Psychotherapeutic Counselling Section

PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC COUNSELLING SECTION

Psychotherapeutic Counselling, as understood by the Psychotherapeutic Counselling Section, is an interactive approach involving relational methodology at its centre. Central to all approaches is that psychotherapeutic counsellors consider the complexity of the person / client / patient within the context of their theoretical model.

This is a non-modality specific section, which embraces the following principles:

1. The therapeutic alliance is key to all forms of Psychotherapeutic Counselling and the therapeutic relationship facilitates the opportunity for the client to experience acceptance, change and growth.

2. That a relationship-based method is common to all approaches, for some of which it is the actual main medium of work, and for others simply the necessary background framework.

3. The qualities of the practitioner in interaction with the qualities of the client are seen as essential to an effective outcome. This is demonstrated by a belief in adequate emotional preparation of the psychotherapeutic counsellor, for work of an intensity and complexity, which may be severely taxing of the practitioner's personal resources and capacity for response.

4. That the training for a psychotherapeutic counsellor would be expected to be at the equivalent of under-graduate or post-graduate level. The training would be rigorous and thorough and would be based on linking skills, theory and practice.

5. Inclusion within its field is both longer-term and shorter-term work, and work with different numbers and groupings of clients. This would be dependent on appropriate training for individual, couple or group work.

6. That the psychotherapeutic counsellor would be required to be in supervision with an appropriately qualified supervisor.

What is the Psychotherapeutic Counselling Section (PCS)?

Introduction

PCS is a relatively new section within UKCP, approved by the March 2003 UKCP AGM.

A working party spent the following year preparing a flag statement, training standards and entry routes for the section. These were accepted by the March 2004 UKCP AGM.

The membership of the section is made up of psychotherapeutic counsellors who meet the training standards set by the section.

PCS is a generic, non-modality-based section encompassing a range of theoretical orientations. It potentially includes modalities from all the sections of UKCP.

The psychotherapeutic counsellor is expected to have undertaken a minimum of 105 hours of personal therapy, normally during training; this criterion is under constant review. This therapy will be appropriate to the model in which they are being trained. Some organisations may require students to be in therapy throughout their training and at a higher frequency than once weekly.

Trainings will be face to face, incorporating supervised client practice, and normally of three years duration.

In all cases the psychotherapeutic counsellor will be trained at least at undergraduate level.

The origins of the title of 'psychotherapeutic counsellor' are wide. According to the core training model, the trainee would be expected to know the history, traditions and key thinkers and main theoretical concepts of their training modality. The psychotherapeutic counsellor will be expected to have an understanding of other approaches, to operate from a non-judgemental position, and to understand human development in therapeutic terms.

Psychotherapeutic counselling is usually delivered on a one-to-one on a weekly basis; where other client groups are involved this will be reflected in the training standards.

The psychotherapeutic counsellor will be trained in brief and open-ended counselling approaches. Working briefly they would see clients with mild to moderate emotional problems, but they may also work longer-term with clients wishing to explore their inner world at depth.

Who can join PCS?

Any training organisation which offers training congruent with PCS training standards, or accrediting organisation which accredits courses of this kind or an accrediting/practitioner body, can apply to join PCS. They would need to apply to join UKCP at the same time. An outline of these standards is set out below, and full details of how to apply to UKCP are on page 4 of this document.

Any existing Member Organisation (MO) or Institutional Member of UKCP may choose to join PCS. The MO could become an affiliate of the PC Section, staying within its original Section, or it could join PCS and become an affiliate of its original section, or it could choose to leave its original section and only belong to PCS.

MOs wishing to change sections will be required to apply to PCS. If PCS approves their application, t6he MO and PCS write jointly to the UKCP Membership Committee for their approval.

Institutional Members wishing to join PCS will also apply directly to PCS. If their application is approved, the Institutional Member and PCS will write jointly to the UKCP Membership Committee for their approval. As Institutional Members are not members of any section they will be able to join PCS as full members.

Application forms are part of this pack.

Can individuals register through PCS directly?

No. Registration, as in all sections in UKCP, is through an MO.

What will it cost?

PCS has set its membership fee to Member Organisations at £250.00 per annum. This may be re-negotiated as necessary, in consultation with MOs.

The cost of the initial application and approval procedure is £1925 (a one-off payment, made in two parts. See attached.).

How is an organisation eligible to join PCS?

It can be a training organisation, accrediting organisation, an umbrella organisation, or a listing organisation. The checklists for each of these are similar. All of these organisations need to have a minimum membership of 50.

Training organisations have to demonstrate that they provide the following:

o Training at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

o Length of training not less than three years part-time.

o The course has to integrate theoretical knowledge, personal development and clinical experience.

Graduates have to demonstrate:

o 450 hours of skills and theory.

o 100 hours of supervised client work pre-qualification at a supervision ratio of 1:6.

o Personal therapy normally of a minimum of 35 years a year during training, i.e. a minimum of 105 hours during three years; but certainly a minimum of 105 hours for registration with PCS.

o Following achieving the Diploma, a minimum of 450 supervised client hours at a supervision ratio of 1:6.

o Demonstration of ongoing CPD.

o Registration with PCS normally not more than two years after receiving the Diploma.

The cost to an organisation of being assessed by PCS will be £1,950, which will be paid in two instalments during the process. Details of the application process are on a separate sheet.

Requests for further information and for application packs must be sent to:

PCS Administrator,
UKCP
2nd Floor,
Edward House
2 Wakley Street
London
EC1V 7LT

Telephone: 020 7014 9955
Fax: 020 7014 9977
e-mail:
Website: www.ukcp.org.uk

Application route to Psychotherapeutic Counselling Section, UKCP

As indicated above, if an organisation is already a member of UKCP in another Section, they can apply directly to the PCS Administrator and receive an application pack.

If the organisation is not a member of UKCP, it will have to apply to the UKCP Membership Committee at the same time that it applies to PCS.

Steps of the application

Stage 1

1. PCS will send out an application pack, including checklist.

2. The organisation will send the completed application to UKCP offices, with an initial fee of £640

3. Papers are forwarded to the Chair of the Assessment Board.

4. The Chair appoints two assessors from the Board, who will scrutinise the
paperwork and systems described. Ethics and Professional Practice
documents will be scrutinised by the Ethics Committee.

5. Assessors communicate with the applicant about any queries, changes required
or recommended, and when the documentation and organisational structures have been approved by them, the applicant organisation can move to Stage 2.

Stage 2

6. Remainder of fee paid, £1,285

7. Visit arranged by the assessors to the applicant organisations premises and
discussions arranged with staff, students and administrator(s).

8. Further recommendations may be made.

9. When everything is deemed satisfactory, the assessors recommend to PCS
Council that the organisation be accepted into the Section.

10. Recommendation is presented to the UKCP AGM for ratification.

Organisations
Association for Counsellors & Psychotherapists in Primary Care - CPC
Northern Guild for Psychotherapy - NGP
UK Association of Humanistic Psychology Practitioners - UKAHPP
Westminster Pastoral Foundation - WPF