Psychosocial counselor self-test: Is this course the right one for me?

What is the day-to-day work of a psychosocial counselor with a federal diploma?

Psychosocial counselors are at home with their work in various subject areas: in the area of conflict (e.g. personality, relationship, parenting and pregnancy conflicts), in counseling (e.g. student counseling and addiction counseling) or in grief work. But aspects such as the desire to find meaning, improve quality of life or improve social integration also have a place in psychosocial counseling.

With their extensive counseling skills, psychosocial counselors support people of all ages who approach them with a specific problem in stressful life situations, crises and conflicts. They conduct counseling sessions with individuals as well as couples, families and groups.

Counselors in the psychosocial field with a federal diploma work as employees in counseling centers, hospitals, NGOs or as self-employed in their own practice or group practice.

At the beginning of the counseling process, psychosocial counselors ask about the client's personal situation. This is where they establish a relationship of trust, which is very important for effective counseling. They analyze the problem and prioritize the problem areas or focus on the main problem. They then determine the main objective and a suitable course of action. Counselors in the psychosocial field then use their scientific expertise and individual professional understanding to create a clearly thought-out counseling plan, taking into account various counseling approaches (e.g. person-centered, process-oriented or body-oriented methods). The counseling process is designed taking into account the social and cultural environment of those seeking advice and is continuously evaluated by the psychosocial counselors.

Counsellors in the psychosocial field with a federal diploma recognize crisis situations and know how to react appropriately. If necessary, they are able to refer their clients to specialized professionals (e.g. psychiatrists).

Target group and skills: Who is the Higher Professional Examination for Counselors in the Psychosocial Field with a Federal Diploma suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The psychosocial counseling training is aimed at professionals with counseling activities in the psychosocial field,

• who would like to prove themselves as an expert with a federal diploma and position themselves professionally on the job market
• who would like to open up attractive new career prospects with the federal diploma
• who would like to reflect on and consolidate their own identity as a counselor

Psychosocial counselors should have the following personal qualities and skills:

• Load capacity
• Sense of responsibility
• Trustworthy
• Communicative
• Empathic and sensitive
• Enjoy dealing with people

Requirements for admission to the Advanced Professional Examination for Counselors in the Psychosocial Field:

You are admitted to the federal PET examination "Counselor in the psychosocial field" if you meet the following admission requirements.
(Note: The prerequisites must be fulfilled by the time of the examination registration / start of the examination)

• Tertiary level degree or equivalent qualification

And

• At least six years of professional experience with a counseling function in a psychosocial context*

Or

• (without tertiary degree) At least eight years of professional experience in a counseling role in a psychosocial context

And

• Counseling practice in the psychosocial field** with at least 20 counseling processes*** with a total of at least 100 sessions, including five counseling processes of at least five hours
• 40 hours of client-related supervision as a supervisee****
• 40 hours of psychosocial counseling as a client (self-awareness)
• Participation in at least eight sessions of a relevant supervision and intervision group for at least two years
• Supervision by a supervisor in at least 20 hours of counseling competence-related supervision for at least one year *****

At least three months before the start of the examination, candidates will receive written notification as to whether they have been admitted to the examination for counselors in the psychosocial field. In the event of a negative decision, this will contain a statement of reasons and information on legal remedies.

You do not (yet) meet all the admission requirements?
Some schools are prepared to admit you to a preparatory course for psychosocial counseling training, even if you do not (yet) meet the admission requirements. However, please remember: in this case, you are responsible for ensuring that you meet the necessary requirements by the time you register for the exam or start the exam.

Course attendance without exam intention:
At some schools, it is also possible to attend the course for counselors in the psychosocial field without taking an exam. In this case, you will usually receive a course confirmation and/or a certificate from the school after completing the course. The conditions for admission may vary from provider to provider. We recommend that you contact the school of your choice directly for such offer-specific questions.

*The "counseling function in a psychosocial context" refers to a professional activity with a significant proportion of social interaction (e.g. counseling, training, educating, leading activities). This counseling experience must be proven by means of confirmation (as a rule, confirmation is provided by the employer, supervisor or proof of self-employment).

** The term "counseling practice in the psychosocial field" refers to the practice of counseling individuals, couples, families and groups.

*** The term "counseling processes" refers to the entire counseling process (i.e. from the initial contact to the conclusion of the counseling session). The proof consists of an anonymized list of the counselling sessions carried out, including the signature of the candidates, who thereby confirm the correctness of the information.

**** The term "client-oriented supervision" refers to supervision that focuses specifically on reflecting and expanding the range of actions in counseling sessions in the psychosocial context of the supervisees. In addition, the supervisees' awareness of the counseling process should be deepened.

***** The term "counseling competence-related supervision" refers to supervision that focuses on the training of counseling competencies (teaching analysis), which are required to pass the Advanced Professional Examination for Psychosocial Counselors.

Subject matter and content of the training

In principle, the schools that offer preparatory courses for the Higher Professional Examination for Counsellors in the Psychosocial Field are guided by the requirements of the sponsoring body of the federal examination. The sponsoring body is responsible for periodically reviewing the higher professional examination and the requirements for psychosocial counselors. This ensures that the knowledge and skills taught remain up to date, i.e. that they meet the requirements of the job market.

In psychosocial counseling training, the relevant professional and personal counseling skills are acquired through a combination of theory, self-awareness, supervision and practical counseling work.

Which (theoretical) learning content is part of the curriculum and to what depth and breadth it is covered depends very much on the school in question.

The Swiss Association for Counselling (SGfB) maintains a list of training providers (so-called "collective members") that are audited and recognized by the SGfB. In the answers you will find the link to the corresponding page.

Costs, financing and salary during further training

The schools set the fees for the preparatory courses for the HFP for counselors in the psychosocial field independently. Prices may therefore vary from school to school.

The examination fee is set by the examination organizer and is binding for all candidates.

In general, the following costs must be expected for the six- to eight-semester, part-time psychosocial counseling course:

• Course feesBetween CHF 20,800 and 34,000 Of this, you will receive around 50% back from the federal government upon application (regardless of the result) after the examination*.
• Fee for the federal examinationThe examination fee for the HFP for counselors in the psychosocial field is CHF 3,200. Once admission has been confirmed, candidates pay the examination fee.
  Special case:Active members** of the SGfB only have to take two of the four parts of the examination. Their examination fee is therefore CHF 2,300.
• Extra costsSome schools do not include the costs for teaching materials, training documents and simulation exams in the course fees. Please contact the provider of your choice directly to find out what additional costs you can expect.
• WagesPsychosocial counseling training itself is not remunerated. However, you do not have to fear any major loss of salary. Thanks to the part-time nature of the Psychosocial Counselor course, you can also pursue a (slightly reduced) professional activity during the training. In addition: With the federal diploma in your hands and the assumption of more responsible tasks/leadership positions, your salary opportunities increase. The training and the costs incurred will have paid off so quickly.

*Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations (BP) and higher professional examinations (HFP) have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses will therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500 for BP, max. CHF 10,500 for HFP) of the course costs paid upon application after taking the federal examination. In exceptional cases of hardship, the federal contributions will also be paid out in advance.

** Everything you need to know about active membership of the Swiss Association for Counseling can be found athere.

Duration of studies, teaching times, teaching formats and learning effort

• Duration:The further training to become a counselor in the psychosocial field is designed to be part-time and takes three to four years.
• Times:Lesson times vary depending on the school. It is therefore best to contact the school of your choice directly.
• Teaching formats:It is up to the respective school to decide which forms of teaching are offered for psychosocial counseling training. The range of different teaching formats has grown considerably since the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to traditional face-to-face teaching, these include online and hybrid teaching as well as blended learning. You can therefore choose the format that allows you to combine continuing education with family, work and leisure in the best possible way. Find out exactly how these teaching formats differhere.
• Learning effort:Thanks to the extra-occupational concept of the Psychosocial Counselor course, you can apply and deepen the learning material in practice straight away. Nevertheless, you should allow sufficient time for the preparation and follow-up of lessons and supervision sessions as well as counseling processes and self-learning time - how much depends on your previous knowledge, working style and learning speed. As a precaution, we recommend that you allow at least 4-6 hours per week.

Degree, diploma and title

If at least six candidates meet the admission requirements after the call for applications, the higher professional examination for counselors in the psychosocial field takes place annually, otherwise every two years. The federal examination can be taken in German, French and Italian. Candidates can decide for themselves in which language they wish to take the examination.

Candidates are notified at least 28 days before the start of the examination. The invitation includes the examination program (including details of the place and time of the examination as well as permitted aids), a list of experts and assessment criteria for all parts of the examination.

The higher professional examination for counselors in the psychosocial field is divided into four examination parts:
Special case:Examination candidates who are active members* of the SGfB only have to complete two of the total of four examination parts. These are examination parts 2 and 3.

1. diploma thesis (written, prepared in advance)

The diploma thesis of 40 - 60 A4 pages is prepared in advance by the candidates. In it, they describe a counseling process in the psychosocial field with an individual, a couple or a group. They critically examine their own counseling practice, taking into account the available and applied theories, approaches, objectives, methods and quality assurance.

Candidates should demonstrate that they are capable of describing, reflecting on and evaluating a complex counseling process in a practice-oriented and independent manner. The formal and content-related requirements for the diploma thesis can be found in the guidelines for psychosocial counselors.

2. consulting concept (written, prepared in advance)

In this part of the examination, candidates are asked to submit a consulting concept of 15 - 20 A4 pages that provides information about their consulting activities.

In it, you explain your attitude / self-image as a counselor on various topics, such as: human image / ethical principles, counseling approach, guiding theories, general and specific counseling goals, counseling methods, file management, administration, marketing, etc.

3. counseling practice (audio/video recording) (oral, 75 minutes incl. audio/video recording)

In the third part of the examination, candidates must make an audio or video recording of a counseling session in advance and select one or two sequences of eight to ten minutes in total. The selected counseling sequences are transcribed by the candidates, and the corresponding case presentation is also written on one A4 page. This includes information about the client, the issue or problem, the context of the session and the aim of the counseling session.

The examination has three phases: At the beginning, the candidates must describe the counseling situation to the experts and describe the counseling process. To do this, they answer questions from the panel of experts. The selected counseling sequence is then shown. The candidates then answer the experts' questions.

4. final colloquium (oral, 90 minutes)

In the final colloquium, candidates demonstrate their ability to describe, critically reflect on, plausibly and theoretically justify and realistically assess their own behavior as a counselor in the psychosocial field and to derive conclusions for their future professional development in psychosocial counseling.

Candidates present their consulting concept to the panel of experts (duration: approx. 10 minutes). They then answer questions from the experts.

Diploma and title

Successful graduates of the higher professional examination receive a federal diploma and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Counsellor in the psychosocial field with a federal diploma / Counsellor in the psychosocial field with a federal diploma".

In French: "Conseillère dans le domaine psychosocial avec diplôme fédéral / conseiller dans le domaine psychosocial avec diplôme fédéral"

In Italian: "Consulente in ambito psicosociale con diploma federale"

In English (Please note that this is only a recommendation/translation and not a protected title): "Counsellor, Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education"

In addition, successful completion of the Advanced Professional Examination for Psychosocial Counselors gives you the opportunity to become an active member of the SGfB and thus also obtain the specialist title of "SGfB Counselor".

*Everything about active membership of the Swiss Association for Counseling and the SGfB specialist title can be found athere.