Choosing a Psychotherapist
It has occurred to me that over the past several years, I have had occasion to rail against people calling themselves psychotherapists without actually doing an article about how to choose a properly qualified psychotherapist. Well today, I will correct that omission and give some guidance for how to choose a psychotherapist.
In the first instance, in the UK there is no statuary control or regulation as to who may call themselves a psychotherapist. This does rather complicate things for people seeking help. As most people are trusting souls and do not bother to do to a due diligence check on the person they are considering consulting. It should be noted, that many hypnotherapists claim to be psychotherapists, but only a few are registered or accredited with one of the following organisations.
There are several organisation which claim to represent psychotherapy in this country. I will focus on three which all hold accredited registers with the Professional Standards Authority. These are the UK Council for Psychotherapy, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and the British Psychoanalytic Council. These organisations have established training standards for people who wish to train as psychotherapists which are widely recognised in both the health service and private practice (including private medical insurance). These bodies are actively involved with the promotion of the profession whilst always looking toward the protection of the public.
If you are seeking psychotherapeutic services, I implore you to ensure that the practitioner you seek is either accredited or registered with one or more of these three organisations. In the absence of statutory regulation, these organisations are the best guarantee for public safety which currently exist.
