As the holiday lights sparkle, and we start winding down for the year, we wanted to take a moment to share some reflections from our final board meeting of 2025. It was a great opportunity to welcome our new trustees to their first BACP board meeting, reflect on what a year it has been, and look ahead to an exciting 2026.
This idea of sharing Board highlights came from a recent conversation with the Psychotherapists and Counsellors Union (PCU), who suggested it as good practice for openness and transparency. We couldn’t agree more, so here’s a quick round-up of the key conversations and decisions that will shape the year ahead. We’ve done this sporadically over the last year, but it’s something we'll be providing to our members going forward.
Governance: Strengthening our foundations
Governance has been a major focus this year, and the board spent time reviewing progress and next steps.
Governance improvement plan:
We’ve made strong progress in strengthening our processes and improving transparency. This includes clearer decision making frameworks, better reporting structures and stronger oversight mechanisms. While some of these changes are procedural and happen behind the scenes, they're designed to help us operate more effectively and keep members’ interests at the centre of everything we do. Where changes affect members directly, we will seek input in the right way and at the right time. The new Chair will play an important role in championing these improvements and ensuring they deliver real benefits for our community.
Chair recruitment:
The board discussed the timing and approach for recruiting a new Chair. We agreed that getting the right person through a fair and transparent process is more important than rushing to fill the vacancy. The priority is to appoint an elected member who has the skills, experience and vision to lead the Board and champion governance improvements.
We’re also working closely with the Charity Commission to make sure every step aligns with charity law and has their endorsement. This means we’ll start recruitment once we have their full backing, which we expect after further conversations in January.
Articles of Association review:
Our current articles have served us well, but in some cases they limit flexibility and responsiveness. To address this, the Board agreed to set up a working group in January, made up of trustees and members, supported by legal advice.
The goal is to draft a revised set of articles that allow us to operate in a more agile way while staying true to members’ expectations. Any changes will go through full member consultation during 2026, with the aim of seeking approval at the AGM in November.
We’ll be reaching out to members soon with an invitation to get involved in this work.
Updates from our President:
We were delighted to be joined in the meeting by our President, Professor Lynne Gabriel OBE. Lynne shared several initiatives she is currently involved with which are helping shape the future of counselling and psychotherapy:
NHS community-based care and neighbourhood hubs
Lynne is involved in one of the six pilot sites which are offering 24/7 mental health support in local communities. We see this as a potential opportunity for counsellors and psychotherapists to get involved, and we’ll share more details as we get them.
NHS Talking Therapies data set
Data shows Counselling for Depression (CFD), especially Person-Centred Experiential (PCE) approaches, achieves around 60% improvement rates, slightly better than Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Promising results are also emerging for long COVID patients.
Counselling in organisational settings
A growing area for our profession, with lots of potential for development.
Open dialogue approach
This Finnish origin model has dramatically reduced suicide rates through collaborative and systemic intervention. Research is coming soon, including a Lancet paper, and we’ll explore its relevance for members in early 2026.
EDI: embedding change
The Board were provided updates and progress on our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strategy:
- A dedicated team is now in place to make EDI part of everyday practice across everything in BACP
We're planning to introduce mandatory EDI data collection from members to help us understand diversity better, identify gaps and address them (and measure the impact of the strategy).
Read about EDI at BACP
Safeguarding
We’re delighted to confirm Erin Stevens as our new Safeguarding Trustee. Thank you to William Llorel-Antoine for stepping in as interim lead.
Driving change together: collaboration and advocacy
The Board also received updates on the work of and with the Partnership of Counselling and Psychotherapy Bodies (PCPB), which continues to play a vital role in shaping the future of our profession. Key areas of focus include:
Policy development and VAT exemption advocacy
Ongoing efforts to influence policy and secure VAT exemption for counselling and psychotherapy services remain a priority.
New guidance for international working and safeguarding
Updated resources will support members working overseas, ensuring best practice and compliance with safeguarding standards.
One of the biggest opportunities to strengthen the profession is through collaboration across partners. By working collectively on issues that affect us all, we can amplify our impact and create meaningful change.
Commission on the future of counselling and psychotherapy
We discussed progress on this recently launched initiative, which aims to explore the long-term direction of the profession. So far, the Commission has held two evidence sessions, one on the current state of the profession and another on statutory regulation, with a third session on the evidence base planned for early 2026.
An open call for evidence will launch early next year, inviting contributions from across the profession. Two new commissioners have joined the group, including an additional expert by experience and a representative from the PCU, ensuring practitioner perspectives are front and centre.
Read more about the Commission
Closing thoughts
It’s been a packed year, full of activity, tough decisions, and progress. As we head into 2026, we’re excited to keep improving and working together for the profession.
On behalf of the trustees, leadership team, and all BACP staff, thank you for your support, and have a wonderful holiday season. We look forward to connecting with you in the new year!
