Criteria for: Psychotherapist | Counsellor | Therapist
Group Counsellor | Educator | Researcher | O.D. Consultant

Accreditation as a Psychotherapist entitles you to registration with the UK Council for Psychotherapy. Accreditation is valid for 5 years, after which its renewal must be applied for.

If you don't currently meet the accreditation criteria for Psychotherapist you may wish to consider accreditation as a Counsellor. Accreditation as a Counsellor also entitles you to registration with the UK Council for Psychotherapy.

Before applying for accreditation as either a Counsellor or Psychotherapist you first become an Associate member, via a quick and straightforward application process. Click here for how to become an Associate member.

If you don't currently meet the criteria for accreditation as either of these membership categories you may benefit from Associate membership, including website-listing, advertising of events on the website, workshop-discounts, ethical support and assistance when later applying for accreditation. Associate members can state that they are working towards accreditation.

The criteria are detailed below or you can click here to view as a Word document.

Criteria for UKAHPP Full Membership / Accreditation as a Psychotherapist

“UKAHPP places emphasis not only on formal training but also on the creative use of knowledge gained in training and practice, and qualities of creativity, openness, warmth and maturity”

UKAHPP Accreditation as a Psychotherapist entitles you to (optional) registration with the UK Council for Psychotherapy, in its Humanistic & Integrative Psychology College, when all requirements have been met.  UKAHPP accreditation is valid for 5 years, after which its renewal must be applied for.

Note that there are different accreditation criteria for Counsellor, and that UKAHP accreditation as a Counsellor also entitles you to registration with the UK Council for Psychotherapy, in its Psychotherapeutic Counselling College.

Before applying for accreditation/Full membership as either a Counsellor or Psychotherapist you first become an Associate member working-towards-accreditation, via a quick and straightforward application process – see website or contact admin.ahpp@btinternet.com

There are two routes to UKAHPP accreditation as a psychotherapist, and further requirements which apply to both routes.

Summary of criteria:

A. Full Training Route – this is for applicants who have already accumulated the training hours and other requirements set out below.  Success by this route enables UKAHPP to recommend the applicant for immediate registration by UKCP.
Training: 900 hours including at least 600 hours of core tutor-contact training, plus 300 hours which may include more core training, clinical supervision, mental health placement & peer/self-directed learning; training need not be on UKCP-approved courses and several courses may be combined, but there must be a sustained period on one psychotherapy course; 8,000-word essay completed training - see para 2.
Own-therapy for a sustained period: minimum 40 hours per year for 4 years, preferably 3 years with the same psychotherapist; the applicant’s psychotherapist should not also be his/her trainer or supervisor - see para 4.
Supervision: minimum 2 years at a ratio of 1 hour to 6 client hours, totalling at least 450 supervised client hours – see para 5
Practice: minimum 2 years with practice size of at least 6 adult clients weekly (or equivalent), and 6 clients at time of applying – see para 6; a case study is required – see para 7.
Mental health familiarisation placement: minimum of 48 hours (e.g. 1 day per week for 6 weeks) in a structured setting where the applicant spends time with people suffering from major mental illness – see para 10.
N.B. if all other criteria are met, the 8,000-word essay and placement may be completed after accreditation.

B. Experience/Training Route – this is for applicants who trained several years ago when courses & standards were different, and who have been in practice as psychotherapists continuously for at least 5 years. 
The applicant’s training may not meet the current requirements (900/600 hours, as above), but we will consider whether by experience and in other ways the applicant is suitable for accreditation.  Essentials are that the applicant has experienced as a client the type, duration and frequency of psychotherapy they practice, have been and remain in supervision, and have engaged in CPD.  The first stage of application will involve a case study and supervisor’s report, after which details of the applicant’s training, own-therapy, practice, supervision and CPD may be requested.  After accreditation by UKAHPP successful applicants may be asked to meet further requirements, based on some or all of the criteria set out below, before UKAHPP recommends them for registration by UKCP. 

A or B. Both Routes:
Personal qualities and humanistic practice – see paras 1 & 9 below.
Insurance, ethics:- see para 8.
CPD: continuing professional development activities since training - see para 3.

Please now read the full criteria following:
If - after reading the criteria - you have any query, please email admin.ahpp@btinternet.com or phone 08457 660326.  

A. Full Training Route
Criteria for Full membership/accreditation as a Psychotherapist
1. A psychotherapist is considered to be a professional capable of working with people with complex problems, usually over a long period of time, and capable of knowing when and where to refer cases that go beyond his or her own training, capabilities or facilities.  For short-term psychotherapy, see also para 6.2.

1.1 The application should reflect this ability and should satisfy the UKAHPP Membership Committee that the applicant has reached the levels of maturity, experience and knowledge which, in the judgement of the Committee, are necessary for accreditation as a psychotherapist.  UKAHPP places emphasis not only on formal training but also on the creative use of knowledge gained in training and practice, and qualities of creativity, openness, warmth and maturity. More specifically, applicants should be able to demonstrate a capacity and commitment to developing and maintaining the following personal qualities:

• A lively and enquiring mind.
• A capacity for critical self-reflection and self-directed learning.
• An ability to listen and respond with compassion and respect.
• Awareness of prejudice and the ability to respond openly to issues of race, gender, age, sexual preference, class, disability, ethnic, spiritual/religious and cultural difference, and diversity.
• Awareness and sensitivity in relation to the political, socio-cultural and religious/spiritual contexts of people’s lives.
• In depth self-reflection.
• Self-awareness and commitment to self-development.

Applications should demonstrate these qualities, particularly in the written work and the           case study. Written applications and other papers submitted should reflect a competence in the applicant which is of an equivalent standard to that usually acceptable for academic work at post-graduate level.

1.2 In the case of applications incorporating training with organisations which are not members of the Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy Section (HIPS) of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) the applicant will be required to submit an Accreditation of Prior Learning Portfolio, which is Part 1 of the psychotherapy application process. The Portfolio will be supplemented by written work done during the training, must include an 8,000 word dissertation and documents outlining the selection criteria, training programme, and methods of assessment of the non-HIPS training organisation(s). UKAHPP also reserves the right to request any additional information, either from the applicant or from the training establishment(s) which it may deem necessary to establish the academic and clinical equivalence of the non-HIPS training. The applicant is advised to ensure that the Portfolio includes evidence which will support a contention that their training meets all the requirements of the standards outlined by the document, Training Standards of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy Section of the UKCP, May 2006, Revised May 2007, including appendices.  See UKCP/HIPS Standards on www.ahpp.org.
The requirements for accreditation in the category of Psychotherapist are given below and it is recommended that the applicant ensure that all requirements are fulfilled and evidenced clearly on the application form, and supporting documents, before submission.
The training and experience of the applicant for accreditation will include:

Training
2. The satisfactory completion of psychotherapy training of at least 4 years' duration, at a post-graduate level of competence, comprising a minimum of 900 hours which must include at least 600 hours of core training tutor-contact hours (for example, didactic/experiential learning, tutor-led process groups, tutorials, academic supervision, live supervision in the context of training, skills training); these core training contact hours must include a sustained period on one psychotherapy training course, and may not include any prerequisites to entry requirements, individual therapy, personal study time or peer group work. The remaining hours (300) may be made up of more core training, clinical supervision, self & peer-directed training, and the mental health familiarisation placement (see para 10).
The applicant will demonstrate that the 900 hours of psychotherapy training included:

2.1 An in-depth knowledge of the thinking of the main humanistic theorists with a thorough understanding of the clinical applications and therapeutic models of at least two of these. This will include relevant models of the self along with formulations of developmental processes, psychopathology and therapeutic possibilities. The nature and purpose of the therapeutic relationship, including transference and countertransference, will have been explored both theoretically and experientially.

2.2 Knowledge of, and appreciation of the application of, existential approaches to psychotherapy

2.3 Knowledge of, and appreciation of the application of, psychoanalytic and object relations theories, their development and relationship with humanistic theory and practice.

2.4 Knowledge of, and an appreciation of the application of, theories of gendered and culturally influenced human development.

2.5 Knowledge of the cognitive behavioural theory of change, its application and methods of evaluation.

2.6 An understanding of the relationship between the different approaches outlined above, with the addition of the psychiatric model.

2.7 An appreciation of the boundary between the psychotherapeutic understanding of neurosis and that of mental illness; an ability to recognise severely disturbed clients and the limitations and appropriateness of psychotherapy should have been developed.

2.8 An appreciation of the main models of research methodology.

2.9 A substantial proportion of this knowledge being gained through experiential methods of learning.  As part of the training experience the applicant will be expected to have had some personal experience of the impact on his or her person of the potential for therapeutic effect of their chosen core theoretical model and this should be apparent in the application.
 
2.10 During training, applicants are expected to have completed at least one substantial piece of written work (not a case study) of at least 8,000 words. This should demonstrate the candidate's capacity for reflecting in depth on their own work and the approach in which they are training. The piece will be of an equivalent standard to that usually acceptable for academic work at post-graduate level. If such a piece is not available, or is deemed inappropriate by the UKAHPP Membership Committee, the applicant may be asked to write such a piece in support of the application at a later date.

2.11 The applicant’s training and practice of psychotherapy should be broadly-ranging, incorporating more than one humanistic school of thought (e.g. Gestalt, Body Psychotherapy, Person Centred, Existential, Transpersonal, Psychosynthesis).  The applicant should be able to communicate the knowledge gained in training and supervised practice in verbal and written form. The application should show that training and supervised practice has led to the development of abilities for critical reflection on the client’s process, the therapeutic relationship, therapeutic approaches used and the therapist’s own psychological processes. This should be demonstrated in all parts of the application, the written work, the case study and the interview. 

2.12  See also later section on Mental Health Familiarisation Placement (para 10.1)

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
3.  There is a general expectation that practitioners engage in regular CPD.
UKAHPP expects the applicant to be able to demonstrate, and provide evidence of, a continuing curiosity and commitment to personal and professional development in any period intervening between completion of training and the current application for accreditation.

If, after being accredited, you opt for UKCP-registration, UKCP will require 50 hours of CPD per year, with a minimum of 20 hours in any one year, giving a total of 250 hours over a 5-year period.  Further details of CPD requirements will be provided after accreditation.

Own-Therapy
4. Experience of a sustained period of personal psychotherapy congruent with the psychotherapy they have trained in and are practicing. This will have been a minimum of 40 hours per year for four years, and applicants will normally have been in psychotherapy throughout the duration of the training.

4.1 The psychotherapist with whom the applicant works will not be the same person as the applicant’s main trainer, nor their supervisor. It is expected that the applicant will have experience of an extended period of psychotherapy with the same psychotherapist, normally a minimum of 3 years with the same psychotherapist.

4.2 Personal psychotherapy would normally be undertaken with a UKCP registered psychotherapist, or equivalent, on a one-to-one basis. While group psychotherapy is not deemed appropriate at this stage, the Membership Committee will consider applications which include a mix of individual and group psychotherapy, in exceptional circumstances and where all other criteria are met.

Supervision
5. Regular supervision of psychotherapy client casework for not less than two years with the same supervisor. The supervisor will not be the same person as the applicant’s psychotherapist.

5.1 The total number of supervised client hours accumulated should be not less than 450. Up to one-third of the 450 client hours may have been supervised on a group basis (but not a peer-group – see 5.3).  To calculate the amount of group time that be counted, divide the group time by the number of supervisees and then double the result; this is intended to recognise the additional learning gained from group supervision.  For example, in a 2-hour group of 4 supervisees, there is 30 minutes’ supervision per person, doubled to count as 1 hour of supervision.  The UKAHPP Membership Committee may vary this formula for larger supervision groups. The UKAHPP Membership Committee may consider applications with more than one-third of the 450 client hours supervised on a group basis, where the case study and other aspects of the application are assessed as being of a high standard.

5.2 Supervised hours should be made up of client contracts that reflect the approach to be practiced and demonstrate that the applicant has the appropriate experience of and competence in the model of psychotherapy for which they are requesting accreditation.

5.3 The supervisor will be a more experienced practitioner who uses the same approach(es) in which the applicant has trained; this applies both to individual and to group supervision. Peer supervision is not deemed appropriate at this stage.       

5.4 The 450 supervised client hours will be at a ratio of at least 1:6 (1 hour of supervision for 6 client hours); supervision will normally have been face-to-face.  The UKAHPP Membership Committee may consider applications where the 1:6 ratio has not been achieved for the full 450 client hours.

5.5 The applicant will provide, when requested by the UKAHPP Membership Committee, a supervisor’s report which will reflect the applicant’s competence and readiness for accreditation as psychotherapist.   The supervisor providing this report should normally have supervised the applicant for the casework used in the client case study forming part of the application.

Practice
6. The establishment of a psychotherapy practice congruent with the mode of therapy for which the applicant is requesting accreditation. There will be evidence of substantial experience and competence in the chosen mode of psychotherapy.

6.1 Evidence of supervised psychotherapy practice and competency for a minimum of two years during which a minimum caseload of six clients weekly (or equivalent) has been maintained, and for a minimum 6 clients caseload at the time of application and in the prior 6 months. Such clients will be contracted in such a way that reflects the psychotherapeutic approach for which the application is being made.  The reference here to 6 clients over a 2-year period refers to the size of your practice – these are not necessarily the same 6 clients being seen for 2 years.

6.2 It is recommended (but not an absolute requirement) that the applicant has experience of working with clients in both long-term and time-limited contracts.
If the applicant’s current practice is solely long-term or is mixed (both long-term and time-limited), the application should provide caseload details showing a practice size of at least 6 clients over a 2-year period (as in 6.1 above), of which there are at least two long-term contracts; the case study should show evidence of ability to manage closure.
If the applicant’s current practice is solely time-limited, the application should provide caseload details showing at least 12 cases; the case study should show evidence of efficacy and appropriate use of model and its framework.

6.3 UKAHPP considers ‘long-term’ to mean psychotherapy having no pre-determined fixed time limit and with a focus on and a duration sufficient for characterological transformation.

6.4 In the event of groupwork practice being used to evidence practice hours the formula of one group clinical practice hour as equal to one individual clinical contact hour will be applied for the purposes of accreditation.

6.5 These caseload requirements for accreditation refer to adult clients, and the case study must be of an adult client. UKAHPP does not offer accreditation in child psychotherapy. 

7. A psychotherapy case study (approx. 3,000 – 5,000 words) of a recent case representative of your practice is required, when requested by the UKAHPP Membership Committee. The case study should follow the guidelines provided with the application forms and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, qualities and capacity for critical reflection gained in training and supervised practice, as noted in section 1 of this document.

8. To have professional liability and malpractice insurance, and be in good ethical standing with any “equivalent” previous or current accrediting/training organisation.  To agree to adhere to UKAHPP ethical codes and practices, as published in the Handbook and on the website www.ahpp.org  

9. Mental Health Familiarisation Placement (MHFP).
The applicant will have completed an MHFP the detailed requirements of which are given below.  If the applicant meets all other requirements but has not undertaken an MHFP, accreditation may be granted on condition that the applicant completes an MHFP within the following year and informs the Committee of this.
9.1 The taught element of the applicant’s training will support the MHFP inasmuch as it will have included the following elements:

• Current approaches to the management and treatment of mental illness.
• An understanding of the use and effects of pharmacological treatment.
• The basics of the legislative and organisational framework of the various agencies involved.
• An understanding of the differences between responses to trauma and other severe emotional states and major mental illness as defined by the medical model of mental illness.

9.2 The MHFP will be within a setting which enables the applicant to have experience of, and begin to recognise, major mental illness. This will require the applicant to spend time in such a setting in the role of observer or companion. Whilst the applicant should not be providing psychotherapeutic help they may become involved in providing simple skilled help, such as relaxation or basic counselling, if deemed appropriate by the placement manager.
Therefore, the MHFP will be in a professionally structured setting which allows applicants to spend time with those deemed to be suffering from major mental illness. Additionally, the setting must provide opportunities for discussion with staff involved in diagnosis and treatment. This might be achieved in a variety of settings, for example: psychiatric inpatient or day-patient services, community based charities concerned with rehabilitation and support, such as MIND, or other organisations offering help where the client group involves a large proportion deemed to have mental health problems, such as homelessness charities. In the case of the latter example, there must be an identified, trained, mental health worker (e.g. Registered Mental Nurse, Psychiatric Occupational Therapist or Psychologist) who will act as mentor and supervisor and there will need to be specific evidence that mental health issues form the core of the applicant's experience during the MHFP.

9.3 The MHFP, together with the taught element will be in such a setting and so structured as to ensure the following learning outcomes can be achieved:

• Develop a basic understanding of psychiatry and the mental health system, the rights of patients and the psycho-social issues involved.
• Understand the main principles of the Mental Health Act and the procedures for the compulsory admission and detention of patients.
• Enhance their ability to liaise with other mental health practitioners.
• Become familiar with psychiatric assessment and planning of a range of forms of intervention and evaluation procedures.
• Understand the range of mental illness that can lead to the involvement of the mental health system.
• Familiarise themselves with the different types of intervention used, including medication and electro-convulsive therapy, and their main side effects.
• Spend time with people who have been diagnosed with severe mental illness.
• Be able to empathise with patients who have been involved with the mental health system.

9.4 The duration of the MHFP will be sufficient to achieve these objectives and the UKAHPP considers this to mean a minimum placement of 48 hours, the equivalent of 1 day per week for a placement of 6 weeks.  Applicants should have produced a reflective account/diary of their experience of the MHFP, which should be submitted when requested by the UKAHPP Membership Committee.

The above requirements incorporate criteria adopted by the Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy College of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy, of which UKAHPP is and accrediting member organisation.  See UKCP/HIPS Standards on www.ahpp.org
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B. Experience/Training Route – this is for applicants who trained several years ago when courses & standards were different, and who have been in practice as psychotherapists continuously for at least 5 years. 
Based on its assessment of the applicant’s case study, the Membership Committee may interpret and apply the accreditation criteria (above) flexibly.  Applicants should note that UKAHPP places emphasis on adequate experience of own-therapy, ongoing supervision and ongoing CPD.  After accreditation by UKAHPP successful applicants may be asked to meet further requirements, based on the criteria set out above, before UKAHPP recommends them for registration by UKCP. 

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There is an additional, general requirement applicable to all applications by either route, that in the judgment of the Membership Committee there is a good fit between the applicant (as evidenced from the application material, including case study and interview) and the humanistic ethos of UKAHPP, such that UKAHPP is agreed by the Membership Committee to be an appropriate professional membership organization, or "home", for the applicant.

UKAHPP accreditation as a psychotherapist, by both routes, is valid for 5 years, after which renewal of accreditation must be applied for via an assessment process which includes Continuing Professional Development (see para 3 above).
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Application procedures
Application by A, the full training route, is by means of application forms downloadable from the Member’s Area of the UKAHPP website. Parts 1 and 2 of the application process are assessed by teleconference, usually with only a 1-2 week delay,.  Following this, applicants may be invited to submit Part 3 applications, which includes the case study and a supervisor’s report.  After assessment of Part 3 applications at a Membership Committee meeting, applicants may be asked to attend an interview.

Application by B, the experience/training route, is by initial submission of a case study and supervisor’s report, for which guidelines are downloadable from the Member’s Area of the UKAHPP website.  After meeting any further requirements, applicants may be asked to attend an interview.

In order to apply for accreditation – by either route - you must be (or first become) an Associate-working-towards-accreditation so that detailed advice and ongoing support can be provided, and to have access to the forms and guidance in the Member’s Area of the UKAHPP website. 
It is quick and straightforward to apply for Associate membership - see website or contact:

Ian Doucet, UKAHPP
Box BCM AHPP, LONDON WC1N 3XX
(tel. 08457 660326, admin.ahpp@btinternet.com)
                                                                        July 2011

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