The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), the principal professional body for the UK psychotherapeutic community, has produced the first definitive suite of professional occupational standards in the delivery of psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling.
The UKCP professional occupational standards have been developed in response to demands from commissioners, trainers and training institutes for a comprehensive mapping of competences - across all the modalities and traditions of psychotherapy - required of UKCP-accredited practitioners. The UKCP professional occupational standards are unique in addressing, for the first time, standards covering working with young people and children.
The UKCP professional occupational standards also offer a career framework, covering standards, quality and range of work provided by psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. UKCP professional occupational standards have been achieved via exhaustive qualitative development and testing with UKCP-affiliated colleges and training faculties.
Carmen Joanne Ablack, UKCP advisor on Quality and Standards, said: 'This is a genuinely groundbreaking contribution to the development of occupational standards. We also believe that the standards and competences addressed in the UKCP professional occupational standards have applicability and are adaptable for all those who work with client groups in the wider psychological therapies offered in the UK.
'The UKCP exists to champion quality in service delivery and in developing greater understanding of psychotherapeutic counselling by the general public, commissioners of services, educators and trainers, carers, and service users. Our newly published professional occupational standards will complement our activities in this area.
'The continuing development of professional standards remains a collaborative process. We're planning to build on our professional occupational standards via ongoing research with individual UKCP-accredited practitioners and groups.'
Further information
UKCP professional occupational standards
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