Since the implementation of the national vocational qualification certification training for psychological counselors in 2005, no less than several hundred thousand certified counselors have been trained (the national data is unknown), which has objectively played a positive role in popularizing mental health knowledge, enhancing mental health awareness and promoting the development of psychological counseling profession and industry. However, most people who have passed this "fast-food short training" do not have professional ability, which is also the main reason why the ranks of psychological counselors inside and outside the system (not just social psychological counseling institutions) are generally mixed. But at the same time, we should also see that some students have joined various professional systems to continue their study and clinical training for more than 3-5 years after obtaining the certificate. They went through on-the-job internship, elimination and optimization, and finally stayed in the professional team of psychological counselors. They are a few outstanding people, pioneers of psychological counseling industry, and now they have become the backbone of social psychological service institutions. Therefore, it is also wise to cancel this "fast food" national vocational qualification certification in time and start the "natural market elimination" mechanism.
The cancellation of national vocational qualification certification does not mean that anyone can engage in psychological counseling, and professional ability and professional qualification will become more and more important. Visitors seek the help of consultants, just like when you go to the store to buy air conditioners, you always have to look at the brand, Midea, Gree or Daikin, an imported brand? You won't just buy brand-free goods! In the same way, a psychological counselor must hold a professional qualification certificate with customer credibility, otherwise you will not be able to apply or start your own business, and no one may dare to look for you when starting a business. In the future, there will be more and more systems to provide vocational skill level certification, which will be eliminated by market competition and eventually form a relatively stable pattern. It is a good system to cultivate consultants who meet the needs of society and have professional ability! Now it is in a new initial stage.
For example, at present, there are registered psychologists affiliated to the Chinese Psychological Society, basic training certificates for consultants from the Institute of Psychology of Chinese Academy of Sciences, certification system of Sichuan-Chongqing Psychological Union, and analyst training system of Chengdu Psychoanalysis Center. It is reported that psychological associations and societies in Shanghai, Xi and Guangzhou are also establishing similar vocational skills certification platforms. Please note that they do not represent the country, the government or the whole industry, nor do they have the authority of regional monopoly, but are equal and parallel. In addition, there are many international brands such as CAPA, Sino-German, Sino-British, Sino-Norwegian (psychoanalytic school) and many professional certification systems based on theoretical schools! In any case, the training standards of these professional platforms for psychological counselors (courses and lecturers) will definitely be much higher than the national vocational qualification certification training for psychological counselors in the past. Otherwise, you have reason to question it.
From now on, we need to establish some basic knowledge in order to avoid detours: professional ability is the most important, followed by qualification. Those who lack psychological foundation should get a degree in basic psychological education as much as possible, which is a very important factor for your consultant's career development. Without professional foundation and bad theory, it is impossible to go further and fly higher on the career path. Don't expect the government departments of a country to uniformly manage the professional skills certification of psychological counselors, but carefully choose to join the appropriate professional system, including the professional system related to associations, societies and theoretical schools, so that you can keep abreast of career and industry trends and get learning opportunities. Don't trust all kinds of certificate training organized by online training institutions for non-psychology majors, especially those that only have courses and don't publish the list of lecturers (remember, the key to learning is who to learn from, not what courses to learn). No matter what kind of certificate I give you, it's basically a scam. Please be careful to identify!