Choosing a Counsellor

How to make safer choices

All The Counselling & Family Centre counsellors are professionally qualified to post graduate level and are members or accredited by BACP or COSCA.

Accredited BACP counsellor/psychotherapists have met and continue to maintain BACP’s highly regarded standards of professional training, practice and development.

When searching for a counsellor or psychotherapist, BACP accreditation acts as a kitemark.

Accreditation helps clients, colleagues and employers make informed decisions about the counsellor/psychotherapist they choose – reliable, safe and ultimately better decisions.

Important questions to ask your counsellor/psychotherapist:

  • Are you accredited or registered with BACP or COSCA?
  • What training do you have?
  • How much experience do you have? (To be eligible for accreditation counsellors need a minimum of 450 post training counselling hours)
  • What is the statement of ethics that you work to and can you explain the meaning of confidentiality?
  • How long does a session last and how much does it cost?
  • What records do you keep and who will have access to them?
  • How many sessions will I need?
  • Do you carry out any reviews or ongoing assessments?