
Warning
Don’t take my word for it, watch this investigation into how easy it is to claim you are trained in the field.
If you didn’t realise that anyone can call themselves a councillor, therapist, psychotherapist, or hypnotist and can practice without official training or qualifications this doesn’t make you naive or foolish – it makes you like everyone else who cannot believe that such an important profession is not regulated. It’s true though, and you should take five minutes to watch this except from BBC investigation into the subject below (or by clicking here). Please continue reading below for more valuable advice.
(Video only available in the UK)
Membership of some official sounding governing bodies is entirely voluntary, and can be gained by passing an online course bought for as little as £12.99 and ‘passed’ by unlimited re-takes or cheating. So there are plenty of people who have a certificate demonstrating they are a trained councillor, therapist, psychotherapist, or hypnotist… but I’ll leave you to decide for yourself what this is worth.
I cannot judge the content of these quick-to-complete discounted online courses as I’ve never done one. My training took place over the course of ten years at the highly regarded University of Greenwich, and I’ll be paying back the cost of this education for years to come – but my degree and doctorate are recognised by the British Psychological Society, and I’ve worked with some of the most respected psychologists practicing today which has given me an experience that I would otherwise not have.
So please be careful when choosing someone to work with, and try not to rely too much on testimonials as sharing thank you letters which were intended for the addressee, but used for publicity is generally considered unethical by many councillors, therapists, psychotherapists, hypnotists, and psychologists.
You can listen to a BBC podcast here where its argued that even if permission is sought from a client, this can put them in an awkward position where they feel unable to decline – especially if their treatment is ongoing. I tend to agree and so won’t do this, and you will of course be assured the same level of respect and confidentiality should we work together.
If however you decide you’d prefer to look for help elsewhere, or to compare me with other practitioners – the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is a good resource, and can be reached by clicking here.