How many levels are there in psychological counselors?

At present, there is no official and unified classification of professional qualification levels for psychological counselors in China. In 2017, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has completely canceled the original second- and third-level psychological counselor professional qualification examinations and no longer regard them as professional access certificates. The various "several levels of psychological counselors" that you can see on the market are divided into either skill levels determined by the filing agency, or standards set by the issuing agency or different schools. There are no nationally unified mandatory requirements.

A while ago, a junior girl majoring in psychology came to me with a training advertisement from a certain institution. On the poster was printed a huge message: "Take the national first-level psychological counselor exam, annual salary of one million is not a dream." Qualification levels, even in the old certificate system before 2017, have never officially opened the first level exam. The policy at that time only listed the application requirements for level one, but it has never been implemented. Now, anyone who recruits students under the banner of "national first-level psychological counselor" basically wants to make money with poor information.

Oh, by the way, the second- and third-level psychological counselor professional qualification certificates passed before 2017 are still valid. There are indeed only two levels in that system: the third level is an assistant psychological counselor and is not allowed to practice independently, and the second level can handle cases independently. I still have the second-level certificate in my hand, a small dark red book that I took the examination for back then. I packed my things two years ago and dug it out and I was quite moved. At that time, the threshold for the certificate was not high, and you could pass it by memorizing non-related majors. This directly led to the uneven level of consultants at that time. Many people who had obtained the certificate were not even clear about basic consulting ethics.

Someone may want to ask, what are the Level 4, Level 3, Level 2, and Level 1 psychological counselor skill level certificates that I recently saw issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security registration agency? This is a professional skill level certification, which belongs to the level evaluation category, not an admission certificate. It means that you can do psychological counseling whether you have this certificate or not, as long as you have the corresponding ability. The grade of this certificate is evaluated by the registration agency according to unified standards. After obtaining it, you can receive corresponding skill subsidies, and you can also get extra points for settling in some cities. However, it is not the same as the previous professional qualification certificate, nor is it a uniformly required employment certificate across the country.

In addition to this officially registered skill level, there are many default certification levels in the industry. The most recognized one should be the set of standards of the registration system of the Chinese Psychological Society, which is divided into three levels: registered assistant psychologist, registered psychologist, and registered supervisor. The application requirements are very strict. It requires a certain number of casework hours, supervision hours, and the recommendation of two counselors who are already registered in the system. Many reliable psychological counseling platforms recognize this certificate, which is equivalent to a "credit endorsement" in the industry, but it does not belong to the official administrative level, but is only a certification of industry self-discipline.

Different schools also have their own training levels. For example, my friend who studies psychoanalysis has to go from the beginner class to the advanced class in the German class, which takes four or five years. The training of CAPA is also divided into different stages such as beginner and advanced. Mainstream schools such as CBT and family therapy also have their own advanced systems. These levels are recognized within the school and represent the depth of your learning in this school. Outsiders may not have heard of it, but as soon as people in the industry see that you have completed the advanced class of a certain school, they will know your approximate level.

The industry has actually been arguing for many years about whether there should be a unified grade classification. Some people think that there must be one. After all, visitors don’t know anything when selecting counselors. Having a unified level can at least serve as a preliminary reference. It is better than the current mixed situation where anyone who has been trained for three months can call him a "senior psychological counselor." Some people think it is completely unnecessary. The ability of psychological counseling is too flexible. I have seen people who have been doing counseling for ten years with a second-level certificate. Their empathy ability is not as good as that of a novice who has just studied the system for two years. Some people just don’t know how to deal with visitors. No matter how many certificates they take, it is useless. The level does not represent the real counseling effect at all.

I have been doing consulting myself for so many years, and I don’t think I need to worry too much about “levels”. Last time a visitor complained to me, saying that he had found a so-called "senior psychological counselor" who charged him 1,000 yuan an hour. After talking to him three times, he asked him to apply for an annual card. He also said that his problem would need to be solved a hundred times before he could solve it. In the end, he felt that something was wrong and ran away, so he turned around to check the qualifications of the consultant. The so-called senior certificate was bought by an unknown organization for 2,000 yuan. If you really want to choose a consultant, it is better to look at his number of casework hours, supervision hours, and whether he has long-term personal experience. These hard indicators are more reliable than any number of "senior" titles.

To put it bluntly, this industry has never relied on level evidence to judge heroes. You can really catch the client's emotions and help him get out of trouble. Even if you don't have any eye-catching certificates, you are still a good counselor. If you can only deceive people with your certificate, even if you are given the title of "special psychological counselor", you won't be able to work for long.

Oh, by the way, if you just want to get a certificate and learn some psychological knowledge, then just sign up for a skills training course from a formal institution. Don't spend a lot of money to buy the "most advanced" certificate, it will be useless. If you really want to enter the industry, you must first master the ethics and basic skills, which is more useful than collecting ten certificates.