In theory anyone can call themselves a therapist or counsellor without having the necessary qualifications or experience to back it up (which is quite worrying).
I studied for 3 years at Interpsyche in Dartford which is BACP accredited course. As part of my training I had to have 60 hours of personal therapy to build an understanding of myself, and I also had to complete 100 hours of counselling in a voluntary setting to hone my skills prior to qualifying and working professionally. I am happy to provide evidence of this on request.