The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...

psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...

organisations and practitioners in the United Kingdom.

History

The UKCP exists to "promote and maintain the profession of psychotherapy and the highest standards in the practice of psychotherapy throughout the United Kingdom, for the benefit of the public." Only psychotherapists or psycho-therapeutic counselors who meet UKCP's training requirements and abide by its ethical guidelines are included in its online "Register of Psychotherapists". The UKCP was initially founded in the 1980s as the United Kingdom Standing Conference for Psychotherapy following the Foster Report (1971) and the Sieghart Report (1978), which recommended regulation of the psychotherapy field. It was formally inaugurated as a council in 1993. UKCP also represents the United Kingdom in the

European Association for Psychotherapy The European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP) is a Vienna-based umbrella organisation for some 430 European psychotherapist organizations (including 33 national associations, 18 European associations and 80 EAP accredited training institutes) fr ...

(EAP) – a

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

-based umbrella organisation which sets standards for equivalence of training and practice throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Chair

UKCP elects its chair among its members.

Controversy

In October 2024 reports in the UK press alleged that self-regulation of therapists was ineffective. There were references to practitioners, including a GP, who were still able to set up in practice after having been struck off for misconduct by their member organisations, such as the BACP and UKCP. Misconduct was reported to include drug and sexual abuse. Campaigners and MPs have called for stronger measures to protect the public. However Professor Andrew Samuels, a long time psychotherapist and academic put forward the case that statutory regulation would not help the public nor the profession in the current ferment over abusive practitioners.

Transgender youth

References

External links