UKCP and psychotherapy in Scotland

[Mary MacCallum Sullivan]

Dear Janet and David, and psychotherapists in Scotland

Further to Courtenay’s contribution (key points copied below)

I was, and am, a Yes voter, and very much want Scotland to continue to demand and utilise additional powers and devolved responsibility for its own affairs.  Yet I also see that psychotherapy in Scotland is marginalised in so many ways, and Scottish registrants, mostly members of organisations based ‘down south’, need all the help they can get from UKCP to enable further development.

I believe we have to talk about how ‘psychotherapy’ training can be distinguished from ‘counselling’ training.  I say this, despite knowing that many ‘counselling’ trainings are as rigorous and as ‘in-depth’, or more so, than some routes to the label ‘psychotherapist’. 

I have been raising this on a Linked In thread. It would be really helpful to have a UKCP statement that sets out the threshold requirements in respect of training - components, standards and levels/duration of training -  for UKCP registration, that can be used over against that of the generality of ‘counsellor’ trainings. I don’t want to cause dissension, but to begin a conversation, so that we can begin to describe the field across the practice of ‘counselling’, ‘psychotherapeutic counselling’, and ‘psychotherapy’ (and even ‘psychoanalysis’).  Then we can begin to talk more sensibly to policymakers and  commissioners.

It doesn’t serve clients – the public – to have the overall field described simply as ‘counselling and psychotherapy’, as currently practised by BACP and COSCA (in Scotland) - we need to offer more differentiation if we mean to continue to use the two terms.

This is important in Scotland because ‘counselling’ is not generally, in practice, recognised by the NHS.  But equally, there is a shortage of posts for psychotherapists, understood as psychoanalytic psychotherapists. There is, however, a developing need, since many consultant psychotherapists are of retirement age. Much work needs to be done to ensure adequate provision by appropriately-trained practitioners.

Mary MacCallum Sullivan

Courtenay’s key points (my edit)

'I therefore suggest - strongly - that a proportion of UKCP fees (paid by its Scottish members) is retained both (i) for the use and benefit of the Scottish members (to be decided by them) and (ii) that a UKCP Scottish Forum is officially acknowledged and empowered to campaign, support, and put forward issues pertaining to the furtherance of psychotherapy in Scotland (or words to that effect).'

[May Chamberlain]

Dear all
it is with deep regret that I ask you take me off this mailing list.
I have been a UKCP member going into my third year and obtained membership via COSRT.
However, I won't bore you with the details (apparently this was a route closed sometime ago) but UKCP continued to take my payments but only discovered this year that I shouldn't have been accepted as a member.
I now have 4 Diplomas, manage a large counselling agency and as such am involved locally and nationally in policy and strategic planning.
I won an NHS award for my Psychosexual Therapy work and just had another award presented last night.
However it would appear that UKCP are not renewing my membership due to this anomaly.
I have been working as a counsellor and psychosexual therapist for over 20 years and regularly mentor and supervise to ensure students meet the requirement of their University placements with me.  I could go on.
As I said with regret I would request that you remove me from your e-mail list as I am no longer a member.
Good luck with obtaining a proportion of your funding to be retained in Scotland!!!!!
With very best wishes for the future.
May
 
PS I voted YES as well!!
 

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Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 23:40:50 +0100
Subject: [UKCP in Scotland] UKCP and psychotherapy in Scotland
From: ma...@macpsych.co.uk
To: pol...@ukcp.org.uk
CC: ukcpins...@googlegroups.com

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[Courtenay Young]

Dear May

This is tragic, and possibly a potential tragedy!

Please "appeal" against the "process" - re-apply, fight, resist, condemn, protest, rail, sue, or just declare 'war'. 

We need people like you - in UKCP, in Scotland, in the "profession"!

Go for it! 

Don't just "take it".

Yours

Courtenay

[May Chamberlain]

Hi Courtenay
Thanks but I have tried long and weary and have given up.  They blame COSRT and are taking no responsibility at all.  Have asked for a letter of apology and a refund of all fees paid to date.
 The letters from the Registrar have been very curt and lacking in understanding just not very professional or ethical in my opinion.  He won't budge.  One would think they didn't value my membership!
Good luck all
May

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Subject: Re: [UKCP in Scotland] UKCP and psychotherapy in Scotland
From: cour...@courtenay-young.com
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 20:49:34 +0100
CC: pol...@ukcp.org.uk
To: ukcpins...@googlegroups.com