A collision of worlds

"Statutory regulation will do little or nothing to protect clients, Brian Thorne argues, but it will sap therapists of their creativity and preparedness to take risks "

"The Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy is diverse in its range of interests but united by a wish to derail HPC state regulation of the psychological therapies. It held its inaugural rally last month"

Protecting the public

"Whilst there are many genuine concerns and questions about statutory regulation, Jonathan Coe of Witness believes it is the only route that puts public protection first"

Dare we do away with professionalism?

"The institutionalisation of therapy through statutory regulation, Andy Rogers argues, poses great dangers for the profession as a whole and specifically for those working in the person-centred approach"

Making your mind up

"The Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy has issued a statement outlining their reasons for opposition to Health Professions Council regulation. Sally Aldridge, Director of Regulatory Policy at BACP, responds to their arguments"

Learning zone

Dilemmas

This month's dilemma: Would you break confidentiality if a reluctant client fails to attend, or respond to letters while owing money?

Student column

The student column will resume again shortly, with a new columnist

Counselling and Psychotherapy Research (CPR)

is a peer reviewed, quarterly international journal. Visit http://www.cprjournal.com/ to read abstracts, receive regular e-bulletins and access the research glossary

Time running out
by

Janet Garner

At last BACP gives some space in Therapy Today for a debate on the pros and cons of HPC registration. What took it so long? To many of us it has seemed that our professional body has abdicated all responsibility for defending the diversity of counselling and psychotherapy (viz its promotion of the IAPT initiative) and for at the very least posing itself some searching questions about the desirability of hooking up lock, stock and barrel with the medical profession and proponents of the audit culture.

Inspired by the news of the formation of the Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy and impressed by the distinguished names who had come out against HPC registration, we at West Wales Counselling & Psychology Services organised our own local networking conference, in an effort to get some clear information about what exactly is going on, why it is going on and what are the implications of HPC regulation for therapists and for those who employ or train them. After seminars led by Fiona Ballantine Dykes of CPCAB and Janet Low of the Alliance, anxiety levels went up a notch or two but thoughts were clearer. All the participants (counsellors and psychotherapists, supervisors, trainers and tutors, heads of counselling services) now realise that they need to keep abreast of what is going on and to make an informed decision, sooner rather than later, on whether they wish to go along with HPC registration or join the Alliance in opposing it.

I would urge counselling networks country-wide to organise similar get-togethers, if they have not already done so, issuing invitations to as wide a spectrum of interested parties as possible. It seems to me that it is our duty to inform ourselves and others, as fully as we can, about the momentous changes which are happening in our professional world without our consent. The ostrich option is no longer a viable one and time, like the sand, is running out.
Janet Garner
Director West Wales  Counselling & Psychology Services