Counselling and psychotherapy are not protected titles in the UK. There is no law stopping anyone from using them, with or without training.1 What stands in for regulation is a set of professional bodies that hold public registers, set standards for training and ethics, and investigate complaints. Checking whether a therapist is on one of those registers takes a few minutes, and it tells you a lot.
Why it matters
Registration does not make someone a good therapist, and plenty of good therapists are modest about their letters. What it does mean is that they have completed a recognised training, agreed to an ethical framework, carry insurance, have ongoing supervision, and can be held to account.2 If something goes badly wrong, you have somewhere to turn that is not just the therapist themselves.
It also tells you that the person has committed to continuing training. Registers ask for it every year.
The bodies to look for
For counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK, the main registers are held by the BACP (opens in a new tab) (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), the UKCP (opens in a new tab) (UK Council for Psychotherapy) and the NCPS (opens in a new tab) (National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society). Each of these registers is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (opens in a new tab), an independent body set up by Parliament, which checks that the register is run properly.3
Psychologists are different. "Practitioner psychologist", "clinical psychologist" and "counselling psychologist" are protected titles, and anyone using them must be registered with the HCPC (opens in a new tab) (Health and Care Professions Council), which is a statutory regulator.4 The plain word "psychologist" is not protected, so it is worth asking which one someone means.
If you are seeing someone in another country, look for the equivalent there. In Greece, for instance, psychologists need a licence to practise.5
How to search a register
The BACP and NCPS registers can be searched on their websites, the Professional Standards Authority’s "Check a practitioner" page links to the search for every register it accredits, and the UKCP will confirm a registration if you email them.1 Type in the therapist's name, and the entry will show their membership grade, their registration number and, usually, where they are based. If a search turns up nothing, the name may be spelt differently, or they may be registered with a different body, so it is fair to ask them directly which register they are on and what their number is. A registered therapist will not mind the question.
Three small things to notice on the entry:
- The grade. "Registered Member" means they have met the standard for the register. "Accredited" means they have gone further, with more hours of practice and an extra assessment. Both are proper registration.6
- The date. Registers are renewed every year, so an entry that is current means the person is paying their fees, keeping up their training and holding insurance now, not just at some point in the past.
- Any conditions. If a complaint has been upheld, the register will usually say so.
What the letters after a name mean
They fall into two groups. Qualifications say what someone studied: Dip. Couns is a diploma in counselling, usually two or three years part-time, and the usual route into the profession. BSc and MSc are university degrees, and a psychology degree alone does not qualify someone to practise as a therapist. Memberships say which body they belong to: MBACP is a Registered Member of the BACP, MBACP (Accred) is an accredited one, and UKCP Reg. and MNCPS (Accred) work the same way for the other two.6,7
My own are BSc, MSc, Dip. Couns and MBACP: psychology degrees, a counselling diploma, and registration with the BACP. You can look me up on the BACP register (opens in a new tab), and I would encourage you to do the same with anyone you are thinking of working with.
If you are still not sure
Ask. A good first question for any therapist is "Which professional body are you registered with, and do you have supervision?" You are entitled to a straight answer to both. If the answer is vague, or if the person suggests that registration does not really matter, treat that as information.
And if you have already started with someone and only now want to check, that is fine too. It is never too late to ask.
Andreas Raikos MSc, MBACP, Dip. Couns
References
- UK Council for Psychotherapy. (n.d.). Our register. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/about-ukcp/our-register/
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. (n.d.). Registered member. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://www.bacp.co.uk/membership/registered-membership/
- Professional Standards Authority. (n.d.). Find an Accredited Register. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/organisations-we-oversee/find-a-register
- Health and Care Professions Council. (n.d.). Professions and protected titles. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://www.hcpc-uk.org/about-us/who-we-regulate/the-professions/
- Law 991/1979, On the practice of the profession of psychologist in Greece, Government Gazette A 278 (1979).
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. (n.d.). BACP Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-us/protecting-the-public/bacp-register/
- National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. (n.d.). Accredited Register Programme & regulation. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://ncps.com/about-us/accredited-register-programme-regulation
The views in this article are the author’s own, given in good faith and to the best of his knowledge at the time of writing. Things change, and some details may be out of date by the time you read this. Please check the sources above and do your own research before acting on anything here.