapy clinic, at a health centre, in an NHS or private hospital or from home.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You'll need to complete:
Your course should be one recognised by the:
Courses can take up to 4 years to complete.
To become a child psychotherapist, you will need to complete 4 years of training with the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP).
You'll also need experience of working with children or vulnerable adults.
Some courses may expect you go into therapy yourself during your training. This is to help you deal with any issues that may affect you as a therapist, as well as to experience therapy from a client's point of view.
You'll usually need:
You could start by doing a Level 3 or 4 Diploma in Counselling before moving onto further training at degree and postgraduate level.
You'll be encouraged to take an introductory course to start, to make sure that counselling is a career for you.
Some colleges have a minimum age limit to start this type of course. They may also expect you to have had experience of working with vulnerable people.
You'll need to:
Training in psychotherapy is personally and emotionally challenging. It can also be costly and takes a lot of time and dedication. It's important to think about how it will impact your life before committing to a course.
You can find out more about careers in psychotherapy from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
With experience, you could take on a training, teaching or mentoring role.
You could become self-employed and set up a private practice where salaries may be higher than in the NHS. You could also move into academic research.
You'll need: