The urgency of the regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists cannot be over emphasised. The devastation my counsellor has caused has been profound… I could have killed myself over my counsellor’s actions.
At present, anyone can call themselves a psychotherapist or counsellor and treat members of the public. No basic standard of training is required, no code of conduct must be followed and there is no obligation to join a professional register. Even if a psychotherapist or counsellor is found guilty of abusive practice and struck off one of the voluntary professional registers, there is nothing to stop that therapist continuing to practise.
The consequences of this are deeply worrying. People can find it incredibly difficult to assess the quality of a potential practitioner, particularly if they are distressed, and can have no idea of where to go to make a complaint. While the vast majority of professionals in these fields do a fantastic job, like any profession there are those that will cross the line and abuse their patients.
Counselling and psychotherapists should be independently regulated by the state, like all other professions working in mental health practice.