Update on Statutory Regulation of Counsellors and Psychotherapists

Update September 2024

The process towards the introduction of statutory regulation for health and social care professions is multifaceted, involving a range of steps. The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board is continuing its work on the first step of this process: setting the pre-registration education and training requirements for entry to the register: known as the Standards of Proficiency and the Criteria for Education and Training Programmes.

In December 2023 a period of public stakeholder consultation closed on the Board’s proposed draft Standards and Criteria for both professions. Over the course of the 12-week consultation period, there was extensive engagement from stakeholders, including members of the professions, education providers, employers, professional bodies and members of the public. The Registration Board acknowledges and thanks all those stakeholders who took the time submit feedback as part of this process.

Nearly 700 responses were received across both consultation processes on separate and distinct standards for entry to each register – one for counsellors and one for psychotherapists. The Registration Board is currently working through the detailed feedback, reviewing and analysing each submission received. Both the volume of engagement received along the issues evidenced in the submission highlights the complexity of introducing statutory for the counselling and psychotherapy professions. The review and analysis of stakeholder feedback is an extensive and important process to which the Board is bringing its expertise of the professions with its regulatory function to ensure that the pre-registration requirements its sets deliver on its role to protect the public.

Following the conclusion of this extensive review activity, the Board will communicate the next steps in its work towards introducing statutory regulation for counsellors and psychotherapists.