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.

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

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.

Looking ahead to 2026

Following the SCoPEd transition period, which is expected to finish in early 2026, all our membership category entry requirements will be fully aligned to the standards of the SCoPEd framework columns.

New accreditation routes to move between membership categories will be available at this point. These routes will consider training and CPD alongside other existing skills and experience. More details will be published in due course.

Please visit our SCoPEd FAQ page or contact customer services on 01455 883300 if you have any questions.

Individual accreditation
Applications for individual accreditation (aligned to column B in the SCoPEd framework) via the temporary accreditation mechanisms are now open. For more information about the accreditation schemes during the SCoPEd transition period, visit our accredited membership web page.

Senior accreditation
Applications for senior accreditation (aligned to column C in the SCoPEd framework) via the temporary accreditation mechanisms are now open. For more information about the accreditation schemes during the SCoPEd transition period visit our senior accreditation membership web page.

You can find more information about the implementation of SCoPEd on our SCoPed next steps web page.

Accredited membership

Find out about BACP accreditation and how to apply for accredited membership

Senior accredited membership

Find out about BACP's revised senior accreditation membership category

IACP and BACP recognition of accreditation

BACP and the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP) have a connection with each other’s counsellor and psychotherapist accreditation schemes.

Course accreditation

BACP accreditation is the mark of a high quality, professional practitioner training course. It guarantees a standard of training accepted for BACP membership, registration and accreditation. Our course accreditation scheme is temporarily closed and we’re not accepting any new applications at this time.

Service accreditation

BACP accreditation demonstrates that a service provider offers an accountable, ethical, professional and responsive service to clients, staff, volunteers and stakeholders.

Course accreditation: Person-centred experiential - Counselling for Depression

Process and applications forms for Person-centred Experiential - Counselling for Depression (PCE-CfD) course accreditation.

To search for an accredited course, see our Accredited courses directory.

To search for an accredited service, see our Accredited services directory.