All ACC registered counsellors comply with our standards and adhere to our ethics and practice. If you are looking to see if a particular counsellor is registered with us, please use Check ACC register.
ACC’s registered and accredited counsellors/psychotherapists are recognised within the professional counselling/psychotherapy world as having achieved the appropriate education, skill, and knowledge to be able to practice safely in all settings. Our levels of membership map to the Scope of Practice and Education (SCoPEd) competency framework developed by six Professional Standards Authority accredited bodies, including ACC, BACP, and UKCP which represent over 75,000 counsellors and psychotherapists. ACC members are employed in the same way as other professional counsellors/psychotherapists, for example, the NHS, schools and universities, prisons, employee assistance services and private counselling/psychotherapy services. ACC members’ unique value is ensuring that clients have choice in selecting a counsellor or psychotherapist who shares, values and respects religious faith and spirituality. Importantly, ACC members work with people of all faiths and none, without discrimination, and within a code of ethics and practice.
As an example of the value of providing a service that is open to all, delivered by counsellors who are Christian, NHS England and NHS Improvement commissioned ACC to provide a counselling service to their employees between 2021 and 2023.
We are committed to promoting quality pastoral care through our training resources which enable:
Each resource is interactive, raising questions, encouraging the sharing of experience, embracing discussion, developing skills where appropriate and using scripture and prayer.
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Workshop aim: To enable individuals, churches and Christian organisations involved in the ministry of pastoral care, to develop their understanding and application of good practice, so that it can be offered safely, effectively and with integrity.
Caring for Ourselves is a 2-session short course, each of 2-hour duration. The course aims to consider the nature of our pastoral care role, recognise that whilst a privilege it can be challenging at times, and look at possible ways that we can care for ourselves to enable longevity in our role of caring for others.
The purpose of this training is to help churches to set up and run a safe and effective pastoral care team. It is suitable for church members and leaders seeking practical information to assist them in setting up and running a pastoral team within a church context.
A recent article in The Guardian “All psychotherapists in England must be regulated, experts say, after abuse claims rise” (read article here), raised the issue of the dangers of psychotherapists not being regulated and that MPs would consider lobbying the government to revisit statutory regulation of psychotherapy and counselling. The MPs concern seems to arise from reports of a rise in lawsuits by patients for alleged harm done during therapy.
ACC has joined other leading mental health organisations to form a coalition calling for more support to protect the UK’s mental health in the face of climate change.
ACC (Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions) have recently received a number of enquiries regarding payments being debited from personal bank accounts from www.theacc.co.uk. Please be aware that ACC does not have any connection to www.theacc.co.uk and are not responsible for these debits. ACC do not take automatic payments in any of their undertakings.
