Counselling Qualifications (Hansard, 3 November 1999)

There are no nationally agreed standards for training and qualifications in counselling.

Within the National Health Service, employers have a responsibility to ensure that the people they employ, or to whom they refer, are qualified for the tasks they will undertake and that the treatment is the right one for the condtion being treated. A large number of professional bodies exist to promote the development of the psychotherapies, to provide training and to promote high standards.

The recently published National Service Framework for Mental Health sets out clear, evidence-based standards for service, and stresses the need for statutory bodies to work with professional organisations, education providers, national training bodies and employers to ensure that basic training programmes reflect the priorities in the National Service Framework and to develop lifelong learning and reflective practice.