How to use the SCoPEd framework
The SCoPEd framework serves as a valuable tool for a wide range of audiences, including clients, practitioners, employers, training providers and commissioners. Here’s how different groups can effectively use the framework:
Clients and the public
The SCoPEd framework helps people trust and access counselling and psychotherapy services by making professional standards clear and consistent. It shows what skills, training, knowledge and experience therapists have. This makes it easier for clients to choose the right counsellor or psychotherapist for their needs, knowing they are selecting someone qualified and capable. Therapists registered with one of the six bodies that have adopted the SCoPEd framework meet high standards for ethics, education and skills, ensuring clients receive safe and high-quality care.
Commissioners and employers
For those responsible for hiring counsellors and psychotherapists, such as commissioners in the NHS or employers in various sectors, the SCoPEd framework offers a clear benchmark for understanding professional qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience. It helps to identify the most appropriate therapists based on the roles and responsibilities required. By using the framework, employers and commissioners can ensure they are hiring professionals with the necessary skills and competences to deliver effective mental health support, improving service quality and alignment with client needs.
Practitioners
For counsellors and psychotherapists, the SCoPEd framework serves as a guide for professional development and career progression.
Practitioners can use the framework to evidence their progress since completing their initial core training and identify opportunities for further education and development to advance their careers, if they wish to. The framework supports ongoing learning and development, empowering professionals to build their skills, knowledge and experience to provide better services to their clients.
Training providers
Training organisations can align their educational programmes with the SCoPEd framework to ensure that students are adequately prepared to meet the core generic standards required for each column. By using the framework as a benchmark, education providers can design courses that equip future counsellors and psychotherapists with the necessary competences. This consistency across different training providers helps to raise and maintain standards and ensures that graduates are ready to meet the demands of the profession.
