Is Counselling Regulated in the UK? What “Accredited” Really Means

Counselling and psychotherapy are not currently subject to a dedicated statutory professional regulator in the UK. Practitioners must still comply with applicable law, including data protection and safeguarding duties. The titles “counsellor”, “therapist” and “psychotherapist” aren’t protected, so in principle anyone can use them, whatever their training. Some psychologist titles are protected, though, and most qualified counsellors and psychotherapists choose to join professional bodies that set standards and handle complaints. Knowing how that system works helps you check who you’re seeing.

Which therapy titles are protected?

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulates practitioner psychologists. Only people on its register can use these titles (HCPC protected titles):

• practitioner psychologist
• registered psychologist
• clinical psychologist
• counselling psychologist
• health psychologist
• educational psychologist
• forensic psychologist
• occupational psychologist
• sport and exercise psychologist

Arts therapists (art, music and drama therapists) are also regulated by the HCPC. Using a protected title without being registered is a criminal offence. You can check anyone claiming one of these titles on the HCPC register.

“Counsellor”, “psychotherapist” and “therapist” on their own aren’t on that list. The government announced plans to regulate counsellors and psychotherapists by law in 2007, then confirmed in 2011 that it would not proceed (HCPC: regulating further professions). The HCPC’s guide to psychologist regulation explains the current position.

How the profession regulates itself

Without a statutory regulator, standards are set through a voluntary system with three main parts.

Professional bodies

Organisations such as BACP, UKCP, NCPS and others admit members who meet their training requirements, ask them to follow a code of ethics, expect ongoing supervision and CPD, and run complaints procedures. They can remove someone from membership, but they can’t stop that person from continuing to practise outside membership.

PSA Accredited Registers

The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, which oversees the statutory regulators, also runs an Accredited Registers programme. Organisations can apply to have their register accredited, which means the PSA has assessed them against its standards for governance, education and training, complaints handling and managing the register. Several counselling and psychotherapy registers are accredited, including those held by BACP, UKCP and NCPS. Accreditation is voluntary, and it applies to the register, not to each individual therapist’s skill. You can search accredited registers at checkapractitioner.com.

Directories

Online directories help the public find therapists. They range from listing anyone who pays to checking evidence before approving a listing. ABCAP sits in this group. We’re a membership body and directory for counsellors and psychotherapists, not a regulator. Before approving a listing we ask for and review evidence of the therapist’s qualifications or current training, their professional body membership where it applies, and their insurance where it applies. Every member agrees to our Code of Ethics. Our verification policy sets out exactly what we check and what we don’t. For example, we don’t carry out criminal record checks, and we don’t continuously monitor credentials after someone joins.

What does “accredited” mean?

“Accredited” is used in several different ways, which causes understandable confusion:

Because the meaning varies, it’s always fair to ask a therapist: “Accredited by whom, and what did that involve?”

At ABCAP, “Accredited membership” is our membership level for therapists qualified at Level 4 or above with at least 100 hours of counselling experience, which we verify when they join. It’s our own grade, and it’s different from accreditation by another body.

How to check a counsellor or psychotherapist

1. Ask which professional body they belong to and their membership level.
2. Check their name on that body’s online register.
3. If they use a protected psychologist title, check the HCPC register.
4. Ask about their training, their insurance and their supervision.
5. Make sure you get a clear written agreement covering fees, cancellations and confidentiality.

Our guide on how to choose a therapist has ten questions to ask before you book.

What if something goes wrong?

If you have a concern about a therapist, contact their professional body, which can investigate under its complaints procedure. If the therapist is listed in the ABCAP directory, you can also tell us through our complaints and concerns page. ABCAP can’t investigate what happened or make findings of misconduct, but we can review whether a listing should remain in our directory. If you’re worried about abuse, criminal behaviour or someone’s immediate safety, contact the police or your local authority’s safeguarding team straight away. Our safeguarding page has more detail.

What to check before you book

The absence of a dedicated statutory professional regulator does not, by itself, tell you whether a particular therapist is safe or suitable. It means the checking is down to you, and a well-trained therapist will be happy to answer your questions. Look for proper training, membership of a professional body you can check, insurance, supervision, and a clear agreement.

You can search the ABCAP therapist directory by therapy type and location, and see on each profile whether the therapist is a Student, Standard or Accredited member.