Which institution issues the psychological counseling certificate with the highest value?

First of all, it is necessary to be accurate. Since the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security canceled the professional qualification examination for psychological counselors in 2017, there is no national-level psychological counselor admission certificate in China. Therefore, there is no official conclusion of "the most valuable". Currently, the most recognized one in the industry is the basic training certificate for psychological counselors issued by the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Speaking of which, the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the only national-level psychology research and teaching unit in China. In the early years, when the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security organized the second- and third-level psychological counselor examinations, they took the lead in providing technical support and compiling teaching materials. The current basic training system is also adjusted along the previous framework. The professionalism and systematicity of the content are indeed much more reliable than many miscellaneous institutional trainings on the market. A while ago, I helped a friend's psychology studio screen interns, and eight out of ten resumes I received had this certificate. Most of them will be used as a stepping stone for basic training experience. At least it can prove that you have systematically studied core introductory courses such as general psychology and counseling psychology, and you are not a complete layman.

But don’t exaggerate the role of this certificate. I know many senior consultants who have been working for five or six years, and their attitude towards various certificates is quite indifferent. Their view is that all institutions now issue only training certificates, not professional qualification certificates. In terms of real value, 100 hours of case experience + 50 hours of individual supervision are more useful than any certificate from any organization. During our industry gathering before, a consultant said that he interviewed a candidate last month who had obtained "senior psychological counselor" certificates from three different institutions. When asked, he couldn't even explain the difference between empathy and sympathy, so he just rejected the application.

If you are taking the certificate exam and just want to learn some psychological knowledge and deal with your own emotions, parent-child relationships at home, or workplace communication issues, then there is no need to worry about which institution is more valuable. Just find a course that meets your needs and a teacher that you can listen to. Even if it is a formal training organized by a local psychological association, it will be useful if you learn it. But if you want to enter the industry across majors and plan to find related internships or part-time jobs in the future, it will indeed be more worry-free to choose the Institute of Psychology of the Academy of Sciences. After all, most institutions accept it, and you don’t have to bother explaining to others where you got the certificate.

After all, the current psychological counseling certificate is like a certificate of completion from a cooking training class. It cannot prove that you are a chef who can obtain star certification. It can only prove that you have learned the basic operations of chopping and cooking vegetables. If you really want to be able to serve guests, you have to practice repeatedly and slowly work with the masters. If someone tells you that after getting their certificate, you can directly work with the certificate and earn over 10,000 yuan a month, it is 100% that you are cutting leeks. Don't believe it.