Representing Scotland at the UKCP Psychotherapy Council 17th January

[Mary MacCallum Sullivan]

Dear All

I am representing Scotland at the UKCP Psychotherapy Council meeting on 17th January.

UKCP issued a call for ideas in an email bulletin dated 23rd December. In that appeal to members there are 6 questions: I’d like to ask for your suggested responses to those questions, so that I can represent your ideas, and not just mine.

But let me also say a bit about what I’m thinking, and why I want to put a squib under the UKCP organisation. 

I want the organisation to get on and represent psychotherapy in the UK. BACP throughout UK, and COSCA here in Scotland have both added ‘and psychotherapy’ into their titles, but neither in any way represent and even value the notion of psychotherapy as in any way differentiated from ‘counselling’. If there is a point to UKCP, it has to be that psychotherapy is somehow distinctive, and I believe we need to be making that clear to the general public, if you will, and to policy makers and service commissioners.

The work to clarify what we do was done some years ago, as Courtenay pointed out when I raised this before here, so we don’t have to start from scratch. But I believe it is an urgent task for UKCP, and, indeed, for all of us.

Then there is the ‘Shape Review’. As a prime mover in the reforms of 2009, I, with the other officers at the time,  was always clear that that ‘shape’ was only a beginning. The following-up never really took place, and Benet Middleton’s recommendations, particularly about clarifying the roles of the various committees and their relationship and reporting responsibilities support that as vital.

Moreover, more needs to be done to give colleges (there are too many) a really distinct role in relation to the development and teaching of psychotherapy within modalities, so that UKCP ‘Central’ can get on and develop services to individual members. The Colleges should have a role in accrediting those registrants, who, having qualified via an Organisational Member, now find themselves either wishing not to continue to be affiliated with that OM, or effectively ‘abandoned’ by that OM, possibly through the fact of geography. I would guess that this might be recognisable to others here in Scotland.

These are my ideas for starters, but I’d like to hear of other views, or your views on my ideas, so that I can be better informed and take these to the meeting in London.

Happy New Year!!

Regards

Mary

[Anne Laird]

Dear Mary,

Thank you for being our representative in this.  It is good to have such an experienced and knowledgeable person to represent us.  

I agree with the points you make particularly on the points of the nature of psychotherapy and movement forward from the shape review, the role of colleges , etc. 

I know I am harping back to a historical point but I really do think that the way forward for psychotherapy would be registration with HCPC.  The UKCP were headed down that route some years ago then the moment stopped. I think we can learn a lot form the art psychotherapists who have, via the hcpc route, been able to not only define what they do but also have created a clear career and training pathway and also acceptance within the NHS.

Yours sincerely,

Anne

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[Alastair Moodie]

Dear Mary

 

I am very grateful that you have agreed to represent us at the UKCP Psychotherapy Council.

 

I support your agenda, especially the promotion of the profession of psychotherapy.  We must consider our recognition (or the lack of recognition) as a profession and the effect of accepting organisational accreditation through the “Professional Standards Agency” alongside a number of counselling bodies and complementary practitioner organisations.

 

I agree with Anne’s view about the benefit to the Arts Therapists of registration with HCPC.  With the approach of a general election it is the right time to rethink our strategy with regard to the regulation of psychotherapy.

 

Warm regards and a Happy New Year,

 

Alastair

 

From: ukcpins...@googlegroups.com [mailto:ukcpins...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Anne Laird
Sent: 05 January 2015 10:44
To: ukcpins...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [UKCP in Scotland] Representing Scotland at the UKCP Psychotherapy Council 17th January

 

Dear Mary,

 

Thank you for being our representative in this.  It is good to have such an experienced and knowledgeable person to represent us.  

 

I agree with the points you make particularly on the points of the nature of psychotherapy and movement forward from the shape review, the role of colleges , etc. 

 

I know I am harping back to a historical point but I really do think that the way forward for psychotherapy would be registration with HCPC.  The UKCP were headed down that route some years ago then the moment stopped. I think we can learn a lot form the art psychotherapists who have, via the hcpc route, been able to not only define what they do but also have created a clear career and training pathway and also acceptance within the NHS.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Anne

 

 

 

On 5 Jan 2015, at 08:26, Mary MacCallum Sullivan <ma...@macpsych.co.uk> wrote:

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 07747184 603

 

[Nirved Wilson]

Dear Mary, very glad to hear your ongoing willingness to take a proactive role for Scotland in UKCP. As you know I always want to support it, but the reality is that my passion and energy goes in other directions, and I am slowly winding down my practice. I wish you and the UKCP group in Scotland all the best. Warmly, Nirved

[Courtenay Young]

I have been asked by an old friend / colleague to circulate this information about a forthcoming workshop - if anyone is interested or it may be suitable for your clients.

You say you have a number of contacts : Would you be able to email some of them? Attached is a pdf and the link to the details page is

http://consciousevolutioncoaching.org/twoh_threeday_edinburgh/

 

[Brion Sweeney]

Hi Mary and All

Agree with your three critical points Mary highlighting psychotherapy, shape review and role of Colleges. On the latter point having just stepped down after 5yrs as chair of Constructivist and Existential College I would say the role of Colleges and OMs within UKCP shape needs to be more throughly reviewed a lot of functions have fallen to colleges by default and the role of OMs is very unclear. 

Good luck at influencing Council may you succeed as think your approach encompasses the key areas needing attention one external and two internal. 

good wishes to all for the New Year

Brion

www.tararokpa.org

[Courtenay Young]

Dear Mary

What a trooper you are! To go down and take on the "Bluddy Sassenachs" - "Such a parcel of rogues in a nation"!

Yes: there are lots and lots of issues: and you have - to my mind - correctly named a few of them - and you are also exactly the right person to champion many of these.

Here are some of my particular "beefs"! Several of which are also yours and others.

1) UKCP really should be championing "psychotherapy" much more strongly (as opposed to the amorphous "counselling and psychotherapy"; "talking therapies"; "psychological therapies"; etc.). 

(a) However, I think that this might actually entail a public "fight" with BACP (and COSCA, and the like), about the inappropriate use of the title of "psychotherapy", but I somehow do not think that we would lose by doing this. 

(b) Maybe we need to define "psychotherapy" a little better - you might try to look at the EAP's Project to define a European Psychotherapist: www.psychotherapy-competencies.eu 

There are several definitions there - as well as a full set of "competencies".

(c) ... and then (maybe) UKCP could submit a suitable questionnaire to all UKCP "psychotherapists" and BACP "therapists" asking them if this is really what they do; and so forth. 

We could definitely get a bit more proactive in this field.

2) UKCP should be supporting individual members / registrants much, much more. As a registrant of UKCP, I get an piece of paper.

Since I live in Scotland, not London, I get very little else except entree to some LinkedIn discussions, where I can vent my spleen a little.

The role of the Member Organisations needs to be redefined a little: 

Are they "training organisations" (in which case their involvement stops shortly after graduation); or are the professional associations in a particular modality (in which case, what do they "offer" their "members")?

The Colleges seem increasingly redundant - or maybe not - possibly need to get behind the "competencies" of their particular modalities / mainstreams 

- and thus (possibly) act as a "quality control" for their training organisations: and for the registrants under their aegis. Or something. many of the Colleges "disappear" from the ordinary registrants perspective.

3) What happens if there is bullying in a particular training organisation, or in a particular therapy organisation: who monitors this? Who does someone complain to?

For further details: see Sarah Skarbek's excellent article in Therapy Today (Dec. 2014) pp. 20-23.

What happens if we "suspect" some wrong-doing on the part of a UKCP colleague - in a different organisation, or college, or modality? What is the procedure?

I sometimes hear weird things about other "therapists" from clients: I don't know what to do about that. Do I professionally collude - and remain silent?

4) Then: there is the appalling UKCP website - not fit for purpose. Perhaps enough has already been said! 

5) You - and others - have mentioned the significant lack of democratic representation - no proper AGM; who elects who to what, and when, and how? 

The Boston Tea Party - was (supposedly) based on "No Taxation without Representation" - we pay money, and do we have a vote?

All these UKCP committees: what are they; what do they do; who do they serve; how do they function; who gets elected, and by whom? 

It is quite weird, surreal even - the lack of information about the machinations of the organisation.

6) And then also ... what about the current "geo-centricity" of the UKCP. Almost everything happens in London or the south / midlands of England. 

It costs me at least an extra £125 - 2+ sessions - to get down there from the Scottish Borders, let alone attend (and pay for) the actual event; + accommodation, etc.

A colleague in London pay about £3.50 travel costs to get to the same event: 

So, what about a travel pool for such events? - where everyone's travel costs get pooled and everyone then pays the same - so, some people will have to pay more into the pool; others will be re-imbursed from the pool.

What about more - regular - Scottish and North of England events? How do we clock up or CPD points?

In one LinkedIn post recently, when a similar question was asked, I suggested that (maybe) 10% (or 20%) of UKCP Registrants' fees should go to the regional group to which they belong.

This would then empower that regional group - in our case, Scotland - to be able to put on events for the members/registrants in their region.

7) What else is happening in the counselling - psychotherapy world? 

>   Some people are suggesting the PSA is "not fit for purpose": and that UKCP should push to be in the HPC. Others suggest that the HPC is a "dead end" and that the BPS made a serious mistake dropping their "charter".

>   Maybe we should "lobby" for a Psychotherapy Professions Council (PPC): a government-backed body, parallel to, but different from, the HPC.

>   What is happening with the Art Therapists; the Dance-Movement Therapists; the Life Coaches; the non-BACP counsellors; in Europe; in other countries; etc.?

>   How much of this is relevant to us - as UK psychotherapists - in Scotland? Maybe we should have our own "referendum"? Should we form an independent "chapter" of the UKCP?

8) There is an increasing move - in Scotland now, as well as in England - to go for the "low-price" option of "psychological therapists" as the first port-of-call in any psychological / emotional / mental health referral system: 

This is the economist, Lord Layard's (somewhat misguided though logical) concept of "Increased Access to Psychological Therapies" (IAPT): 

The basic theory is - why pay a very well-qualified "counsellor" or "psychotherapist" (earning maybe £30,000-40,000 p.a.) after 4 years of specialised training ... 

... when you can pay a "psychological therapist" earning (maybe "£15,000-20,000" p.a.), who has only received 12 weeks training? 

And - if so - how and when do we get a look-in to any form of "stepped care" programme: when the "guided self-help" has not resolved the person's issues ...

... i.e. who refers the person with more serious problems onto us; and how; and who pays?  

And do we then refer people with more serious problems onto Clinical Psychologists (at £40,000-50,000 p.a.)? Or psychiatrists (at £80,000-100,000 p.a.)? And how? And who pays?

So ... the whole "system" needs looking at.

9) In many European countries, "private" psychotherapy practitioners (with suitable qualifications) can become "registered" with the national health service in that country, and get "paid" - in part - by the state: 

or they can get "paid" by health insurance companies: 

or by Employee Assistance Programmes; etc. 

And how do (UKCP) psychotherapists get "registered" with these companies; and and who helps, supports and advises UKCP psychotherapists to do this?

The BACP and the BPS both have active "employment and jobs" listings on their website: does the UKCP have such an equivalent facility?

How proactive is the UKCP in getting work; research posts; etc. for its registrants?

10)  CPD "points" - since they are increasingly a requirement, can we have a UKCP "Registrants" website facility where we can "log in" and a "register" our CPD events and points. 

Then we can see what we have to do towards the end of the (usual) 5-year period in order to get reaccredited. 

The "credits" should include, not just (expensive) conferences and CPD events and additional trainings, ... 

... but also points for: presentations; membership of professional committees; published articles; journal subscriptions; book chapters; LinkedIn discussion 'posts' (?); etc.

And so on; and so forth; und so weiter; et ainsi de suite; og sá videre; i tak dalege; και ούτω καθ'; és így tovább; и так далее, etcétera; etc.

I notice that various others have already replied to your missive (below) - so, please add these concerns and comments to their listings, as appropriate.

All the best, and good luck!

Yours

Courtenay

[Mary MacCallum Sullivan]

Dear Courtenay

Thanks for this excellent list – I will do what I can to make my voice heard at the Psychotherapy Council meeting!  Thanks to  Brion and the others also – I will be trying to pull together a briefing paper to support any spoken contribution I can make, and will, of course, share it with you all.

Don’t forget the 6 questions that UKCP had put to its members: I attach them below. If anyone has points to make about these, please make them soon – the closing date is 23rd January.

1. UKCP is a charity, a regulator and a membership organisation. Which of UKCP’s functions is most important to you and why?

2. How successful do you feel that UKCP is as a charity working for the public benefit and how could we improve this?

3. How successful do you feel that UKCP is as a professional regulator and how could we improve this?

4. How successful do you feel that UKCP is as a membership organisation and how could we improve this?

5. Do you feel that we have the balance right or how could we improve it?

6. Do you have any other comments you would like to make? 

Regards

Mary

From: Courtenay Young <cour...@courtenay-young.com>
Reply-To: <ukcpins...@googlegroups.com>
Date: Thursday, 8 January 2015 01:33
To: <ukcpins...@googlegroups.com>

[cathie wright]

Dear Mary

I have just filled in the consultation document.

here are my thoughts

1. We have done more than enough about regulation. Can we let it rest for the moment. We have a central complaints procedure and that pleases me very much especially as I hear that many of the complaints are mediated.

2. We are not fighting enough for services for our clients. For example who is challenging Edinburgh City Council's decision to push non profit organisations to see people for up to 36 sessions only regardless of their level of distress or the kind of trauma they have experienced. Who is fighting for survivors of childhood trauma to be given a good service that respects their needs, and gives them some choice as to whether they want to go down the psychologist route or psychotherapy route.

3. I am concerned that many people are not earning anything like £30,000 -£40,000. Many of my very well trained colleagues are lucky to earn £25,000, and often do not feel able to afford contributing to a pension, and plan to work till they drop, not good for the profession or for clients!! We need to be lobbying for the kind of support that Courtenay talks about from the state. 

4. Psychotherapists are an unsung and unseen mental health service that is immensely valuable to our society, we need that to be seen and recognised. We need to value it for ourselves!!

Thank you for giving me the chance to name these things. I would be happy to talk more.

Cathie Wright