Results of the 2025 BACP membership survey  

Our annual membership survey gives you the chance to tell us what we’re doing well, where we can improve, and share your experiences with us. 

This year, 5.3% of our members took part in the survey, and we’d like to thank everyone who did. We really do appreciate your feedback.  

We’ll use the results to continue improving the support, guidance and resources we offer, so that everyone can enjoy the best possible membership experience. 

Survey key findings

What matters to you

The survey revealed the top three biggest challenges you face in your profession are: 

  • Finding clients or growing a private practice
  • Work-life balance and preventing burnout 
  • Continuing education and staying updated on therapy practices 

To support you in your profession you said it’s still important we: 

  • Uphold strong ethical code and conduct  
  • Lobby for greater recognition and regulation  
  • Provide access to journals, directories and job boards  
  • Focus on marginalised and underrepresented groups  
  • Offer a variety of CPD formats 

What we’re doing well 

  • 55% feel that BACP informs the public about the value of counselling 
  • 57% say that BACP is the professional body you identify with the most
  • 58% feel you have opportunities to be involved with BACP 
  • 56% trust BACP to represent the best interests of its membership and the profession

The top three sources you use to stay up to date with developments in the field are: 

  • Books, online courses, and other educational materials 
  • Professional Journals 
  • Podcasts and webinars 

We’re encouraged by the feedback in each of these areas. Other responses also showed that members value BACP’s ethical leadership, professional standards, and CPD offerings. We will continue working hard to best represent our members in these areas to provide resources that most support you in your profession. 

 Your membership 

  • 67% say that your membership is important to you
  • 61% say that BACP membership is relevant to everyday practice
  • 80% voted ‘to enhance professional credibility and status’ as the top reason to be a member 

We’re pleased to see that your membership remains important to you and continues to enhance professional status, although we recognise that there is always more we can do to ensure that our work continues to add value in every aspect of your career.  

What we could do better 

  •  37% feel we listen to members  

This figure has improved since last year, where only 24% of you felt heard. We’re moving in the right direction but understand this is still an area to work on. We’d like to reassure you that we’re dedicated to listening and appreciate all the feedback we receive. Members can provide feedback, comments and suggestions by emailing or calling our customer service team, taking part in regular surveys, attending our events, and taking part in our formal AGM processes.   

  • 26% feel part of a community of members 

We want all members to feel as though they belong to a community and encourage you to use some of the many networking opportunities we’ve put in place. All members have access to our Communities of Practice, a member-only platform where you can connect, collaborate and network with your peers.  

We also host regular events such as Making Connections and our local network meetings, which take place online and in-person at locations throughout the four nations of the UK. These events provide members with the opportunity to learn, share best practice and engage with likeminded individuals and BACP staff.   

Engagement with members 

A recurring theme we saw throughout the survey is that you’d like to hear from us in a clearer, more transparent way and that there are several areas where we could improve our responsiveness to your concerns.  

We recognise that 2025 has been a challenging year, and that we haven’t always got everything right. But we’re committed to moving forward in an open and honest way by striving to be consistent in everything we do.  

We’re committed to building stronger, more meaningful connections with you. We want every member to feel that their voice matters and that their views help shape what we do. As we move forward into 2026 and beyond, we’ll be creating more opportunities for genuine conversation and two-way dialogue. We’re committed to creating a culture where you feel valued, listened to and a part of our journey. We’re excited to share more about this with you in the next few weeks, so please watch this space. 

We value the voices of our members and believe your views should help shape our direction. We’d really like to hear from you, so please keep sharing your thoughts - whether it’s feedback, questions, or ideas about how we can improve.  

Download the Member survey results 2025 infographic accessible Word document 43KB)