What is an Accredited Register?

Choosing a therapist is a big step, and it’s important that you feel safe and supported. If you’re thinking about finding a counsellor / psychotherapist, you’re probably already asking yourself some important questions: who can I trust with something this important? How do I know they’re properly trained? What should I be looking for?

One way to make sure you're in safe hands is to choose someone on an Accredited Register.

So what is an Accredited Register?

An Accredited Register is an official list of health and social care practitioners, across a range of different professions, who’ve been checked to make sure they meet high standards. These registers are independently overseen by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA): an independent, government-backed organisation, accountable to Parliament, that works to protect the public by overseeing the regulation and registration of healthcare professionals.

People listed on an Accredited Register are called 'Registrants'.

If someone’s on an Accredited Register, it means they’ve met and promise to keep to strict requirements for things like:

• High-quality, professional training
• Working and behaving ethically
• Ongoing professional development
• Accountability to a clear, robust complaints process

The PSA perform a number of checks on the organisations that hold Accredited Registers each year, and make sure they're meeting high standards in:

• Public protection
• Risk management
• Education and training
• Governance
• Providing information
• Managing complaints
• Managing the register effectively

So you can be reassured that the organisations that run Accredited Registers are trustworthy and working hard to protect the public, and make sure their Registrants are doing a good job.

Why is it important to check that your therapist is on an Accredited Register?

In the UK, the titles 'counsellor' and 'psychotherapist' aren’t protected by law. That means anyone can technically use those words, even if they have no relevant training.

By choosing someone on an Accredited Register, you can be confident that your therapist meets all of the standards mentioned earlier, and if something does go wrong in therapy, you have somewhere to complain to to put it right.

How do I find someone on an Accredited Register?

You can visit the Professional Standards Authority website to see a full list of Accredited Registers across a range of professions, including counselling & psychotherapy.

Or you can go straight to the register itself. For example, the NCPS runs one of these Accredited Registers. You can search for a therapist who suits your needs using the NCPS Find a Therapist tool.

You can also look for the Accredited Register Quality Mark, which Registrants can use to show they're on an Accredited Register:

If you have any questions about the Accredited Registers programme, please visit the PSA website or contact us to find out more.

Are counsellors & psychotherapists regulated?

Yes, but not in the same way as doctors or nurses, who are "statutorily regulated". The Accredited Registers programme is a proportionate form of regulation. That means it keeps you safe while meaning that therapists still have the autonomy to practice therapy in the many wonderful and diverse ways that currently exist.

Why does that matter?

Because counselling & psychotherapy is a diverse profession with lots of different approaches and ways of working (modalities), statutory regulation, done badly, could reduce the availability of support, or even force experienced therapists to stop calling themselves counsellors altogether. The benefit that the Accredited Registers programme has in protecting the public would then be removed, as people change their job title to side-step inappropriate or heavy-handed regulation. Public protection is very important, and it's important that we get the delicate balance right.

Is it working?

Yes. Accredited Registers are already widely recognised as the benchmark for quality and safety across the health and social care professions. It’s become the de facto system of regulation in the counselling world, and many websites and directories now only list therapists on Accredited Registers. Employers are also increasingly making AR status a requirement, including the NHS and most Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs).

Some examples of where the Accredited Registers programme is referenced or required:

NHS.UK - Counselling
NHS Employers - Professional Regulation
Health Careers - NHS
General Medical Council - Delegation and Referral
National Careers Service
EAP Association Standards

Article updated: July 2025