How to choose your therapist
Qualifications are not just nice pieces of paper - picking a therapist who is suitably qualified is very important, if not vital. Qualifications and accreditations carry with them a reassurance that the therapist has undergone a recognised professional training in their field, including the professional ethics. Therapists who are members of their professional counselling organisations are obliged to undergo regular supervision sessions with their senior colleagues to ensure safe and ethical practice.
So, you look at an advert in a paper or on the Web and it has a seriously looking row of letters following the name of the advertiser. It could be helpful to know what they mean, it could be useful, but it could be misleading too, so one of the first things to ask the practitioner is about their qualifications, memberships and accreditations that they advertise, especially if there is anything there that you do not understand.
Degrees, even serious looking, like M.Sc., M.A. or Ph.D. should be in a discipline at the very least related to counselling, such as Psychology. For instance a B.A. in English or a Ph.D. in Engineering will not be that relevant, and it could be plainly misleading. If the advert just says B.A., not B.A. (Counselling, University or College X), you can and should always call and ask the advertiser for the missing two pieces of information. The degree granting institution should be a well known one - look it up on the Web. A Master’s degree is higher level than a Bachelor’s, which in turn is a higher qualification than a Diploma (which is not really a degree). A Dr before the name may mean you are looking at a Doctor of Medicine, but it could also mean a Ph.D. in History, so check those for relevance as well.
Degree granting institutions (especially Universities) sometimes grant lower level qualifications to candidates who do not fulfil full degree requirements for the degrees they originally registered for, for instance do not earn/pass a sufficient number of credits, so a Diploma could be obtained by someone who studied for a Master’s degree but did not earn the required number of credits. An M.Phil could mean someone who studied for a Ph.D. level, but for some reason could not fulfil all the requirements. These are not necessarily bad signs, but if in doubt - ask the advertiser.
It is often worth paying attention to the degree granting institution itself (and asking the therapist about it if this is not clear). While all the U.K. universities have their quality assurance, they still differ. If in doubt, look at the university league tables. They are easy to find on Google.
Titles and qualifications: the key minimum qualification you should be looking for are Diplomas (such as a diploma from a training course which is accredited by BACP or UKCP). Certificates are lower level qualifications, which may be acceptable for instance as an additional qualification in a related field for a therapist who already holds a degree or a diploma in counselling, clinical psychology or psychotherapy. There is also a difference between a degree in psychology and one in clinical psychology. The former is normally not a therapy qualification on its own, unless accompanied by another qualification related to therapy.
Accreditations (registrations) and memberships: being a member (M) or a fellow (F) of an organisation (e.g. MBACP) means that the therapist has qualifications this organisation requires (and you can easily check what these requirements are on the organisation’s web site). Being accredited with that organisation means the practitioner received a substantial amount of training and experience recognised by the organisations. See the relevant BACP page for further, specific information. Accreditation is a higher level of membership, requiring undergoing a rigorous assessment procedure, which is regularly reviewed.
Other abbreviations? Some advertisers will add their other qualifications, which are not necessarily related to counselling, but they see it as enhancing their image or broadening of their services. In such cases you need to judge it for yourself whether for instance a Human Resources Management (CIPD) qualification will be useful in your situation. It may be the case on occasion.
A very useful resource is the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) list of abbreviations related to counselling.
What if things go wrong? When the therapist is a member of a professional body it is unlikely that much will go wrong, but you should still check that they have a suitable professional indemnity insurance, just in case.
So, you look at an advert in a paper or on the Web and it has a seriously looking row of letters following the name of the advertiser. It could be helpful to know what they mean, it could be useful, but it could be misleading too, so one of the first things to ask the practitioner is about their qualifications, memberships and accreditations that they advertise, especially if there is anything there that you do not understand.
Degrees, even serious looking, like M.Sc., M.A. or Ph.D. should be in a discipline at the very least related to counselling, such as Psychology. For instance a B.A. in English or a Ph.D. in Engineering will not be that relevant, and it could be plainly misleading. If the advert just says B.A., not B.A. (Counselling, University or College X), you can and should always call and ask the advertiser for the missing two pieces of information. The degree granting institution should be a well known one - look it up on the Web. A Master’s degree is higher level than a Bachelor’s, which in turn is a higher qualification than a Diploma (which is not really a degree). A Dr before the name may mean you are looking at a Doctor of Medicine, but it could also mean a Ph.D. in History, so check those for relevance as well.
Degree granting institutions (especially Universities) sometimes grant lower level qualifications to candidates who do not fulfil full degree requirements for the degrees they originally registered for, for instance do not earn/pass a sufficient number of credits, so a Diploma could be obtained by someone who studied for a Master’s degree but did not earn the required number of credits. An M.Phil could mean someone who studied for a Ph.D. level, but for some reason could not fulfil all the requirements. These are not necessarily bad signs, but if in doubt - ask the advertiser.
It is often worth paying attention to the degree granting institution itself (and asking the therapist about it if this is not clear). While all the U.K. universities have their quality assurance, they still differ. If in doubt, look at the university league tables. They are easy to find on Google.
Titles and qualifications: the key minimum qualification you should be looking for are Diplomas (such as a diploma from a training course which is accredited by BACP or UKCP). Certificates are lower level qualifications, which may be acceptable for instance as an additional qualification in a related field for a therapist who already holds a degree or a diploma in counselling, clinical psychology or psychotherapy. There is also a difference between a degree in psychology and one in clinical psychology. The former is normally not a therapy qualification on its own, unless accompanied by another qualification related to therapy.
Accreditations (registrations) and memberships: being a member (M) or a fellow (F) of an organisation (e.g. MBACP) means that the therapist has qualifications this organisation requires (and you can easily check what these requirements are on the organisation’s web site). Being accredited with that organisation means the practitioner received a substantial amount of training and experience recognised by the organisations. See the relevant BACP page for further, specific information. Accreditation is a higher level of membership, requiring undergoing a rigorous assessment procedure, which is regularly reviewed.
Other abbreviations? Some advertisers will add their other qualifications, which are not necessarily related to counselling, but they see it as enhancing their image or broadening of their services. In such cases you need to judge it for yourself whether for instance a Human Resources Management (CIPD) qualification will be useful in your situation. It may be the case on occasion.
A very useful resource is the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) list of abbreviations related to counselling.
What if things go wrong? When the therapist is a member of a professional body it is unlikely that much will go wrong, but you should still check that they have a suitable professional indemnity insurance, just in case.