Regulation of the profession
A recent article in The Guardian All psychotherapists in England must be regulated, experts say, after abuse claims rise | Counselling and therapy | The Guardian, raised the issue of the dangers of psychotherapists not being regulated and that MPs would consider lobbying the government to revisit statutory regulation of psychotherapy and counselling. The MPs concern seems to arise from reports of a rise in lawsuits by patients for alleged harm done during therapy. The risk is a long-standing one in that the titles of “counselling” and “psychotherapy” are not restricted, meaning that anyone can call themselves a counsellor or psychotherapist without any requirements about their training or practice.
The way that risks are mitigated and some assurance given to the public is through the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) Accredited Register scheme, of which ACC is a member. It means that all practitioners who are on the registers of the bodies holding a PSA Accredited Register have to meet criteria concerning training (initial and on-going CPD), supervision, insurance, working within an ethical code and being subject to a complaint process. In addition, ACC with all other counselling / psychotherapy bodies that hold PSA Accredited Register also adhere to a protocol to share information about practitioners against whom sanctions have been imposed or have been removed from a register following a complaint process.
ACC would therefore, encourage anyone looking for a counsellor or psychotherapist to check that the practitioner is a registered member of one of the bodies holding a PSA Accredited Register. A list of all bodies can be found on the PSA website Find a practitioner – Find a Counsellor – Accredited Registers | PSA
ACC continues to work to improve practice and public safety including working with other PSA Register holders and NHS England on a framework for registrations and accreditations for psychological professions for NHS practice.