How To Choose A Counsellor Or Psychotherapist
What Is The Difference Between BACP Membership And BACP Accreditation?
All qualified counsellors or psychotherapists can become a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and use the letters MBACP after their name. MBACP stands for Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. However, BACP Accreditation means that your therapist has met strict guidelines regarding their training, clinical hours and regularly meets with a supervisor to discuss their case load. BACP accredited therapists must undergo a minimum number of hours of continued professional development each year and complete several written pieces of work for assessment by the accreditation panel at the BACP. To identify a BACP accredited therapist you must look for the letters MBACP(Accred.) after the therapist's name. Accreditation ensures a high standard of both training and experience.
The Advantages Of Choosing A BACP Accredited Therapy Service
An advantage of choosing a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Accredited Service, such as Lewis Psychology CIC, is that we uphold strict guidelines regarding:
- Operation (policy, aims and objectives, publicity, staffing, equal opportunities, evaluation and feedback)
- Management and administration (service structure, community liaison, health and safety, administration and management)
- Delivery of service (premises, professional conduct)
All organisations are not the same. Lewis Psychology CIC is an award winning practice and the only counselling and psychotherapy service in Wolverhampton to gain service accreditation status with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). BACP Service Accreditation demands the highest standards of practice in the counselling and psychotherapy profession and is considered by many to be the highest honour in the field.
You can also be assured that Lewis Psychology therapists are employed by the practice and do not work on an associate or self-employed basis. Therefore all staff have had been through a strict application and interview procedure and professional standards are monitored by our Clinical Director.
Qualifications
At the very least you will want to ensure that the counsellor or psychotherapist is qualified and has the right qualifications. The best way to do this is to choose a BACP Accredited therapist or BACP Accredited Service. The BACP only accredits fully qualified and experienced therapists. Remember that there is a big difference between being a BACP Member and being BACP Accredited.
Professional standards and training are important to us at Lewis Psychology so we are increasingly alarmed at the number of distance and on-line courses on offer. Do ask your therapist how long they studied and where. You really do not want someone who has done their training via distance learning or on-line. Distance and on-line training is not accepted by professional bodies such as the BACP and Lewis Psychology would never employ a therapist who has completed on-line training.
All Lewis Psychology CIC counsellors and psychotherapists are trained to above the BACP recognised standard for accreditation. All of our therapists have undergone between four and seven years clinical training.
Practice Location
Independent practitioners (sole traders) are often cheaper however, the potential drawback is that many independent practitioners operate from their family home. Ask yourself if you are comfortable seeing a therapist in their own home. Many therapists practice from their home but fail to advertise this in their literature so do remember to ask.
At Lewis Psychology we operate from our dedicated practice in Wolverhampton. The beautiful Victorian building was originally built in 1866 by renowned architect George Bidlake. It has been renovated to an exceptionally high standard and hosts several therapy rooms, a private waiting area and a free on-site car park.
Experience
It is very important to ask about your therapist's experience. For example, how many therapy hours has the therapist completed? Do they work as a therapist full time or part time? Is therapy their main job? To ensure that your therapist is experienced we would suggest that you look for a BACP Accredited therapist.
Summary Of Key Questions To Ask When Choosing A Therapist
Before you choose a therapist you should ask them a few simple questions:
- Are you a member of the BACP or are you Accredited by the BACP?
- Do you practice from home or do you rent an office?
- What qualifications do you have?
- Was your training wholly or partly via distance learning?
- How long did your training take?
- Do you work as a therapist part-time or full-time?
- How many clients do you see each week?
- Is this your main job?
- Are you in regular monthly supervision?
- How many therapy hours have you completed since you qualified?
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