03/09/2026
Recently, I’ve noticed many people advertising themselves as therapists but when you look closely, their training is far from adequate.
Many have completed courses lasting just a few weeks or months, with certificates from providers that simply aren’t recognised or reputable.
To put it into perspective: proper, thorough therapeutic training takes years, not weeks or months.
It involves progressing through recognised levels of training, alongside extensive supervised practice in real therapeutic settings- learning how to hold a safe, ethical and effective space for people.
My training took over 5 years, working from Level 2 the through to Level 5, including A LOT of supervised hours in a placement setting.
And unfortunately, the titles “counsellor”, “psychotherapist” and “therapist” are not protected titles in the UK. This means it is particularly important for you, as the person seeking support, to know what to look for.
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Look at what they actually trained in, the level of their qualification and how long their training took. A certificate alone doesn’t necessarily mean someone has completed comprehensive therapist training.
Check their professional registration
Look for registration or membership with an established professional body such as:
• BACP- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
• NCPS- National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society
• UKCP- UK Council for Psychotherapy
And importantly- don’t just take the letters after someone’s name at face value.
You can search the professional body’s register yourself and check that the person is actually listed.
Ethical therapists should undertake regular clinical supervision. This provides professional oversight and helps ensure the work they offer remains safe and appropriate. Additionally, their professional body will require a minimum of yearly CPD hours.
Be mindful of discounted block bookings- for example, being encouraged to pay for five or ten sessions upfront because it works out cheaper. This isn’t automatically unethical, and some therapies are intentionally delivered as structured programmes. However, when the number of sessions you need isn’t yet known, prep
