Not the UK options in particular, but the pathways: doing counseling directly with patients vs conducting research (theoretical or applied) are different trajectories. It’s a subjective opinion, of course, but the OPs questions gave me the impression that s/he might benefit from getting more clarity on what her/his goals are and what the two fields are like before actually plunking down money and a year of life on a path without a pretty good idea that it’s a path headed a direction s/he wants to go.
Actually, there are jobs at the Masters level in both fields, though obviously the Doctorate is the terminal degree.