About the ACC Accredited Register

ACC’s register has been accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under its Accredited Registers programme.

• The programme was set up to provide assurance on the standards of registers of unregulated health and care occupations.

• Bringing ACC counsellors and psychotherapists into a broad framework of assurance is good for patients, service users and the public and is the best way to promote quality.

• Being accredited by the Authority offers enhanced protection to anyone looking for counselling and psychotherapy services – people now have the option of seeking practitioners on a register that has been vetted and approved.

• Accreditation offers practitioners working in counselling and psychotherapy a means of demonstrating their personal commitment to meeting high standards by joining ACC or another accredited register.

• Accreditation means that ACC has met the Authority’s demanding standards in the following areas: governance, setting standards, education and training, managing the register, providing information and complaints handling.

• ACC needed to provide evidence and demonstrate to the Authority that it meets the Accreditation Standards. Accreditation will be reviewed annually.

• Being accredited means that ACC has satisfied the Authority that it meets its high standards. It is a mark of quality.

Accreditation does not imply that the Authority has itself assessed the merits of individuals on the ACC register. It remains the responsibility of ACC to do that.

• ACC will require its registrants to meet high standards of personal behaviour, technical competence and, where applicable, business practice.

• Accreditation does not imply that the Authority has endorsed the efficacy of a treatment or therapy practised or any other service offered by registrants on the ACC register.

• Accredited Registration is different from statutory regulation because it is voluntary, not compulsory. Practitioners can work in counselling and psychotherapy without being on a register.

• Registers accredited by the Authority will encompass a wide range of occupations and organisations holding registers. The Authority may accredit more than one register in any particular occupation.

• Accredited Registers will be entitled to use the Authority’s accreditation mark so that they can be distinguished easily.

• The quality mark will give extra peace of mind for anyone looking for a counsellor, letting them know that anyone who holds the mark is committed to the high standards of the ACC.

• All Accredited Registers can be accessed through the Professional Standards Authority’s website

• This programme applies to the health sector in the UK and to social care in England.

• The title Accredited Registers provides simplicity and clarity for consumers and registers alike, and reflects feedback we have received. The purpose, principles and practice of the programme are focused on providing users of a range of healthcare services and occupations with assurance and consumer protection.

ACC has from its inception aimed at improving standards among counsellors and specifically those who are Christians. We believe it is important to hold a Register approved and accredited by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care. The main purpose for the Registration of counsellors is provision of public protection and this safeguard creates a standard of service that enables people to choose a counsellor or psychotherapist that is best for them.

Are all counsellors and psychotherapists registered? Since the Accredited Registers programme is voluntary not everyone registers with ACC or other similar organisations, so that anyone can call themselves a counsellor. We believe that choosing an ACC registered counsellor assures you about their training and qualifications. It also means they have signed up to follow our Ethics and Practice Framework standards and to undertake ongoing training and development. ACC is committed to maintain these high standards and now accredited will take part in the Professional Standards Authority annual audit of Accredited Registers.

One aspect of this is that ACC is monitored by an independent body of professionals who are not counsellors so that we keep to the standards required by being an Accredited Register holder of the Professional Standards Authority.
You can find out more on this by choosing the Registry Advisory Panel link in the drop downbox above on the ACC Register tab.