I'm done with counselling

Iain said:

I would steer away from counsellors in general as they are not really the right tool to use for autism processing. Therapists are the way to go or possibly a psychologist for more serious issues.

To understand the differences, have a look at:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/therapy/psychologist-vs-therapist-vs-counselor

A gentle word of warning about the potential for harm if forum users in the UK rely on US-focused resources for learning about such subjects as psychologists.

For example: in the US, the title "psychologist" is legally protected via state-specific laws and regulations.

In the UK, it is not. Anyone can describe themselves as a "psychologist" and offer their services to unsuspecting clients, with potentially harmful consequences.

Only certain titles for psychologists are protected by law within the UK, with practitioners required to be on the HCPC's register and to have met - and continue to meet - their standards:

• Practitioner psychologist
• Registered psychologist
• Clinical psychologist
• Forensic psychologist
• Counselling psychologist
• Health psychologist
• Educational psychologist
• Occupational psychologist
• Sport and exercise psychologist 

More info:

https://www.hcpc-uk.org/news-and-events/blog/2023/understanding-the-regulation-of-psychologists/

https://www.apa.org/support/us#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20federal%20regulation,state%20where%20you%20provide%20services.

Bunny said:

In the UK, it is not. Anyone can describe themselves as a "psychologist"

I'm surprised the UK is so shoddy with this.

Counsellors do not seem to be regulated at all from what I can see, while a large portion of psychologists are which reinforces the point I made.

I guess people would be wise to check if their potential "psychologist" is one who is a registered practitioner using the register:

https://www.hcpc-uk.org/check-the-register/

For those psychologist from outside the UK then a deeper dive into their qualifications would be wise and look into the status of the issuing body as some are fake.

Bunny said:

In the UK, it is not. Anyone can describe themselves as a "psychologist"

I'm surprised the UK is so shoddy with this.

Counsellors do not seem to be regulated at all from what I can see, while a large portion of psychologists are which reinforces the point I made.

I guess people would be wise to check if their potential "psychologist" is one who is a registered practitioner using the register:

https://www.hcpc-uk.org/check-the-register/

For those psychologist from outside the UK then a deeper dive into their qualifications would be wise and look into the status of the issuing body as some are fake.

-

Well the organisations I listed will give a list of qualified and accredited people, the sites also give an idea of what types of counselling and therapy there are.

TheCatWoman said:

I listed the organisations that regulate and train both counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK

The website you refer to says there is no required regulation:

https://www.bacp.co.uk/news/news-from-bacp/2020/6-march-government-update-on-statutory-regulation-of-counsellors-and-psychotherapists/

The Government currently has no plans to introduce the statutory regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists

Membership of any regulatory body is voluntary.

Without regulation, what is there to stop anyone setting up and claiming to be one?

The point was to advise people to look into the qualifications of any therapists before committing to them.

Iain, I listed the organisations that regulate and train both counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK in a previous post on this thread.