LCMHC working in the UK

[TheSoulOcassion]

Hello everyone. I’m going to be pursuing a degree as a licensed clinical mental health counselor in the state of North Carolina. I would like to live and work in the UK, however I’ve discovered that therapy is not regulated? I have an email from the BACP telling me that it’s unregulated and in theory that anyone can practice. Actually, I’m going to go ahead and paste some of that email here because I think that might help answer my question.

Dear (omitted)

Thank you for your email.

The Government has established the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSAHSC), as the National Accrediting Body for Health Professionals UK-wide who are not currently regulated by statute.

It is also important to note that in theory without any laws being in place anybody can practice in the UK.

However, those seeking counselling are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of the counsellor/psychotherapist belonging to a professional body.

BACP is a professional body and ensures that all of its members have completed sufficient training to practice and agree to adhere to the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions

The course needs to meet the criteria below to be eligible for BACP membership and look towards registration and accreditation.

A minimum of diploma level in Counselling, Psychotherapy or Counselling Psychology; it must be classroom based not distance learning or online. It must be a minimum of one year full time or 2 years part time with a supervised placement of at least 100 hours as an integral part of the course criteria.

* My course is 100% online (with the exception of the last semester) so that answers my first question as I won’t be eligible to become a member. My second question is if I’ll need to do any additional coursework when I arrive to the UK or will I be able to just go ahead and apply for jobs? I do agree it would be best to be a member of an accrediting body however I won’t be able to do so. Has anyone here gone through the same thing that I’m attempting to do now, in that you earned your counseling degree in the US and relocated to the UK to work? I understand that if I was going for a doctorate degree it would be a fairly simple process.

I wonder if anyone here has specifically studied and completed the same program as me (LCMHC) and relocated to the UK. If so, can you tell me about the process and if you had to complete any additional coursework once you arrived to the UK? I might be overthinking this and it’s quite possible, but maybe there’s nothing I need to do? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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[Lukewarm Counselor]

Not sure if this will help, but I have a friend that earned her MA in Counseling degree (online) from a university based in the US. Near the end of her program, she relocated to the UK, as she served in the US Air Force. And she had no problem finding an internship site and later obtaining her license to practice. The program she was in was CACREP accredited which was apparently recognized and welcomed by the UK licensing board, at least in her case.

Edit/addendum:

I know nothing of UK's regulations. But a 100-hour practicum seems EXTREMELY low to me. I would follow up and ask for clarification. I find it difficult to believe they would allow one to practice with only 100 hours of supervision under their belt. Regardless of regulation, I would ask myself if I wanted to shoot for the low bar, or if I wanted to acquire the best training/education that I could before practicing my craft. CACREP (or equivalent curriculum) is usually considered the gold standard on the counseling side as an appropriate starting point. (And remember, this is just the starting gate. One must still continue learning and growing professionally post-graduation.)

 

[christinas07]

Not sure if this will help, but I have a friend that earned her MA in Counseling degree (online) from a university based in the US. Near the end of her program, she relocated to the UK, as she served in the US Air Force. And she had no problem finding an internship site and later obtaining her license to practice. The program she was in was CACREP accredited which was apparently recognized and welcomed by the UK licensing board, at least in her case.

Edit/addendum:

I know nothing of UK's regulations. But a 100-hour practicum seems EXTREMELY low to me. I would follow up and ask for clarification. I find it difficult to believe they would allow one to practice with only 100 hours of supervision under their belt. Regardless of regulation, I would ask myself if I wanted to shoot for the low bar, or if I wanted to acquire the best training/education that I could before practicing my craft. CACREP (or equivalent curriculum) is usually considered the gold standard on the counseling side as an appropriate starting point. (And remember, this is just the starting gate. One must still continue learning and growing professionally post-graduation.)

Hi there! I'm in this exact same scenario. I am scheduled to graduate next summer (June 2024) but I will have a year left on station before I return to the US. Do you know how your friend went about earning her licensure while abroad? Getting my hours and degree completed while over here has taken some leaps and bounds but it seems like licensure will be even more interesting. The biggest hurdle I'm seeing is that one of the states I looked into requires supervision time to be done face to face. I'm not sure if there are states that are more lenient but I'd like to get one state licensure under my belt to open me up to federal jobs (such as the VA). I'm retiring in 4 years and I'd like to be as close to licensure as possible while still serving. Thank you!

 

[summerbabe]

Hi there! I'm in this exact same scenario. I am scheduled to graduate next summer (June 2024) but I will have a year left on station before I return to the US. Do you know how your friend went about earning her licensure while abroad? Getting my hours and degree completed while over here has taken some leaps and bounds but it seems like licensure will be even more interesting. The biggest hurdle I'm seeing is that one of the states I looked into requires supervision time to be done face to face. I'm not sure if there are states that are more lenient but I'd like to get one state licensure under my belt to open me up to federal jobs (such as the VA). I'm retiring in 4 years and I'd like to be as close to licensure as possible while still serving. Thank you!

I'm a psychologist who did their education in the US but as far as licensure in the context of continuing federal service, I'd recommend finding the absolute easiest state for licensing and start that process as soon as you're eligible.

Some boards have lots of FAQs and are responsive to email/calls while others are not. I'd recommend doing some research on licensure in different states and then communicate directly with a couple that don't seem as picky on any hurdles that your scenario may present.

I currently work for the VA and maintain a Colorado license. I've never lived, studied, or worked in that state but chose CO because I heard from colleagues that it was a super smooth process to get licensed if you did a formal postdoc and the fees/renewal process were on the cheaper & more relaxed ends.

If you end up deciding to not work a federal job or also want to do some part-time private practice work, you'll need to apply for a license in that state but that's usually way easier than getting your first license. Many states also have an abbreviated process for folks who already hold an active license. Good luck!