Ensuring private counselling and therapy is ethical.

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At Focused Minds Counselling Services, we are committed to providing compassionate guidance to help you find a qualified and experienced counsellor. We understand that seeking private counselling can be confusing. The British Association of Counsellors & Psychotherapists (BACP) emphasizes the importance of ensuring counsellors are properly trained, ethical and safe,

Unfortunately, the rise of the internet has led to an increase in influencers and short, unqualified life coaching courses. While the number of unregistered therapists remains relatively low, those seeking mental health support from them risk exploitation and harm. Clients have no guarantee of the practitioner’s training level and no formal recourse if something goes wrong.

Therapists typically list their qualifications on their websites. If they do not, we recommend looking into their credentials or requesting to see them. A legitimate qualification should be registered and recognized by Ofqual. An Ofqual-recognized qualification enables a therapist providing private counselling to be listed on the BACP register.

The British Association of Counsellors & Psychotherapists (BACP) and the National Counsellors & Psychotherapists Society (NCPS) do not recognize online or distance learning courses. This is because qualified counsellors must complete 100 voluntary clinical hours with clients through a placement or internship as part of their four-year academic training.

Has a counsellor advertised a governing body on their website, such as (BACP) The British Association Of Counsellors  &  Psychotherapists, or (NCPS) The National Society of Counsellors & Psychotherapists?.

Being part of the above governing bodies ensures you that a counsellor has the correct qualifications. Is the counsellor on the BACP register (www.bacp.co.uk) or the NCPS register www.ncps.com. If they are not, it may be worth investigating.

Being a member of a governing body like the BACP also ensures that a counsellor undergoes regular criminal background checks. Without proper qualifications, there is also a risk that the counsellor may have a criminal record. We wish you the best on your private counselling journey.

Unless the counsellor is part of a governing body (BACP -NCPS) they cannot enrol on qualified and ethical platforms, such as counselling directory (https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/counsellors/kevin-talbott) or  Psychology Today  (https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/counselling/kevin-talbott-tamworth/1395374) Keeping private counselling safe.