No regulations for therapists?

[Youwhatnowbiggles]

A recent news story (please can we stay off that and keep to this discussion🤞) made we wonder what regulations therapists are bound by. A quick google revealed that “psychotherapists, psychoanalysts and counsellors are not regulated by the government under a statutory scheme. Anybody can apply these professional titles to themselves and the voluntary organisations that “regulate” them are powerless to do anything to stop them practicing, even after a finding of misconduct.” Considering that most people going to or seeking therapy are most likely in a vulnerable state of mind and potentially easily manipulated etc should the “industry” (because that’s what it is, they do it for payment not charity) not be formally regulated to protect the individuals who use their services?

"The government should regulate......."

Sorry, that is simply not practical or viable for the government to check everybody is good at what they say they are good at.

You don't have to have any sort of legal registration or qualification for most jobs, and the word "therapist" is a very very broad term, with many different meanings. The government could not possibly regulate therapists any more than they can regulate hairdressers, or translators, or dog walkers, or car mechanics, or beauticians, or maths tutors, or 99% of jobs and careers in the country

It is up to the buyer to choose who to spend their money with, and research the qualifications and professional body memberships they expect

Did actually have to complain about a psychotherapist who was registered with BACP. They were very good and upheld the complaint. It wasn't therapy for me but for a situation I was professionally involved in. They suspended her practice and made her do some retraining until she did.
Therefore I agree - always use someone who has membership of a properly recognised body. There might still be issues as with any profession but at least there's a proper complaint mechanism.

Same with complementary therapists such as osteopaths, chiropractors.
it’s not actually a ‘profession’, professions involve mandatory regulation and protected titles.
the voluntary registration bodies are a good step forward but they still don’t usually involve the oversight and protection of a registered healthcare profession. I didn’t realise that ‘psychologist’ isn’t a protected title in the uk, it is elsewhere

The government don’t check. The professional body does all the work, that is why there is a mandatory fee for registration.
by your way of thinking why does any profession need registration then? Why is an occupational therapist different to a psychotherapist?

It wasn't me stating that the government should regulate therapists, I was quoting another poster, and disagreeing with them

I am glad people are starting to wake up to this. People need to be aware when picking a therapist to pick one that is qualified, preferably at masters level as that means they’ve had extensive therapy themselves.

I wouldn’t touch one that was not registered or one who had no had to self reflect on their own psych via psychotherapy.

The government should regulate it as there are vulnerable, often traumatised people with sexual abuse histories etc that often do not know where to even begin when looking at a counsellors credentials. We are talking about vulnerable people here seeking help. Often the “therapy” retraumatises them and they end up back in NHS mental health services. I know the NHS will only employ qualified people.

Yes to the person who said the industry attracts too many wounded people who lack insight into their own behaviours.

It's shocking. I always tell people to ask a therapist about their training. And then look it up! Someone who has done a proper course, with proper supervision and supervised practice hours will have a lot more to say than someone who did an online certificate over a weekend.

What is even worse is that EMDR training in the U.K. is not regulated. It is a trauma treatment for PTSD. It can be used for other things to, but this is the primary use. Anybody seeking this needs to check the qualifications of the therapist and the EMDR training.

It's ridiculous that this is the case.

Can you imagine having a broken leg (the oft-cited MH comparison) and going to someone who'd done a weekend course in "healing broken bones", or an online course in "How to realign a broken tibia"? And them calling themselves a specialist, and able to treat you the same as an orthopaedic surgeon would? It's scandalous and a clear indication of how mental health is not taken as seriously as physical health.

@daretodenim

I have one on my FB. Did a hypnotherapy course with the Clifton practice (scandalous) and is now offering her services on anxiety, depression etc. Embarassing.

I think the issue is how much do we expect Joe public to pick up on the nuances of each individual occupation or profession. And how much of this should occur to someone. I think it’s reasonable to say look for someone who is registered but I believe the registration requirements for bacp are pretty minimal and nowhere near the qualifications that you’ve suggested.
personally I think mental health care is no different to physical and all should be registered health care professionals. Current hourly rates for counsellors are what £50 per hour so I’d say the area is ripe for exploitation!

Yes to the person who said the industry attracts too many wounded people who lack insight into their own behaviours.

Definitely this. If they've had extensive therapy themselves and actually worked through the issues(s), it can be good. In my experience, that's rather rare. It totally pisses me off.

Don't even get me started on the effing charlatans who are "pioneering" psychadelics - usually because they are were seriously traumatised, took ayehasca or mushrooms or something, had a weird trip and are suddenly healed!!! (There's good research happening internationally, that's not what I'm referring to!).

*usually because they were are (cancelled the wrong word?- need to calm down!!)

@BungleandGeorge

I do agree. There are level 4 counsellors and ones who have many more years of training and their own therapy under their belt. It would be difficult for a prospective client to pick up on these differences.

Theres a shift happening in mental health services at the minute with “new roles” being created. For example the mental health and well-being practitioner role. It’s a 1 year training contract with a job description that’s the same as a care coordinators which would usually be the responsibility of a qualified HCP such as a registered mental health nurse.

@daretodenim

Yes I do agree. There’s more bad ones than good ones in my opinion.

Many clients are forwarded to agencies via GPs and Mental Health Hubs, they believe that the therapist has been checked by the NHS when that is not the case at all.

Yep. There is a voluntary register (HPAC) and they have applied to be an accredited PSA register which is a step in the right direction. But given the access a uniformed ambulance worker (uniform can give the impression of authority and trust) has to people at their most vulnerable, in the back of an ambulance, they should really be regulated.

I work in healthcare and, some years back, thought it might be nice to do some qualifications in something that could allow me to use some of my current skills and knowledge with new stuff in a less stressed part time way as retirement looms. Being aware of professional standards and accountability, I only did fully accredited courses.

The first thing I did was a diploma in a complementary therapy, one weekend a month for 10 months. I could then have registered with a "professional" body. I did not feel confident to sell my services at the end of it so didn't register but most others who did the course did (and I must be honest I had far less confidence in most of their abilities to understand illnesses and treat people than my own!)

A couple of years after that I did a diploma in hypnotherapy. That was better but I still would feel an imposter to take money for it and was surprised that my 2 days a month for 10 months also qualified me as a mindfulness coach and NLP Practitioner. Again I could have registered with a professional body and was given advice on setting up a website, how to market myself, etc but didn't feel competent. A lady local to me registered and now works from home via a FB page as an anxiety specialist.

With both of these courses people with no health knowledge or training registered and immediately marketed themselves as able to treat people who were unwell

@Overrunwithlego they will have to be dbs checked though? which is in line with other workers with vulnerable people eg teachers, nursery workers, carers
paramedics providing treatment are registered. It’s really the medical treatment that is the difference?

@Goosefatroasts the other thing I don’t understand is that most counsellors advertise that they use cbt and a whole host of other methods. Do they actually have to provide formal evidence of training/ experience for each speciality to list these on the bacp website?

I know of a couple of counsellors/psychotherapists who are acquaintances and there is no way I would recommend them to anyone. Both hold very extreme views on certain issues which I know many people may go to counselling for. I just can't see them being impartial.

I do know that there are many wonderful therapists out there but I'm just speaking about these two. It angers me that they have a position of trust for vulnerable people.

Yes, you do have to provide evidence of training of all the interventions you use (like CBT/EMDR etc) for BACP/UKCP to record on your listing you offer them

I was audited last year by BACP (practitioners are done at random) and it was thorough - they checked my CPD for the year, the certificate I got for it - plus a letter from my supervisor confirming the dates of all monthly supervision in the year plus a confirmation reference saying I was fit to practice. They also checked all HER qualifications too.

I saw on Katie Price's Instagram stories today that she's training to be a life coach using an online app company...unsurprisingly it's an ad. It's truly scary though that people can sign up to it and then call themselves a life coach

@BungleandGeorge Yes they should be DBS checked but the recruitment practices outside of the NHS can be very poor, and DBS checks don’t include all
types of offences.

it’s not the medical treatment per se - but treating people who are very vulnerable, potentially unconscious or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

For example:

emergencyservicestimes.com/be-curious-raising-awareness-on-sexual-safety-in-the-independent-ambulance-sector/

@walnutmarzipan

I am not surprised. My last boss in my old job was a clinical psychologist. Great I though. Turns out she had zero, and I mean zero insight into her own behaviour. I found it utterly fascinating as her knowledge was second to none. She ran educational zoom workshops for corporate businesses and she was always very busy. Her conversational narcissism was the worst I had ever encountered. Infact I felt bad for her, and in the end would just sit there like a nodding dog whilst she talked about her favourite subject, you guessed it…. Herself.

*thought

But she was a mental health professional? As in that was her job? YOur job is not your personality? Doctors are not healthy!