02/04/2025
Today there was a states debate looking at the regulation of the professional practice of therapeutic counsellors. You see, at the moment, counsellor is not a protected title, anyone can call themselves a counsellor and set up in practice, and unlike psychotherapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists, we do not have to register with the Jersey Care Commission. This is problematic as it means that it is perfectly legal for someone to provide counselling when they are not qualified to do so, and for those counsellors who are qualified, but perhaps not registered with a governing body, it gives you, the public, no complaint route should you feel the counsellor has caused harm or conducted themselves in an unprofessional manner. Unfortunately, this debate failed, and so we still do not have to register, and anyone can call themselves a counsellor, qualified or not, competent, or not.
The proposition not only proposed that counsellors should have to register with the Jersey Care Commission, but that we should also be a member of a governing body. This was to again, ensure public safety, and counsellor accountability, it would have provided you a means to complain about the counsellor should you need to.
To protect yourself, you should look for a counsellor who is a member of a governing body, such as the BACP or the UKCP, as they check the qualifications of members prior to accepting them and ensure that members are insured. They also give you a route to complain, should you need to.
The minimum qualification a counsellor should hold is a level 4 diploma in counselling. For any specialist areas such as couples/relationship therapy, working with families or children, eating disorders or substance misuse, I would expect the counsellor to have either specific training or significant additional experience and training in these areas. Please do not hesitate to ask your counsellor about their qualifications, and to see their certificates. Most of us will be happy to provide them.
