Professional Bodies
When choosing a counsellor or psychotherapist it can be reassuring to know that they work to certain standards of good practice as a professional, as you will be placing a huge amount of trust in them. Not all qualified counsellors/psychotherarapists are members of a professional body, however being a member means a counsellor or psychotherapist has met certain requirements set by their member organisation and must abide by a code of ethics and complaints procedure.
All professional bodies differ in their requirements for membership; some require very strict standards for all their members and others provide different categories for their members (e.g. Associate Member, Member, Accredited Member). Counsellors and psychotherapists who are a member of a professional body will make this clear on their profile. To find out more about a professional body please see the list below.
Registered/Accredited Counsellors and Psychotherapists
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation. Counsellors and psychotherapists who are registered/accredited with their professional body will have the stamp to the left on their profile. To find out more information about registration/accreditation visit the professional bodies’ websites below. Each will have information on their requirements.
Professional bodies include:
- British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)
The BABCP is the lead organisation for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the UK. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the practice, theory or development of CBT. BABCP also provides accreditation for CBT therapists. BABCP accredited members adhere to the Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics in the Practice of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, and are willing to be scrutinised in this adherence as required. - British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. The Association is made up of a number of different membership categories, e.g. Associate Member, Member (MBACP), Accredited Member (MBACP Accred), with the different categories standing for different levels of training and experience. Accredited Members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association. All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. - British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC)
The British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) is a professional association, representing the profession of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapy. The organisation is itself made up of twelve member institutions which are training institutions, professional associations in their own right and accrediting bodies. Individual psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapists are members of these organisations and are 'registrants' of the BPC, eligible for entry into the BPC's register. BPC registrants are governed by a code of ethics, a policy of continuing professional development, a statement on confidentiality and a complaints procedure. The BPC is a Member Society of the European Federation for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in the Public Sector (EFPP). - British Psychological Society (BPS)
The British Psychological Society is the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK. Through its Royal Charter, the Society is charged with overseeing psychology and psychologists. It has responsibility for the development, promotion and application of pure and applied psychology for the public good. The Society has several grades of membership and all members have to adhere to a Code of Conduct and can be subject to disciplinary procedures if they break this code. - College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT)
COSRT members offer a range of treatments encompassing sex therapy, psychosexual therapy and relationship therapy. The Association has different membership categories, e.g. Student Member, General Member, Accredited Member, with the different categories standing for different levels of training and experience. COSRT has a code of ethics and principles of good practice for members and a complaints procedure. - Confederation of Scottish Counselling Agencies (COSCA)
COSCA is the professional body for counselling and psychotherapy in Scotland, and seeks to advance all forms of counselling and psychotherapy and the use of counselling skills by promoting best practice and through the delivery of a range of sustainable services. COSCA Counsellor Accreditation is a pathway to entry onto the UKRC. It is a requirement of all individual and organisational members of COSCA to abide by its Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice and be accountable to the Complaints Procedure. - Federation of Drug & Alcohol Professionals (FDAP)
FDAP is the professional body for the substance use field and works to help improve standards of practice across the sector. Membership of FDAP is open to individual practitioners and managers, service providers, academic institutions and commissioning bodies and there are different categories of membership. FDAP members are bound by a Code of Practice and subject to a Complaints & Disciplinary Procedures. - UK Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners (UKAHPP)
UKAHPP is a national accrediting organisation for all those who apply the theories of Humanistic Psychology in their work. The UKAHPP is an independent member organisation of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the UK Register of Counsellors. The Association is made up of a number of different membership classes e.g. Associate Members, Affiliate Members, Full Members, each with different requirements for entry. Full Members may use the initials 'MAHPP' after their names, and have undergone a rigorous accreditation procedure relevant to their discipline. All members of the Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners must commit to acceptance of the UKAHPP Code of Ethical Principles, the UKAHPP Code of Practice, the UKAHPP Ethical Review Procedure and the UKAHPP Complaints Procedure. - United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
The UKCP exists to promote and maintain the profession of psychotherapy and the highest standards in the practice of psychotherapy throughout the United Kingdom. The general training requirements for a practitioner to become registered with UKCP are that they must have completed a postgraduate level course in psychotherapy of at least 4 years part time duration or equivalent. However UKCP is an umbrella organisation for all the different psychotherapies and each different type of psychotherapy has slightly different training requirements. Registration with UKCP is obtained through one of their Member Organisations and each practitioner must maintain membership of a Member Organisation to maintain their UKCP Registration. They must adhere to approved Codes of Ethics and Practice and be accountable to UKCP Complaints and Appeals Procedures. - United Kingdom Register of Counsellors / Psychotherarapists (UKRCP)
The UKRCP is a voluntary register of Counsellors / Psychotherapists held by BACP. A condition of registration is accreditation with either BACP, COSCA, UKAHPP or FDAP. Registered practitioners are entitled to be known as a UKRCP Registered Independent Counsellor / Psychotherapist.
This list of professional organisations is not exhaustive, and more can be found on our Useful Resources page. Here at Counselling Directory we recognise the value of being a member of a professional body, and for those of you who are wary about visiting a counsellor or psychotherapist we would suggest choosing one who is a member of a professional body. This way you know they are part of an organisation that offers a code of ethics and a complaints procedure.