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How important is BACP accreditation?
BACP accreditation is the mark of a high quality, professional practitioner training course. It guarantees a standard of training accepted for BACP membership, registration and accreditation. Your course does not have to be BACP-accredited, but if it’s not you’ll need to take our Certificate of Proficiency before you can progress to become a registered member or be eligible for our accreditation scheme. CPCAB is an awarding organisation – also known as an awarding body or examination board which awards qualifications – whereas BACP is a professional membership body which represents the interests of counselling. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is a professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists practising in the United Kingdom. What is the difference between BACP and UKCP? The BACP trains counsellors and psychotherapists and the UKCP trains psychotherapists. They are the two main and the largest registering bodies in the UK.
Is BACP accreditation worth it?
However, the BACP accreditation process is a very well thought out initiation into the higher echelons of counselling and psychotherapeutic practice. I highly recommend it as a process to fellow practitioners for fundamental personal and professional self-development. All practising BACP members must be registered or working towards registration. See Registered membership. Accreditation is a quality standard for experienced practitioners, designed to recognise your capacity for independent, ethical and competent practice. Accreditation as a CBT Practitioner is a voluntary, peer-reviewed process. Unlike other professions such as psychology, nursing and medicine, it is not a legal requirement to be state-registered in order to practice as a psychotherapist, (including CBT) either privately or within an institution. Training as a counsellor involves a combination of theoretical study and practical experience, but you don’t need a degree to become a counsellor. Overseas psychologists from any country in the world can register with the HCPC in the UK and use the protected ‘practitioner psychologist’ titles such as clinical psychologist or counselling psychologist, thus qualifying them to practice in the UK.