Is there really no one who oversees counsellors in the UK?

[Sergeverge]

Because I am aware of an individual who has set himself up as a counsellor who should not be anywhere near vulnerable people. He was previously a GP - he was my GP - but he isn't any longer. He's now got a web page that says he is a counsellor.

The problem is that when he was my GP he was problematic. He prescribed off label psychiatric medication to me and repeatedly arranged appointments in his GP surgery for me to "chat" to him. This off label medication actually caused huge problems for me. It had a lot of side effects and negatively impacted my life in terms of how I functioned including losing a job. I was eventually able to come off it when I went to IAPTS. But that took years.

In addition while I was under care of IAPTS I had cause to engage with GP services for my son, who had asthma. He had difficulty breathing and he was coughing constantly. I took him for an appointment with this GP. This was after I had engaged with IAPTS, been seen by a psychiatrist and stopped the medication he put me on. None of which is relevant to my son of course but during this consultation about my son he suddenly started going through my own medical notes and asking questions about how stable I felt, then he started asking "so your son, has he actually been diagnosed with asthma, or is it just what you are saying? He's got a bit of a cough and you are anxious" I knew then he would not help my son because he had got into his head some weird imagined symbiotic relationship that was threatened by me having an independent thought. So I waited until the out of hours GP service opened up, phoned them, took my son to see them and it was as I had feared, his oxygen level was 93%, he had asthma and needed treatment.

So, that's a long story and I'm sorry. But, I think it shows that he is an abusive individual. He wanted to have this kind of weird svengali relationship with me, and used his position as a GP to do it, and refused my son treatment for an unrelated issue because I had went against him

But, now, apparently he is a counsellor. Even though he is I think a harmful man, if not dangerous. Is there any organisation at all that I can report this chancer to?

Also: please be nice. This was difficult for me to write.

Check his web page -
it should say who his counselling accreditation is with - and then you can report your concerns

Thank you. There's no mention of that on his web page. It just lists his medical qualifications. BSc MBBS FRCS MA. That isn't anything to do with counselling is it. So there's no scrutiny? Would any of the bodies awarding the qualifications he has be interested? I do feel very strongly that he is harmful.

This worries me in a broader context, I’m
never sure what qualifies someone to be a counsellor, qualifications seem to vary greatly.

IAPT hasn’t been named that for years, how long ago was it? Did you complain at the time to the surgery or GMC?

I haven't complained to anyone, I'm fucking mental remember

Anyway he's a counsellor now.

It's scary.Some join registers such as the BACP, but about 75% of people mistakenly believe that therapists are legally regulated.

I don't think this guy is even with any counselling organisation.

So, would the bodies who awarded him his qualifications be interested?

There are regulatory bodies for counsellors, but registering is voluntary. He is allowed to practice. You could try reporting him to the GMC because he's using his qualifications in his profile. But they may not pursue it.

Well I guess that's all I can do then.

Sucks though. The medication he put me on was fucking horrible and negatively impacted me for years. It also though kept me docile and therefore willing to go along to all his little creepy unscheduled "chats". I assume he had his own agenda around that which was disrupted by me even asking one question about my son's healthcare.

Counsellor isn’t a protected term. Anyone can call themself a counsellor and take on clients.

Can’t be that mental if IAPT agreed to see you. They didn’t usually accept referrals for anyone with an SMI or more complex needs (doesn’t really explain why you didn’t complain about a medication harming you and inappropriate behaviour, anyway).

Would you consider reporting to GMC now? Sounds like it might be the only thing you can do.

’Counsellor’ isn’t a protected title in the UK. Anyone can use it. It is therefore down to the individual when choosing a counsellor to check that the counsellor is registered with a professional group such as BACP, UKPC or BPC.

The counsellor you reference doesn’t seem to be registered with any of these bodies. This should deter some individuals using them but of course many people will just see the medical qualifications and assume all is fine.

Nothing. There's no mandatory official qualification. Though there are qualifications available. "Counsellor" is not a protected title, so anyone can use it regardless of how little training they've had. Any decent therapist of any kind has their own professional they go to for regular monitoring of their own mental health, because of everything they deal with in the course of their work. That won't be mandatory for anyone who isn't using a protected title though (and I'm not sure it's mandatory anyway).

Having said all that, you do indeed sound anxious OP.

Fair enough the doctor shouldn't have fobbed you off about your DS. Too many hear "mental health" and put everything down to that. It wouldn't have been difficult to check DSs oxygen levels with that finger thingy they have and your own medical conditions shouldn't have been discussed in front of DS. You got a second opinion and DS got treated, that's the important thing.

As for giving you pills instead of therapy, well that's what the NHS does because therapy lists are very long waiting time and drugs are cheaper. Drugs are often used off license too, that's normal. Some people will have side effects and that's unfortunate, but "issues with functioning" doesn't necessarily mean side effects as such, it can be because they're basically all sedatives of some kind and the sedation can make it difficult to go about normal life. I'm sorry you lost your job, but if you were unwell enough to need meds in the first place, you were likely unwell enough to lose your job if you hadn't taken them, too. I'm glad you're doing better now.

The chats with the GP weren't really chats, they were regular monitoring of your mental state, another totally normal feature of treatment by a GP.

You weren't wrong to find your own route back to health. The NHS is often about patching people up as best they can rather than actually fixing anything. The treatment your old GP went with was meds and monitoring. It's not unreasonable and was arguably adequate, given the NHS criteria of keeping you alive (rather than worrying too much about the quality of life, unfortunately). They can't refer everyone to secondary MH services, they're stretched to breaking point as it is. Unless you're suicidal or psychotic and beyond the GPs ability to keep you alive, then in general you don't get a referral. Most people who need, or would benefit from, therapy end up having to pay for it privately.

My advice is to stop stressing over this. Shit happens. Life doesn't always work out how you want it to or expect it to. The NHS doesn't always treat your conditions the way you want them to be treated. Nobody values your quality of life as much as you yourself do. It sucks to realise that and to be on the receiving end of that attitude. But continuing to fret over this isn't going to do you any favours. You need to move on with your life.

If the GP wants to set up as a counsellor they can, it's not illegal and just because they didn't help you doesn't mean they're incapable of helping anyone else.

doesn’t really explain why you didn’t complain about a medication harming you and inappropriate behaviour, anyway

Yeah well life is complex, behaviour isn't linear.

Plus, I don't even fucking know you so why the fuck are you expecting me to explain myself to you. I'm not the one at fault here, remember.

Maybe next time you see a scenario like this (which can't be so very unusual) you could start your inquisitive process by asking the medical professional on £90k+ a year and occupying a privileged standing in his community what the fuck he was doing messing around with a vulnerable female patient, and hold back on quizzing said vulnerable female patient.

Just a fucking thought.

Calm down. No need to be so rude and aggressive.

Maybe you should go have a bath, cup of tea or sleep. It will help to ease your aggression.

Having said all that, you do indeed sound anxious OP.

I'm not anxious.

I'm angry that I spent years of my life taking medication I shouldn't have taken, that made me fat, stupid and blunted, and that I did so because I trusted a medical professional who - it turns out - was anything but professional, and who was so far from professional that when I questioned what he was doing thought fit to punish me by proxy, through denying my son medical care that he absolutely needed.

I'm also, further, concerned that this same person is calling himself a counsellor and seeking out contact with other vulnerable individuals.

OP you sound like you’ve been violated by this individual, could you get legal advice?

Someone I know is touting their wares as a counsellor. They underwent a journey to sobriety themselves and now they think that somehow qualifies them to counsel others, he’s a self centred individual who loves the sound of his own voice, I think it’s rubbish at best, dangerous at worst.

@PinkNeonSign yeah this guy is absolutely self centered also. He has this substack account where he positions himself as fucking akin to bloody Buddha. Page after page of this guff about supposed self knowledge, from a man who is so low as to deny a child medical care because that child's mother disagreed with him.

Sounds horrendous @Sergeverge I do think there is a broader issue here though as the industry doesn’t seem to be well regulated so there are some just jumping in the bandwagon and exploiting vulnerable people.

That said, it mustn’t be proving very lucrative for the guy I know, he had a poster up in the co-op the last time I was in.

I know someone who is a counsellor and he is quite open about having been unable to pass the counselling exams. In this case, he is at least a nice person, but a bit away with the fairies.

@PinkNeonSign I don't know how much this ex GP makes. He doesn't advertise in the co op anyway! Maybe the accredited qualifications bring work his way.