Psychological counselor application requirements

To be honest, this is the most frequently asked question every year. Let me tell you the core conclusion first: There is currently no unified national professional qualification examination for psychological counselors in China. Those available on the market are skills training certificates issued by third-party industry associations or authoritative organizations. Qualification certificate, the core threshold for application is unified into two dimensions: "college degree or above" + "officially recognized proof of systematic training hours". The requirements of different certification entities only fluctuate slightly, and are not as stringent as those posted online, and there is no situation where "anyone can take the exam".

Many people may still be stuck in their early perceptions. Before 2017, our country did have the second- and third-level professional qualification examinations for psychological counselors organized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. At that time, it was an access certificate, and the application threshold was indeed high. For example, the second-level required a master's degree in a psychology-related major, or three years of relevant work experience, which was difficult for ordinary people to pass. However, after the country canceled this exam in 2017, the industry evaluation logic changed. Instead of using a single certificate card for admission, more emphasis was placed on the actual professional abilities of practitioners, so the current application conditions have also become more flexible.

At present, several certification parties with relatively high recognition in the industry have different requirements. For example, for the Basic Training Certificate for Psychological Counselors issued by the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which has the largest number of applicants, as long as you have a college degree or above, you can get the basic qualifications for registration. If you have a bachelor's degree or above in the three majors of psychology, medicine, and education, you can apply without providing additional proof of pre-training. ； If you have other majors or college degrees, you only need to complete 164 hours of basic system courses at an officially authorized training institution and get a certificate of completion before you can go through the registration process. There are also relevant certificates issued by the Chinese Mental Health Association. The requirements are similar, but the review will be more inclined to people with relevant practical experience. For example, those who have done psychological volunteer services in the community, worked as a part-time psychological counselor in a school, or have accompanying experience in a hospital psychology department will have a higher passing rate.

There is a lot of quarrel between the two extreme views on the Internet right now, and I have come across too many people who fall into their trap. One is the one that bad institutions boast about, "No qualifications are required, and you can earn hundreds of thousands a year after taking the exam." A young man who graduated from a technical secondary school came to me to complain, saying that he was deceived by the institution into paying nearly 10,000 yuan, and the certificate he finally got was printed by a small company that he had never heard of, and no one recognized it when he was looking for a job. There is another extreme saying that "non-psychology majors are not qualified to apply, and it is useless to take the exam." A while ago, there was a girl who worked in Internet operations. She was originally interested in youth psychological counseling, but she gave up immediately after reading online posts. In fact, there is no need to apply for the exam. It is not a major, but if you really plan to enter the industry, just taking a basic certificate is definitely not enough. You will also need to learn case supervision, personal experience, and special skills. These are growth requirements after entering the industry, and are not the same thing as the application requirements.

Don't just apply casually because you think you meet the requirements. When applying, be sure to check whether the training institution you choose has official authorization from the certification authority. Otherwise, the hours you take will not be recognized at all, and you will not even be able to take the exam. Don’t believe in the nonsense about “affiliation” or “guaranteed certification”. The formal examination is a national closed-book unified examination. There are two papers, theory and skills. You need to score 60 or above to get the certificate. There is no room for manipulation.

I have been consulting for entry into the psychology industry for nearly 6 years. I have seen too many people overestimate the application requirements and overestimate the role of examinations. To be honest, the application requirements are really not that high. As long as you have a college degree or above and are willing to spend one or two months learning basic courses, you can basically meet the requirements. But to put it bluntly, this certificate is just a stepping stone to get started. It proves that you have received systematic basic training. If you really want to rely on psychological counseling to make a living, the time, energy, and money you have to invest later will be more than ten times more than the certificate. If you just have the mentality of "taking the certificate and making money", I advise you not to waste this money.