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SCoPEd partners adopt framework

From SCoPEd Independent Chair

As independent chair of the SCoPEd Oversight Committee, I’m pleased to confirm that all partners have formally decided to adopt the SCoPEd framework. This has been decided individually by each of the partners.

This means that the six SCoPEd partners have each agreed:

  • to align their membership categories to reflect the SCoPEd framework
  • to develop a shared agreement on pathways and routes between SCoPEd columns

The partners will continue to work collectively as they move towards adopting and implementing the framework. The partners will be in touch with their members and registrants with regards to what the next steps and timelines are for their own organisation.

The SCoPEd partner organisations are:

  • Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions (ACC)
  • British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
  • British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC)
  • Human Givens Institute (HGI)
  • National Counselling Society (NCS)
  • UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

Collectively, the SCoPEd partners represent approximately 75,000 counsellors and psychotherapists from a diverse range of backgrounds, approaches, philosophies, and professional training.
If you have any questions, please contact your membership organisation via their usual channels.

Paul Buckley, Independent Chair SCoPEd Oversight Committee

From ACC

For the first time in the UK there is a proposed national unifying framework that sets out clearly what therapists are trained and qualified to do. ACC have contributed to and adopted this framework. This is a time to celebrate. The framework is a tangible way of honouring and promoting the work of ACC counsellors, who deservedly have a recognised place within it.

In making the decision to adopt the Framework, ACC’s Board of Trustees recognises that SCoPEd supports one of ACC’s core purposes: to promote excellence in counselling education and practice. We believe that the framework provides a common foundation on which stakeholders committed to good education and practice can build. Moreover, because of the level of our registration and accreditation standards, current ACC membership grades already sit comfortably within the framework.

We believe that our members and clients will benefit from the transparency that the framework provides to its many and different audiences about what ACC members are trained to do, and where they sit within the professional landscape.

Finally, the Board values the unifying dynamic of the framework and the shared project process, as SCoPEd partners respect and embrace the diversity of modalities and approaches, as they also have worked to distil the capabilities of qualified therapists (working with adults) within the shared domains of practice. We think this will help towards the creation of a level playing field for those entering the profession, although it alone cannot solve all the many and various issues arising from structural inequalities.

By adopting the framework, we want to continue to work together with our partners to further develop and promote counselling and psychotherapy practice and realise the project’s anticipated benefits for the good of our members, their clients, the public, and our colleagues in the wider profession.