27/02/2026
You may be wondering why I’m sharing this post…
As a largely unregulated profession anyone can call themselves a counsellor. Training ranges from a couple of days online to years. This is scary in itself as I would want to feel confident that my counsellor has a good level of training, upholds professional standards and is accountable.
Through my rigorous training I have had regular ongoing counselling and supervision. I maintain my learning through professional development and I ensure I take care of my self and my boundaries to ensure I can be fully present and not burnt out.
Finding a counsellor who upholds these standards can be achieved through looking at regulatory bodies such as UKCP or BACP who will have a list of their approved counsellors near you. (You’ll find me on the UKCP list!). Sometimes the hardest step is knowing where to start looking, hopefully this gives you a useful guide
Therapy is an unregulated industry and recent press stories have highlighted examples of bad practice, particularly with young, vulnerable people.
In one extreme example, a client was awarded more than £200,000 in damages in a high court ruling after suing her therapist over alleged sexual assaults when she was in her mid-20s.
To protect yourself and to mitigate against harm, it’s important to go into the process of therapy with eyes wide open, looking out for any warning signs of behaviour that exceeds the usual safe practice of psychotherapy.
Read the full article: https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/eleven-signs-bad-therapist-3873149
