111 courses being run at universities, colleges of further and higher education and independent institutions have been accredited through the BACP Scheme for the Accreditation of Training Courses since it was established in 1988.

The basic eligibility criteria for the Scheme are that the course (or combination of courses):

• be an organisational member of BACP
• have graduated at least one cohort of students before submitting an application
• be an in-depth course offering professional practitioner training of a minimum of 400 hours of staff/student contact time
• requires that all students satisfactorily complete a minimum of 100 hours of contracted, supervised counselling
• have at least 2 members of staff, and
• provide a practitioner training for individuals/couples

There are also general criteria which need to be addressed at the application stage.

Applications are assessed against both the general and specific criteria outlined in a booklet entitled "Accreditation of Training Courses". The criteria afford scope for training programmes of different theoretical orientations and traditions to flourish equally. They are intended to preserve and enhance independence of approach while ensuring a common focus on those core elements in training which are considered to be fundamental.

Satisfactory completion of a BACP Accredited Course automatically meets the training requirements for BACP Counsellor/Psychotherapist Accreditation and provides eligibility for the graduates to the MBACP category of Membership.

Only courses which have completed the accreditation process and have had this confirmed may include the words "BACP Accredited Course" in their publicity material. Other courses are advised not to include in any publicity material their intention to apply or even that they have applied for accreditation; applications may, in some cases, be withdrawn, be unsuccessful, or encounter delays during the process. These circumstances can bring disappointment for current students and embarrassment to trainers when student hopes have been raised inappropriately. Such advertising can also be misleading or unethical to prospective students and could leave a course vulnerable to a formal complaint.

The criteria are available in a booklet entitled "Accreditation of Training Courses" which is available from BACP at a cost of £5.00 to members and £6.50 to non-members. Copies can be obtained by sending a cheque made payable to BACP to BACP House, 15 St John’s Business Park, Lutterworth LE17 4HB.