Opening of Registers for Counsellors and Psychotherapists

There is a detailed and complex process of work to be completed by each Registration Board before the opening of a register.

The process of implementing regulation for the profession involves several important and interdependent milestones, each of which plays a crucial role in ensuring public protection and establishing the foundation for safe practice. The pathway to the opening of a professional register includes the following key milestones:

 Milestone One: Setting Pre-Registration Education and Training Requirements (Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes)

• Milestone Two: Commencement of Education and Training Programme Approval
• Milestone Three: Setting the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics
• Milestone Four: Establishment of all registration Bye-Laws
• Milestone Five: Opening of the register and commencement of 2-year period of grandparenting for existing practitioners 

The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board has already achieved the first significant milestone by setting its pre-registration education and training requirements; the Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes. This marks a critical step forward in the process, laying the foundations for the regulation of the professions.

While each of these milestones is essential, the Board is committed to carefully completing each stage to ensure the regulatory framework is robust and fully supports the safety and well-being of the public. As the process moves forward, updates will be provided regarding the progress and timing of future milestones.

At present, it is not possible to provide a definitive date for the opening of the registers for counsellors and psychotherapists. The process of implementing statutory regulation involves a number of key milestones, each of which is essential to ensuring public protection and establishing a solid foundation for safe practice.

Following the establishment of its pre-registration education and training requirements for both professions (the Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes), the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board has set a four-year period for education providers to review and align their existing programmes with the Board’s requirements.

This decision mirrors the approach taken by other Registration Boards in providing education providers with a sufficient period of alignment before commencing the programme approval process. It also acknowledges the time required for education providers to thoroughly evaluate their programmes and implement the necessary changes to meet the Board’s regulatory standards.

After this four-year period, the programme approval process will begin. It is only once this process is completed, and a list of approved qualifications is established, that the registers for counsellors and psychotherapists can be opened. Without this, there would be no pathway for new entrants to the professions to apply for registration, as they would rely on having an approved qualification to be eligible.