Mental Health: Unregulated Treatment

Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court Excerpts

Monday 2nd March 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord Macpherson of Earl’s Court (CB)]

My Lords, I should first declare an interest; I am married to a chartered psychologist who works for the National Health Service. I too congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Jolly, on securing this debate and on her very powerful speech.

The Government have rightly chosen to prioritise mental health in recent years, but, if we are going to take mental health seriously, we really must take seriously the question of who becomes a mental health practitioner. We do not allow unqualified people to carry out surgery, but we allow anybody to call themselves a therapist, a counsellor or even a psychologist. I recently did some research of my own. I came across a college offering a level 2 “Introduction to Counselling” course. The course has no specific entry requirements. It is online and to pass it requires just 80 hours of study. The advertising material states:

“The course is approved by the ACCPH”—


the Accredited Counsellors, Coaches, Psychotherapists and Hypnotherapists, and—

“at the end of this course students will be able to join and become a member of the ACCPH. The ACCPH is an independent self-regulated professional body for counsellors, psychotherapists and hypnotherapists.”

I went to that body’s website, which states that,

“joining as a professional member will prove to potential clients that you are fully qualified.”

Now, for all I know this course, which costs £379—rather more than the £12.99 course previously referred to—may be very good value for money, but I question whether 80 hours of tuition, without any practical face-to-face experience, is sufficient to become an accredited counsellor. Needless to say, the Professional Standards Authority does not recognise the ACCPH as an accredited register, but it is expecting a great deal of often vulnerable and anxious people to know that the PSA exists in the first place, to visit its website and to understand what it means when it lists a register as “in” or “out”.

The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health recommended, four years ago:

“The Department of Health should consider how to introduce the regulation of psychological therapy services.”


I was optimistic that things would change, but the department dragged its feet. The recent statement by the noble Baroness, Lady Blackwood of North Oxford, that

“The Government has no plans to extend professional regulation to psychotherapists or counsellors”


is, for me, at least, deeply disappointing. Her statement that

“We urge anyone seeking the services of a psychotherapist or counsellor to take the time to find a reputable, insured and appropriately qualified practitioner”,


sounds a little complacent. I hope the Minister, for whom I have the highest regard, will tell me that I have misunderstood that statement.