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SCoPEd: Summary of Views and Perspectives
Background
Scope of Practice and Education (SCoPEd) is a framework that sets out the core training requirements and practice standards for counsellors and psychotherapists working with adult clients. It has been developed by six professional bodies that hold registers accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA):
Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions(ACC)
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy(BACP)
British Psychoanalytic Council(BPC)
Human Givens Institute(HGI)
National Counselling Society(NCS - shortly to change its name to the national Counselling & Psychotherapy Society: NCPS)
UK Council for Psychotherapy(UKCP).
The SCoPEd framework categorises practitioners into three columns - A, B and C - which are shown in the image below.
Source: https://www.bacp.co.uk/media/14435/scoped-framework-january-2022.pdf
Questions
The SCoPEd project and resulting framework have led to much debate and many questions among student and qualified counsellors and psychotherapists. Key questions posed in the Counselling Tutor Facebook group include the following:
By accepting this framework, are professional bodies saying there is a difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
Should students who are studying at Level 3 consider moving on to Level 7 if they can, rather than to Level 4?
What impact will SCoPEd have on my Level 4 qualification?
Will the Level 4 route to qualification be phased out?
How do Level 5 courses fit into the SCoPEd framework?
Will awarding bodies make it clear which column their training sits in?
Will the professional bodies tell practitioners where different client presentations fit within the columns (for example, whether a practitioner in Column A can work with depression)?
How do you move from Column A to Columns B and C?
Can a purely person-centred practitioner enter Column C? If so, how?
How will SCoPEd impact those who are accredited or senior accredited by their professional body?
Does SCoPEd imply that therapists with Level 7 qualifications should be paid more than those with Level 4 qualifications?
Will practitioners in employment with Level 4 qualifications currently working with clients in Column C lose their jobs?
We asked two professional bodies (the BACP and the NCS) and an awarding body (CPCAB) for their views on these issues. We also asked two individual practitioners - one who is in favour of SCoPEd and one who is against it - about their perspectives. We share all the results in this summary.
Answers
By accepting this framework, are professional bodies saying that there is a difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
Because the counselling and psychotherapy professions are not regulated (relying instead on voluntary registration via the PSA), practitioners are in effect free to choose their professional title.
There are some differences between training paths that are typically associated with the titles 'counsellor' and 'psychotherapist'. These differences relate to various factors, for example the length of training and the academic level - plus the requirements for research, client hours, supervision and personal therapy. Some people who have done psychotherapy training may choose to call themselves 'counsellor', and vice versa.
It may be that psychotherapy training is likely to place practitioners in Columns B and C, but people who have undergone counselling training are likely to appear in any of the three columns. While the first iteration of SCoPEd mapped the title 'psychotherapist' onto Column C, the final version does not define the difference between the two titles.
Should students who are studying at Level 3 consider moving on to Level 7 if they can rather than to Level 4?
Each student is of course be free to choose which course they feel will be right for them in terms of their career goals and personal journey. It will be possible to move through the SCoPEd columns without a Level 7 qualification, since professional competences relate not purely to academic qualifications, but rather encompass a more holistic view of practitioners' growth, including practice experience and learning gained through continuing professional development (CPD).
If you intended to study Level 4 before and were happy with that option, the SCoPEd changes don't require you to change that decision. This route is likely to suit you if you want to qualify via a vocational training route, part-time over two years at local colleges or independent training centres whilst gaining practice experience on placement in a counselling agency.
If you are genuinely interested in alternative routes (e.g. an undergraduate degree or postgraduate study), have the relevant entry qualifications, and feel this mode of study would fit your personal circumstances (including budget and time), then choose a programme that provides all the elements you are looking for, including practice (as this is required for becoming a practicing counsellor at the end of it).
What impact will SCoPEd have on my Level 4 qualification?
SCoPEd fully acknowledges the range of competences gained on CPCAB's Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, and shows that these are what is being asked for from a qualified counsellor. Completing this diploma should therefore give you at least the competences you need to work safely and ethically as a qualified practitioner.
Will the Level 4 route to qualification be phased out?
CPCAB has no plans to phase out its Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, as SCoPEd does not affect the relevance or value of this qualification. This diploma allows students to become qualified to practise, and to join a wide range of professional bodies recognised by the PSA, including those in the SCoPEd partnership.
The competences specified by SCoPEd to enter Column A have been directly drawn from existing qualifications, including the Level 4 Diploma. This is evidence that the diploma provides what employers and professional bodies are looking for in a competent counsellor.
How do Level 5 courses fit into the SCoPEd framework?
CPCAB offers a range of Level 5 qualifications, including three qualifications that build on the initial competences gained in the Level 4 Diploma. These additional competences fit within the SCoPEd framework. For example, the Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling assesses in depth the use of a coherent client assessment strategy, which aligns with Column B competences. This may therefore help practitioners in Column A to work towards moving to Column B, if they wish to do so.
As SCoPEd was designed to reflect competences for working with adults, it does not represent CPCAB's Level 5 Diploma in Counselling Children and Young People. However, this new CPCAB qualification was fully mapped, at design stage, to the existing competence frameworks for working with young people published by both the BACP and the NCS.
Will awarding bodies make it clear which column their training sits in?
In its annual review of its documentation this year, CPCAB will make reference to the SCoPEd framework and give indications of where the framework represents CPCAB qualification competences. The vocational training qualifications from CPCAB map seamlessly to the framework, and are not lacking in any of the competence areas that you will need to be a counsellor.
When choosing a course, do ensure that you first read through the SCoPEd framework in detail, so that you have the facts - rather than letting misunderstandings or rumours affect your decision on what training is right for you. If you have any questions, do contact your centre, tutors or CPCAB.
Will the professional bodies tell practitioners where different client presentations fit within the columns (for example, whether a practitioner in Column A can work with depression)?
The framework does not categorise the range of client presentations into the columns, and the BACP and the NCS will both continue to trust their members to work ethically within their skills, knowledge and training - getting supervisor support or referring on when needed. This is in line with both bodies' ethical frameworks.
How do you move from Column A to Columns B and C?
The SCoPEd partners are currently working to agree the mechanisms for moving between membership categories. There will be a set of mechanisms that will apply during the transition period, and then other mechanisms and routes will be added later. For example, the BACP plans to add new accreditation schemes that will open new routes to move between columns. This means that it will be possible to move to Column C without holding a master's degree. Indeed, practice experience and CPD will be key to progression.
The SCoPEd partners will initially align their existing membership categories to the SCoPEd columns (rather than deciding which column each individual member sits in). So to move between the columns, you'll need to look at your professional body's criteria for changing membership categories and work towards that.
Many practitioners have been concerned that if they're in the 'wrong column', they won't be able to practise in a certain way or will have to stop seeing certain kinds of clients. This is not true: regardless of which column you are in, you will still be able to practise competences in other columns, providing you have the skills, knowledge and experience to do so. The ethical frameworks of the professional bodies will continue to focus on the necessity of therapists working within their skills and competences rather than moving to a model based purely on the SCoPEd columns.
Can a purely person-centred practitioner enter Column C? If so, how?
The process of moving to a different professional-body membership c
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