Misuse of the Title Licensed
I had a phone call yesterday from a potential client who was looking for therapeutic services. As the call neared a conclusion I was asked if I was a “Licensed Therapist”. I explained that in the UK there is no such person in reality. There are people like “Applied Psychologists and Arts Therapists” who are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council. Whilst there are others, like me, who are regulated by Professional Standards Authority Accredited Registers like the UK Council for Psychotherapy and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Despite this explanation, I was told that this person had already spoken to a “Licensed Therapist” and he felt more comfortable with someone with a license. Well the license in question was a certificate in NLP which called him a Licensed NLP Practitioner. This license came from the proprietary organisation which issued the certificate. Not, as the person believed, from a government agency.
I understand that a person can be licensed to use a technique if that is a proprietary activity, but this is not the same as being licensed by the state. It is essential that people know the difference and that practitioners represent their qualifications truthfully and accurately.
