the national counselling and psychotherapy society
London
We play an important role within the profession of counselling in the UK and in
May 2013 the Society was one of the first organisations to gain Accredited
Register status with the Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register
programme. Our belief is that counselling (and related therapies) should be seen
as a vocation (not just a job but a worthy occupation) and that the relationship
between counsellor and client is important for the outcome of therapy. We
support and promote counselling and counsellors, offering a wide variety of
benefits to our members and training providers. We have also created and
published online CPD courses to support healthcare providers and those in
public-facing roles. As an Accredited Register holder we meet the robust and
exacting standards set by the Professional Standards Authority with particular
emphasis on public safety and assuring that the best interests of the clients
are protected. The National Counselling Society believes that all Accredited
Registers should be seen as equal. To this end, we were instrumental in gaining
recognition within the NHS for all Accredited Registers. NHS Choices information
list Accredited Registers to reflect what should be equality of choice for all
clients and patients. In addition, NHS Employers has added content encouraging
the use and detailing the benefits of Accredited Registers, and the Improving
Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme recognises the NCS alongside
other Registers. We’re also very pleased that, again as a result of our efforts,
Health Education England has amended the information on the NHS Health Careers
website also to be in line with the aforementioned changes on NHS Choices and
NHS employers sites, and promote inclusive hiring practices We are a not for
profit organisation and the high standards of our Accredited Register are
externally verified by the Professional Standards Authority. The organisation is
bound by appropriate rules of governance including a constitution, codes of
ethics, and a complaints procedure.
