Student membership
Student membership
If you are currently studying a course on counselling or psychotherapy, you are welcome to join us as a student counsellor member. If you are studying with an ACC counselling training organisational member, you will get a discounted membership fee.
Students are welcome to join at various stages of their qualifying training from level 2/3 certificate to master’s level. Qualifying training means the components of core training that enable you to work for the first time as a counsellor/psychotherapist.
Post qualification training is not usually appropriate for a student membership of ACC, especially where you are seeing clients in clinical practice as a ‘qualified counsellor’ rather than a ‘counsellor in training’. In this case, please join us as a registered counsellor so that you can demonstrate that you have an accountable membership with a professional body. Members of the public will then be able to find you on ACC’s accredited register and be assured that you are appropriately qualified, working under professional ethics and practice standards.
Please be aware that for all the accredited registers there is a requirement that qualifying training takes place either in person, or in a blended learning environment. Online only or distance learning courses alone will not meet the required standards to become a registered counsellor. Please see information about joining the register. If you have any further queries, please contact us by emailing office@acc-uk.org.
Benefits
The benefits of being a student counsellor member include:
- Being part of a Christian professional counselling and psychotherapy body that works with other professional bodies and stakeholders to enhance the safety of members of the public seeking counselling services, to reduce the stigma relating to mental health, and to promote the value of access to counsellors and psychotherapists who identify as Christian.
- A code of ethics and practice that takes into account working with a client’s religious and spiritual issues in counselling and psychotherapy practice.
- Warm, timely, individual support, with help and advice from a team with professional knowledge and expertise.
- Receipt of the accord journal, including articles on counselling, psychotherapy and pastoral care/ministry, covering the interrelation between Christian faith, counselling/psychotherapy, and mental and spiritual health and wellbeing.
- Discount on ACC events.
- Free attendance at members forums on different topics relating to counselling and psychotherapy and the Christian faith.
- Access to free Counsellors Support Groups.
- News and professional updates via emails.
- Access to members only resources on ACC’s website.
Commitments
As a student counsellor member of ACC, you will adhere to our Ethics and Practice, agree to our Statement of Faith, and Terms and Conditions.