Holding other people's difficulties
Counsellors sit with grief, trauma and distress session after session. Supervision helps, but the emotional load is real, and burnout or your own mental health problems can lead to time away from clients. Insurers will ask about your mental health history, and they assess each case on its detail.
The physical side of the job is light, which usually helps when insurers place it in an occupational risk class. That class affects the price and the definition used at claim.
Session income with no sick pay
Private practice counsellors earn when clients turn up. Cancel a week of sessions and that income is gone. Associate counsellors working for agencies or EAP providers are often self-employed too. Those employed by the NHS, a university or a charity have sick pay from their employer, which varies.
If you are self-employed, a short deferred period protects you sooner. Insurers base cover on your profits from recent tax returns, so newer practices may have less history to work from.
- Private practice: income stops with cancelled sessions
- EAP and agency associates: usually self-employed
- Employed counsellors: check your sick pay terms
- Mixed work: count every income stream
Applying when you have had therapy yourself
Many counsellors have had personal therapy, and training courses often require it. Insurers usually distinguish between therapy undertaken for training and treatment for a diagnosed condition. Answer the questions as they are asked and give details where needed. You may be offered standard terms or an exclusion, depending on your history.
Life insurance is usually straightforward for counsellors. A term policy can protect a mortgage and give your family a lump sum.
Building a practice after training
Many counsellors qualify while still working in another career and grow a private practice slowly. Insurers base cover on your total earnings, which can include income from employment alongside your client work.
If you leave a salaried job to counsel full time, you may lose employer sick pay and death in service at the same moment. That is a good time to put personal cover in place, before the employer benefits end.
How Hi Tomorrow helps counsellors
We look at your client numbers, income sources and any employed work, then compare the insurers on our panel. We help you answer mental health questions accurately and explain how each insurer might view your history before you apply.