BACP accreditation
A well-recognised and valued quality status for practitioners, services and training courses

BACP accreditation schemes aim to recognise the achievement of high standards of knowledge, experience and development in counselling and psychotherapy.

BACP accreditation schemes aim to recognise the achievement of high standards of knowledge and skills, experience and development in counselling and psychotherapy.

Our accreditation schemes help employers, practitioners, students and clients to make an informed decision when choosing a therapist, service or training course.

BACP accreditation is the mark of a high-quality professional practitioner, counselling service or training course. It guarantees a standard of practice or training accepted for BACP membership, registration and accreditation.

Accreditation schemes for counsellors and psychotherapists 

We offer accreditation schemes for individual accreditation and senior accreditation, with several different routes available in each scheme. The route that’s right for you will depend on your training and experience.

Our accreditation schemes recognise the diverse range of training routes through which members enter the profession and continue to grow after qualification. The routes for each scheme are designed to promote accessibility and expand opportunities, enabling more members to demonstrate they meet our accreditation standards and their competence in relation to the SCoPEd framework to enhance their career progression.  

Accreditation schemes available:   

• Individual accreditation
  - Registered member to accredited member
• Senior accreditation
  - Registered member to senior accredited member
  - Accredited member to senior accredited member   

Benefits of accreditation   

 BACP accreditation demonstrates that you’ve achieved a recognised standard of professional excellence and ethical practice. Applying for accreditation provides you with a valuable developmental opportunity by actively engaging in a reflective learning process, consolidating your practice, enhancing confidence in your own abilities and helping you grow throughout your career.  

If you’re successful in applying for individual accreditation or senior accreditation you:  

• will receive all existing member benefits
• can use the designatory letters 'Registered Member MBACP (Accred)' and promote yourself as aligned to column B of the SCoPEd framework - if you've achieved individual accreditation 
• can use the designatory letters 'Registered Member MBACP (Snr Accred)' and promote yourself as aligned to column C of the SCoPEd framework - if you've achieved senior accreditation 
• can download a certificate of accreditation and a personalised logo that you can use to promote your practice
• will have professional recognition of the quality of your practice 
• will have evidence of your knowledge and development as an experienced practitioner  

How to apply  

To apply, you must be able to demonstrate that you meet the required standards and complete a rigorous application and assessment process. All our accreditation schemes require current and ongoing membership of BACP.   

Eligible registered members can apply for either our individual accreditation or our senior accreditation schemes.   

Eligible accredited members can apply for our senior accreditation scheme.   

Commitments   

All BACP members need to read and agree to abide by our Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions and our Professional Conduct Procedure on an annual basis. As an accredited member or senior accredited member, you'll also need to agree to the terms and conditions of the BACP Register every year.  

 Our specialist accreditation schemes (supervisor and CYP) are currently paused as we’re revising them to align with our competence frameworks. We’ll update members with further details in due course.   

Accreditation schemes for organisations  

For eligible organisational members, course and service accreditation schemes are also available. 

View our organisation accreditation schemes