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Open Letter to BACP, UKCP and BPC – SCoPEd and the Covid-19 Crisis 23/03/2020

March 23, 2020March 23, 2020 by adminNo Comments

Dear BACP, UKCP and BPC, As you are aware, there has been a huge impact on our profession of COVID-19 which is likely to last for a very long time. Many counsellors and psychotherapists are now at real risk for their livelihoods. Many others ore overwhelmed with additional work. In addition, all are facing unprecedented pressures on their family relationships, mental health and wellbeing. There are huge and complex issues about practice, training and placements moving online, which are likely to be seismically profession-changing on a permanent basis. You have admitted that SCoPEd has been very poorly received by thousands of professionals and many organisations. While no doubt well intentioned, the fact that SCoPEd is now undergoing lengthy reiterations and is in the phase of damage limitation should give you the greatest pause for thought even in normal times. These, however, are anything but normal times. Our profession has no appetite now for fundamental and widely opposed restructurings of standards and...

Open Letter to the Professional Standards Authority from PCP 22/03/2020

March 22, 2020March 22, 2020 by adminNo Comments

Dear Christine Braithwaite, This e-mail (which is an open letter and will be published on our website) comes to you from Partners in Counselling and Psychotherapy (PCP). We are a broad front of organisations that are deeply concerned about current directions of travel in accreditation and regulation. Although newly constituted, you will already know some of our member organisations, such as the National Counselling Society, Counsellors Together UK, the Psychotherapy and Counselling Union, the Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and the Black, African and Asian Therapy Network. Our various memberships exceed 19,000 practitioners, most of whom are on PSA ARs. This is our website: https://www.partnersforcounsellingandpsychotherapy.co.uk/ We seek a meeting with you, using on-line or conference call methods. Our group would have three people in it. Here is a list of some of the things we would like to explore: (1) How we and the PSA can work better together to promote and protect the PSA’s regulatory approach so as to stem the tide of accusations...

The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network Becomes Latest Member of Partners for Counselling and Psychotherapy

January 10, 2020January 10, 2020 by adminNo Comments

We are absolutely delighted to welcome the Black, African and Asian Therapy Network (BAATN) to our growing partnership of organisations, as we continue to work together to uphold therapeutic values and support diverse practice across the counselling and psychotherapy profession into 2020 and beyond. BAATN is the largest network of therapists in the UK with a focus on supporting those from Black, African, South Asian and Caribbean heritages. Working to address inequality of access to therapy and other psychological services for people from these communities, BAATN seeks to support and integrate 'the black empathic approach' in education and therapeutic practice, offering training, events, and working alongside like-minded organisations. We deeply value this opportunity to collaborate with BAATN, and welcome the important perspectives they bring to our partnership. ...

New Organisations Join PCP

November 28, 2019November 28, 2019 by adminNo Comments

It has been a busy few weeks for PCP. We have been affirming our aims and position as a growing partnership of organisations, and working collaboratively to ensure we are prepared to respond to the next stages of SCoPEd and the proposed APPG in a way that best represents our members. Our updated aims can be found on our homepage. We have also welcomed three new organisations to our partnership. Surviving Work provide resources for working people, information about politics and therapy, and have recently undertaken an extensive survey of IAPT workers, the preliminary results of which can be found here. We are delighted that Surviving Work’s founder, Elizabeth Cotton, has decided to join the partnership. A Disorder for Everyone is a successful and highly regarded campaign group, led by Jo Watson, which challenges the culture of psychiatric diagnosis and the medicalisation of counselling and psychotherapy. AD4E organises inspiring events around the country, and have recently released the book Drop the...

A Record of Correspondence between PCP and Relevant Parties Concerning the Proposed APPG

October 31, 2019October 31, 2019 by admin1 Comment

This news article is intended to give an overview of the activities and discussions leading to the formation of PCP. It is an account of correspondence which has passed between our organisations, representatives of BACP, UKCP and BPC, and other relevant parties. What follows is a chronological record of this correspondence with comments for additional context and information. Further correspondence will be added to our website in due course. The following document, originally circulated by UKCP, was leaked to us in June 2019. All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Counselling and Psychotherapy Proposal For the collaboration of the Counselling and Psychotherapy Professions, the formal partnership of the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) to jointly set up an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Counselling and Psychotherapy and for BPC to provide the secretariat. Background We have welcomed the recently published NHS long-term plan as it commits to a...

National Counselling Society joins PCP

October 25, 2019October 25, 2019 by admin2 Comments

We are delighted to announce that the National Counselling Society (NCS) have joined Partners for Counselling and Psychotherapy, working alongside our existing seven organisations to present a united voice challenging current political narratives around SCoPEd and the proposed APPG, and standing for the values of counselling and psychotherapy. NCS's involvement with PCP brings our combined memberships to more than 18,000 counsellors and psychotherapists, which is a remarkable achievement, and strengthens our position to work towards our aims of ensuring that both clients' and our members' interests are heard and honoured as we continue to debate and negotiate the direction of the profession. The NCS have welcomed the move: "The NCS is delighted to add our voice to that of the Partnership on a wide range of issues. We believe that the future of our profession lies in the spirit of inclusivity and mutual respect between all stakeholders, and that the Partnership and its affiliated organisations can play a...

Turning the Tide – How can therapists become more engaged with the future of the profession?

October 9, 2019October 18, 2019 by admin1 Comment

The "Scrap SCoPEd" Resolution gave rise to unprecedented levels of engagement from counsellors and psychotherapists, but only 5.1% of BACP members actually voted, either for or against it. PCSR representatives of PCP examine the role of alienation, and ask how therapists can play a central role in shaping the future of counselling and psychotherapy. In a culture that associates income and status with expertise, trustworthiness and wisdom it’s no surprise that insurers have been accused of ripping off customers who don’t pay attention to how much their premium is being increased. The same criticism has been made of utilities providers, landlords, banks, anyone who is trusted to provide a service in return for money. When individuals do it they can be accused of greed and then sanctioned. It takes a lot longer for people to realise that organisations can do it and, the organisation having taken control of the complaints process, it becomes all but useless to challenge. By that time...