Hello Executive Team,

Now that NCPS have published their transition route for seniors, and BACP will no doubt publish a similar route eventually, the route does appear to attribute little value to the past (and current) training routes for counsellor-therapists.

Instead of the historically established training routes being valued in their own right, together with years of client work, supervision and CPD, adding up to the assessment of a Senior Accredited therapist as being fully qualified by all industry standards, a new (and arguably random) set of criteria is suddenly introduced which denies all previously existing learning.

160 hours of personal therapy or equivalent 

Just on the first question alone of therapy hours, we have a number of questions.

When there is no research evidence to suggest that 160 hours personal therapy makes for a better therapist, why are we being asked to demonstrate 160 hours, or equivalent?

When no NCPS or BACP approved training courses require 160 hours personal therapy why is it now being introduced as a requirement to demonstrate competency?

When Level 7 master’s courses do not require 160 hours personal therapy but apparently demonstrate competency, why are seniors now being asked to complete or demonstrate 160 hours personal therapy?

When many seniors will no longer have records of their personal therapy, and their therapists will be retired or deceased, how can the number of hours be demonstrated or even recalled, and describe the impact of these hours to clinical work?

From where did this totally random notion of 160 personal therapy hours arise as a measure of competency?

Unfortunately, the remainder of the extremely lengthy and arduous “transition route” raises just as many questions, with the main criticism being “why is the past learning and decades of client work being discarded as failing to demonstrate new (and random) criteria”?

Such as, why do senior therapists without a recognised L7 have to produce a research proposal?

Amongst our sizeable group of NCPS and BACP seniors there is little appetite to even consider investing months of arduous work to meet these new criteria when, like our current senior accreditation, it could be taken away again in a few years when some new criteria is invented!

NCPS should rightfully be proud that they have a mandate from members to move forward with SCoPEd, but that was not a mandate to take decisions on the mechanism without any further consultation with members over the implications for the future of the profession, was it?

Are the SCoPEd partners really happy to see hordes of experienced senior practitioners walk away in disgust at their disrespectful treatment, rather than amend the blatant flaws in the framework?

Are all avenues to resolve the flaws truly closed?

For your information the feedback on SCoPEd within our group confirms that the vast majority of seniors are experiencing being in an abusive relationship with their governing body. Those that are re-applying to keep their status are complying through fear and are resentful (not because they agree with the aims), whilst the majority are refusing to be coerced, and have sufficient self-worth to walk away from such an abusive relationship if reason can’t prevail.

For any “counselling” body to demonstrate such ignorance of power differential, lack of empathy and absence of ethical awareness is beyond belief.

The results of this month’s NCPS/CPCAB survey confirm that within our profession, “Respondents overwhelmingly agree that counselling practice is rooted in human connection, communication, and relationship-building. Eye contact, facial expressions, and body language are viewed as essential in establishing empathy, trust, and effective therapeutic relationships.” No mention of SCoPEd, Level 7, or Columns A, B or C!

We simply request an open dialogue to resolve the flaws in the proposed framework.

Kind regards in desperation,

Turiya Gough FISPC, SNCPS

Dr. Stacey Goldman. D.Prof. FISPC, MBACP (Snr Accred 2011 - 2024), SNCPS, NCIP (Snr Accred)

Maureen Perrett MBACP Snr Accred 

Anne Milton SNCPS, BACP Snr Accred 

Sue McEvoy MBACP Snr Accred 

Helen saman SNCPS

Barbara Fairfax 

Rei Aziz MBACP Snr Accred 

Catarina Rato MBACP Snr Accred 

Teresa Crosswell MBACP Snr Accred 

Marie Rodda MBACP Snr Accred 

Sarah Rycroft. Snr Accred 

Siobhan O'Toole MBACP Snr Accred

Sally-Ann Soulsby MBACP Snr Accred 

Josephine Schamp SNCPS, MBACP Snr Accred 

Yvonne Johnston SNCPS 

Tim Poole MBACP Snr Accred 

Cathy Ingram MBACP Snr Accred, UKCP

Jan Kerr SNCPS 

Jan Runham MBACP Snr Accred 

Susan Archer MBACP Snr Accred

Frances Lloyd MBACP Snr Accred

Sue Cook SNCPS, MBACP Snr Accred

Mary Wilkinson MBACP Snr Accred 

Amanda Asserati SNCPS, MBACP Snr Accred 

Stefanie Wilson MBACP Snr Accred 

Wendy Price MBACP Snr Accred 

on behalf of our alliance of 100 senior counsellors and psychotherapists and supported by 2,227 (rising) signatories to our petition to preserve senior accreditation status.