Whether you're in the profession or looking for counselling, it's possible you've come across the BACP - The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy. They really are central in the UK because they keep professionals in check and make sure you feel respected and comfortable with your therapist or counsellor.
There are over 45,000 professional counsellors and psychotherapists who are registered members of BACP and we (myself included) march to their drum. This means we must get the right education to become a member and stay ethical and responsible once registered and working.
What are the different memberships?
Being as big as they are, the BACP has different divisions and tiers. They manage divisions within counselling like in education settings, hospitals, workplaces, professionals working from spiritual perspectives, professionals working independently with adults and also professionals working independently with young people and children. Each division has subtle differences depending on legal and ethical requirements - ways of working with children for example, is different legally and ethically from working with adults.
Each division has its own tier as well (this isn't straightforward to get your head around). I'll focus on the independent practice division. Currently, there are three levels...
1. Individual member
This professional has achieved the lowest level of membership. This means they have fulfilled the requirements to practise from an accredited governing body (like a University or college). This person can have 'BACP' after their name. Like 'Lily Llewellyn BACP'.
2. Registered member
A registered member is similar to an individual member. The difference is that individual members may have had to complete the BACP ethical exam in order to qualify as a registered member. This would have been required if the professional qualified from a governing body that wasn't BACP accredited (for example if they qualified overseas). This person can have MBACP after their name.
3. Accredited member
The accredited member stands apart from the two other tiers as this professional has taken further steps to prove their competencies as a professional. They will have completed 450 hours of work and submitted written assessments to demonstrate their deeper understanding and experience to BACP for review. Not all professionals choose to go this extra step, though it is attractive to clients and will be noticeable, not only as they have BACP (Accred) after their name, but due to their efforts and skills too.
You may have seen 'BACP (Snr Accredited)' written after names too, although only 3% of professionals the UK have reached this level, so it's not common. This is for the Senior Accredited member. The BACP has currently paused this membership tier for review. We'll all have to see what happens to this tier.
Every professional, no matter their level of membership, is sufficiently qualified, experienced, must continue their professional and personal development and regularly meet with a supervisor - so all capable and prepared for work despite the division or tier.
What is the BACP Ethical Framework?
Not only does the BACP arrange professionals and make sure professionals are rightly qualified and experienced in order to get into the counselling and psychotherapy field, they make sure everyone is behaving once registered. This is where the ethical framework is important - it's purpose to make sure that the client and the client's needs to always the priority!
Ethics is a huge subject and much bigger than a section in a blog post, but in summary the UK ethics include - respecting human rights and dignity, appreciating the variety of human experience and culture, making sure the quality of professional knowledge and its application is at its best. Professionals must make a pledge to work ethically and embody certain qualities like being sincere, humble and fair. The list goes on.
Though if you thought a professional wasn't working ethically, then the BACP steps in...
What does the BACP do for you?
The BACP steps in by following up on complaints that are made about a practitioner. The BACP asks to know if you are able to discuss the issue with your therapist, but if you're not, they encourage that you make a formal complaint and they start investigating.
Besides complaints, the BACP will stay in the background for clients once you have found the right counsellor or psychotherapist for you.
Having said this, the BACP does have a journal and articles that publish useful information about mental health, psychotherapy, relationships and more. Plenty of interesting stuff!
In summary...
The BACP work to ensure professionals in the UK are working to a standard that is ethical and right for both clients and practitioners. They have many divisions and memberships statuses based on how far the practitioner wishes to demonstrate their skills.
As a client, you can use the BACP to learn more about therapy, how you must be treated respectfully and appropriately, you can find a professional practitioner using its membership database and make a complaint should it ever come to that.
The BACP does many helpful things for many people, both clients and professionals in the UK.
Written by Lily Llewellyn
August 28th 2023
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