11/01/2026
Over the last couple of months I have seen a huge rise in the number of couples, and individuals, contacting us who are asking to be seen urgently - having previously been in 'sessions' with minimally qualified people who state they can work with them.
This is a growing problem, and one I will be tackling head-on via the appropriate channels, not least because this is incredibly unethical practice but also because mental health and wellbeing is so serious, and providing professional interventions within this is not something 'anyone can do'. 30+yrs of practice has shown me just how bad things can become, and how quickly, very sadly ❤️
So, this is the first post (and task on my to do list!) and it is intended to help anyone reading this, who is trying to find a therapeutic service, whether individually, for a couple, or even for a group.
First step, before anything, always ask them:
* Are they a member of a professional body? Which one? - feel confident to ask for their registration number and, if given, I would strongly recommend you then check this on the relevant website.
This will tell you if the person is fully trained or are still a student, for example. It will also help you to see if they are actually a Coach or Hypnotherapist, and therefore not a Counsellor, Psychological Therapist or Psychotherapist.
The most widely recognised bodies in the UK (including by the NHS) are: UKCP, BABCP, BACP and NCPS (I strongly suggest only senior accredited upwards for NCPS, if you are seeking any form of specialist therapy, especially couples work or trauma work).
Then, next:
* Are they fully insured? Can they show you their certificate? - again, feel confident to ask to see this
Ideally, they will have their insurance on display, or to hand - but there shouldn't be any problem showing you they have insurance. If there is - beware!
Further:
* Do they attend regular supervision to discuss and receive direction with regards to their practice? - all high standard counsellors, psychological therapists and psychotherapists will attend at least monthly supervision for 1.5hrs. Student Counsellors should be in fortnightly supervision and be seeing no more than 3 clients per week. It is also a professional body requirement to be in supervision, so if the person you are speaking to is not doing this, they are unlikely to be fully qualified, or working within a set of professional standards.
And:
* Have they attended personal therapy (at least 30hrs) as part of their training? Even better, do they continue to attend personal therapy?
Always remember, how can someone who isn't self aware / committed to self development, possibly be appropriate to support your journey?
A note on Specialist therapy:
When someone trains as a therapist, they are trained generically to work therapeutically with either adults or children, not both.
There are a range of initial training courses, from specific trainings for the recognised modalities of therapy, as well as Integrative therapy courses, where you are taught small bits of different modalities. Generally speaking, the level 4 / 5 trainings are Integrative, and the level 6 upwards are specific modalities of training - so where the therapist has spent the entirety of their training focusing on one modality of therapy, thereby gaining detailed knowledge in this area and rightly referring to themselves as a 'Humanistic Counsellor', for example. These therapists are also suitably trained to add specifics of their approach, such as 'Gestalt' for example - because they have spent a significant chunk of their qualifying training studying that approach and fine tuning their skills and knowledge.
Integrative training courses do not achieve this, therefore, but instead provide a rounded Counsellor who can use a range of techniques to work with a client as well as a reasonable level of theoretical understanding.
For specialist areas of practice, the therapist will have either needed to have completed the relevant therapeutic trainings AFTER qualifying, to gain the skills required to work therapeutically with certain client groups. Alternatively, they will have completed a Masters level course to achieve this - such as with Systemic Psychotherapists, who are, most often, trained health and social care professionals (nurses, social workers, etc) who have undertaken 3-4 years of recognised Systemic training and met all requirements necessary to then work therpeutically with couples and families.
Therefore, always ask:
* where did they complete their specialist trainings?
* how long was the training and what requirements were attached to the course?
* what was involved in gaining the qualification? (eg: practical assessments or supervised practice, etc)
A high quality therapist will openly list the training they have completed on all of their marketing platforms, and will include dates and training schools. An even better therapist will also indicate their ongoing adherence to supervision around this work.
If you find they completed an online course of minimal duration, with no supervised practice element and no requirement to demonstrate the new skills before passing the course to gain the certification, then, in all honesty, they have completed a CPD (continued professional development) exercise and are NOT sufficiently trained to work with complexity involved in practising as a therapist in specialist areas.
To also be even more clear regarding CPD for Counsellors, Psychological Therapists and Psychotherapists - this aspect is actually an ongoing practice requirement, with the total amount evidenced each year when the therapist completes their renewal to remain a member of their professional body. So the short bursts of CPD absolutely have a place, and are all great for continuing learning, refreshing understanding and so on.
The key thing, however, is that they are not sufficient to provide a trained therapist with the specialist skills required to work with couples, or much more complex clients, such as those who are traumatised, for example, and this is why it is so important to check what level of training has been completed.
Finally:
Terminologies in the Counselling and Psychotherapy profession are very confusing.
Therefore, please be aware that, in the UK, counselling and psychotherapy remains an unregulated profession (not for much longer, hopefully) so there are still some who continue to claim to be something they actually are not....
Here's a handy lowdown that I hope will help:
* 'Helper / listener / befriender' (these types of term) - someone who has completed a Level 2 or 3 counselling course and is NOT a qualified Counsellor, Psychological Therapist or Psychotherapist (or Coach!)
* 'Coach' - someone who has completed a coaching course where the focus is actions and is not a therapeutic training - the person is NOT a qualified Counsellor, Psychological Therapist or Psychotherapist
* Hypnotherapist - someone who can provide hypnotherapy, relaxation and possibly low level CBT linked interventions, but again, the person is NOT a qualified Counsellor, Psychological Therapist or Psychotherapist
* Student Counsellor - someone who is undertaking a Level 4 / undergraduate/ Post graduate diploma counselling course and is in training to become a Counsellor - they should ONLY be seeing you within a placement arrangement that has been signed off by their training college, they should be student members of a professional body, should hold insurance AND should be in increased levels of clinical supervision - these are all as a bare minimum! If there is a session charge, it should also be minimal compared to costs to see a fully trained / experienced Counsellor. Additional terms for students include 'therapist in further training' and 'Placement Counsellor'
* 'Counsellor' - someone who has completed a Level 4, 5, undergraduate degree or Post Graduate Diploma training and has met requirements set within their training college, which will include 100hrs of supervised practice, and, hopefully, at least 30hrs of personal therapy. They are, therefore, a Counsellor, or in the case of Post Graduate training, potentially a Psychological Therapist. They are NOT, however, Psychotherapists!
* Psychotherapist - someone who has completed a full Level 7 Psychotherapy course (in total at least 4 years of this level of training) - most commonly a Masters - and has also met the requirements of their training college, which will include 450hrs supervised practice and the same number years of weekly personal therapy as the course length (so, again, at least 4 years). Crucially, they will also have met the requirements of the UKCP to be called a Psychotherapist / Clinical Psychotherapist.
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So that's it! I share this because you, and your mental health and wellbeing, are incredibly precious and when there are rocky times it can become a bit too tempting to book in with the cheaper options, or to really check out what the person is actually trained sufficiently to provide.
There are some great groups out there, don't get me wrong, but it is imperative they are absolutely clear regarding what their limits are, so that you know what to expect.
A wise woman once said to me - if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!
Please, be careful who you place your trust in - you REALLY matter, more than anything else 💜
