Professional Registration
The Birkbeck Counselling Association has recently been accredited by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) as an organisational member of the Association of Psychodynamic Counsellors, which is a Member Institution of the BPC. There are seven other counselling associations that are are fellow members of the APC (details can be found on the BPC website).
Association of Psychodynamic Counsellors | British Psychoanalytic Council
As a Member Institution, the APC has representation on the Council – the governing body of the BPC – and we will have the opportunity to be involved with that.
This gives us some potential for making new contacts with other similar organisations but it doesn’t change our identity as a self-governing organisation of graduates and students from a variety of Birkbeck counselling courses. It does however give some BCA members an additional route to join one of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) registers.
Currently BCA members may join the BACP register by meeting BACP’s requirements for this. This situation remains unchanged, but BCA members who meet BPC’s requirements now also have the option of joining the BPC register as Psychodynamic Counsellors if they prefer (or they may choose to join both registers).
The MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy (previously called MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling) and the MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents (previously called MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling with Children and Adolescents) have been BACP accredited courses for some time. They are now also accredited BPC trainings. The Foundation Degree in Psychodynamic Counselling and CBT is accredited with BACP but not with BPC.
The application process by which BCA members can join the BPC register has been agreed between BCA and BPC. Further information is available on our BPC registration web page.
Applications to join the BACP register are handled directly by BACP rather than by the BCA as it is an individual registration process rather than an organisational one. See the BACP website for further information.