5 Myths About Becoming a Therapist

Every week, I speak with people who are thinking seriously about training as a counsellor or psychotherapist. They are thoughtful, motivated individuals, teachers, nurses, business professionals, parents, who feel a deep pull towards a career that involves genuinely helping others. And almost without exception, they arrive carrying at least one myth about what that path looks like. 

That is not a criticism. The myths around becoming a therapist are persistent, widely shared, and surprisingly durable. They circulate in workplaces, families and online forums, and they stop capable people from taking a step that could change their lives and the lives of countless clients after them. 

Ireland is facing a genuine mental health crisis. Waiting lists for the HSE’s Counselling in Primary Care (CIPC) service have grown significantly, with nearly 800 people waiting six months or longer for counselling services as of late 2024. Over 4,200 children were on CAMHS waiting lists at the end of that same year. The demand for qualified therapists has never been greater, and that gap will not close on its own. 

So let us look at five of the most common myths I encounter, and what the reality actually is. 

Myth 1: “You Need a Psychology Degree to Get Started” 

The Reality 

This is perhaps the most persistent myth of all, and it stops many people before they even inquire. The truth is that counselling and psychotherapy training in Ireland is genuinely open to graduates, and non-graduates, from a wide range of backgrounds. 

At PCI College, we work with students who have come from healthcare, education, social care, business, the arts, and many other fields entirely. What matters is not the letters after your name but your personal suitability, your commitment to self-development, and your capacity to engage seriously with training. 

Entry requirements vary by programme level. A Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy is designed as a starting point, an accessible entry into the field that does not presuppose prior academic study in psychology. From there, students can progress through an undergraduate degree and, if they wish, into postgraduate specialisation. 

Worth knowing: Many of Ireland’s most experienced and respected therapists came to the profession from careers in nursing, teaching, social work, business, and beyond. Their life experience did not hold them back, it became one of their greatest clinical assets. 

Myth 2: “It Takes Forever, Training Is Endless” 

The Reality 

This one has a kernel of truth. Becoming a fully accredited psychotherapist is a significant undertaking. The Irish Council for Psychotherapy notes that accreditation typically involves at least seven years of study and practice. Accreditation with the IACP, Ireland’s largest accrediting body, requires substantial supervised client hours alongside academic qualification. 

However, the picture is more nuanced than ‘it takes forever.’ Training is almost always available on a part-time basis, which means students can continue working, and living, while they study. A Certificate programme might run alongside your existing career over one to two years. A BSc (Hons) degree is typically structured across three to four years of part-time study. 

The training is long because it needs to be. Counselling and psychotherapy are not skills you acquire in a weekend. They involve the development of deep self-awareness, clinical competency, and supervised practice that builds over time. But the path is structured, supported, and, for most students, one of the most personally rewarding journeys they have ever undertaken. 

Worth knowing: Most people who train as therapists in Ireland do so alongside existing careers. The part-time model exists precisely to make this possible, and it reflects the reality that many students arrive as mature professionals with responsibilities outside of college. 

Myth 3: “Therapists Don’t Earn a Living Wage” 

The Reality 

The belief that therapy is a vocation rather than a viable career is one that deserves to be challenged directly. It reflects an outdated view of the profession, and of the Irish mental health landscape. 

The demand for qualified counsellors and psychotherapists in Ireland has grown substantially in recent years. The HSE has invested in expanding community mental health services through contracted work with private practitioners. Private practice is thriving, with significant unmet demand among those who can fund their own therapy and are actively seeking qualified practitioners. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), schools, community organisations, charities, and specialist addiction services all employ therapists. 

Income varies depending on employment setting, hours, and specialisation, as it does in any profession. Therapists in private practice typically charge between €50 and €80 per session in Ireland. A full caseload generates a meaningful professional income.  

Worth knowing: The IACP has been advocating for VAT exemption on counselling and psychotherapy services and for tax relief for clients, both of which would further strengthen the profession’s financial sustainability. The direction of travel is towards greater recognition, not less. 

Myth 4: “You Need to Have Had Therapy Yourself, Or Have Your Own Problems Sorted” 

The Reality 

This myth splits in two directions. Some people believe you need to have experienced significant personal difficulties to be an effective therapist. Others believe the opposite, that any sign of personal struggle disqualifies you from the work. 

Neither is true. What is true is that personal therapy, undergoing counselling yourself, is a requirement of accredited training programmes, and it is one of the most valuable components of your development. It is not about having problems. It is about developing the self-awareness, empathy, and insight that make you effective in the room with a client. 

The concept of the ‘wounded healer’, the idea that therapists often come to the work having navigated their own significant life experiences, is well established in the literature. Personal experience of loss, difficulty or transition can deepen a therapist’s capacity for genuine empathy. It is not a liability. 

At the same time, trainee therapists are not expected to have resolved every aspect of their inner life before they can practise. They are expected to be committed to an ongoing process of self-development, which is, in fact, a lifelong feature of the profession. Experienced therapists continue in supervision and personal development work throughout their careers. 

Worth knowing: Personal therapy during training is not a hurdle to clear. Most students describe it as one of the most transformative elements of their time in training, something that enriches their personal lives as much as their professional competence. 

Myth 5: “The Market Is Saturated, There’s No Room for New Therapists” 

The Reality 

Given what we know about Ireland’s mental health landscape, this myth is perhaps the most straightforwardly inaccurate of the five. 

The reality is that Ireland has a significant and growing shortfall of qualified mental health professionals. Counselling services are oversubscribed. Waiting lists are long. The HSE spent close to €93 million outsourcing mental health care to private providers in 2024 alone, a figure that reflects not excess capacity but a chronic shortage of publicly available provision. 

Demand is being driven by multiple factors: post-pandemic increases in anxiety and depression, growing public willingness to seek help, expansion of school and workplace mental health programmes, and the introduction of the Counselling in Primary Care service. At the same time, the workforce has not expanded fast enough to meet that demand. 

There is also significant geographic variation. While Dublin has a relatively robust private therapy offering, rural and regional Ireland remains substantially underserved. Qualified therapists who choose to practise outside the major cities are entering markets where demand far outstrips supply. 

The profession is also professionalising rapidly. Statutory regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists, expected under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act, will bring greater public recognition and trust, which in turn is likely to increase the number of people seeking therapeutic support. New graduates entering a regulated profession will do so with stronger professional standing than those who qualified a decade ago. 

Worth knowing: 92% of Irish adults believe it is a good idea to seek counselling or psychotherapy if struggling with mental health, according to IACP research. The cultural shift is already well underway. The challenge now is supply, not demand. 

So, What Does It Actually Take? 

Becoming a therapist in Ireland takes time, genuine commitment, and a willingness to engage with the work on a personal as well as professional level. It does not require a psychology degree to begin. It does not require a perfect personal history. And it does not require you to enter a crowded or financially unviable profession. 

What it does require is the courage to start, and the support of a training environment that takes both your professional development and your personal growth seriously. 

If you have been carrying one of these myths as a reason to delay, consider whether it is time to set it down. 

Thinking About Taking the First Step? 

PCI College offers a structured pathway from Certificate through to Postgraduate study, designed for people at every stage of their journey. Our Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy is available through blended learning, making it accessible for those balancing study with work and family life. 

If you’d like to know more, visit pcicollege.ie or attend one of our regular Open Evenings, where you can speak with tutors, current students, and graduates about what the training really involves. 

Get in touch: enquiries@pcicollege.ie | +353 (0) 1 464 2268 

Dan O’Mahony  
Faculty Lecturer