Psychotherapists divided over regulation plans
New Government plans to regulate psychotherapists have caused division, reports the Independent.
The proposals by the Government call for Britain’s 50,000 psychotherapists to be regulated, ensuring clients are protected. However, therapists themselves are now split – some believe that these precautions are necessary, whilst others believe the Government’s plans will hinder how they carry out their work.
The demand for therapy has increased as more people face mental health problems and turn to it as an alternative to medication.
Psychotherapists would be required to register with the Health Professions Council, which also regulates physiotherapists. The British Psychoanalytic Council support the proposals, however the Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy has strongly opposed them, saying the plans would: “medicalise the field, rigidify training and inflate the cost of therapy, reducing access”.
The proposals themselves are proving difficult to finalise, and one draft included 450 rules, however therapists are expected to be able to begin registering this summer.
