Today after firstly volunteering and then working as a counsellor for over 13 years I have received the news that I have met the criteria to become an Accredited BACP Counsellor.
I have had loads of lovely messages on my successful accreditation and I've had a few people asking me "What does that mean?"
Here is a quick guide:
I became a student member of the BACP (British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapy) when I started my CPCAP Counselling Diploma in 2009.
Once qualified I became a member in 2011
In 2015 I took the BACP Counselling Proficiency Test and thankfully passed
As a BACP member, I work with all my clients using the BACP Ethical Framework, this ensures that I work in a professional, safe and ethical way and my workload is monitored each month by my supervisors.
In order to become a BACP qualified counsellor, each student must undertake a BACP approved course, carryout 100 hours of face to face client counselling and complete a minimum of 10 hours personal counselling whilst studying. Supervision is necessary at least once a month throughout training.
Whilst training not only do you learn how to be a counsellor but you also learn how to keep your clients and yourself safe.
To become an Accredited BACP Counsellor a counsellor must have completed over 450 client hours post qualifying . They must also commit to completing yearly continued professional development and continued with regular monthly supervision.
The following pieces of work needed to be submitted for accreditation (no names or client details are shared) :
Information about current practice - total client hours / diary for two weeks / places of work
A list of counselling qualifications
900 words on a Continuing Professional Development undertaken in the past 12 months
900 words on Self Awareness - a life event that has influenced your practice
1400 words on Knowledge and Understanding - what type of counselling you do and why
3000 words Case Study on client work
A report from Supervisor detailing your work as a counsellor
This was a big piece of work for me to complete but I decided to do it as my next goal is to become qualified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) and to be accepted for the training I needed to be an Accredited BACP Counsellor. EMDR is a fantastic resource for helping clients to overcome trauma.
I am very proud to be able to use this logo and call myself an Accredited Counsellor and I am looking forward to developing my EMDR knowledge and skills in 2024.
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