I was pleased that the March issue of Therapy Today indicated the beginnings of a debate on state regulation. Not only did it contain a full page colour advertisement for the Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy, it also included excellent letters by Arthur Musgrave and Chris Evans on the same subject.

Too long has it been assumed that we are all in favour of regulation by the Health Professions Council (HPC) and trust the Government to know best. I feel strongly that as professionals we are ethically obliged to engage with current developments that have an impact on our practice and the people we see. I alone am accountable for my practice. It is therefore not good enough to assume that others, such as the Government or BACP, know best. We all need to keep ourselves fully appraised of current proposals and developments and engage fully with all the arguments, before deciding where we stand on an issue. 

However, in order to do so, we need access to adequate and reliable information. I congratulate Therapy Today on having made a start and hope that it will continue to give space to the full range of views and positions regarding regulation and any other developments such as IAPT, Skills for Health, NICE guidelines and whatever other proposals may be in the offing.