FAQs

The Scope of Practice and Education for Counselling and Psychotherapy (SCoPEd) framework sets out the core training, practice and competences required for counsellors and psychotherapists working with adults. It helps to raise qualification standards across the profession which in turn helps clients choose qualified and competent professionals.

The framework provides greater clarity about the wide range of skills, knowledge, training and experience that members and registrants who are registered with a PCPB partner hold. It helps counselling and psychotherapy be better understood, valued and trusted by clients, employers, commissioners and society.

The SCoPEd framework will be reviewed and updated approximately every five years to ensure that it remains current and reflects new research, societal changes and evolving professional standards. Minor updates may also occur in between full reviews, based on input from experts, practitioners and service users.

Unregistered or unqualified therapists can use the framework to assess if courses and training providers meet the minimum standards to become a member or registrant of one of the PCPB partners.

The SCoPEd framework ensures that therapists are trained to specific standards, providing transparency about their qualifications and the scope of their practice. This means you can be confident in the quality of care and professionalism of your therapist. By choosing a therapist who is a member of a PCPB partner, you also have the reassurance that they are on a Professional Standards Authority (PSA) accredited register, The framework also helps you understand what therapist might best suit your needs.

Practising therapists who are a member or registrant of one of the six professional bodies (ACC, BACP, BCP, HGI, NCPS and UKCP), will be in a membership category that is aligned to a SCoPEd framework column. You can check with your therapist or the membership organisation they are registered with which column they are aligned with.

The SCoPEd framework does not define counsellors and psychotherapists as distinct professions. Instead, it recognises that both can work across a range of competences

A framework such as SCoPEd ensures that all therapists, regardless of which organisation they belong to, are trained and operate at similar high standards. This consistency helps protect clients by ensuring they receive safe, ethical and effective therapy from qualified professionals. By choosing a therapist who is a member of a PCPB partner, you also have the reassurance that they are on a Professional Standards Authority (PSA) accredited register.

The SCoPEd framework is structured across three columns (A, B, and C), which reflect different levels of training, experience and competency. Each column outlines the scope of practice and ethical responsibilities for professionals, which offers the public, clients, employers and commissioners clarity about the skills and knowledge a therapist has.

The SCoPEd framework maps out competences across three columns (A, B, and C), providing clear guidelines for career progression. By identifying the skills, knowledge, training and experience needed to move from one column to another via your membership category with a PCPB organisation , you can plan your professional development and pursue further training and opportunities, should you wish to.

Yes, the SCoPEd framework is designed to be flexible and allow for career progression. If you want to move to a different column (for example from A to B), you will need to meet the required competences through further education, training or experience. Each PCPB partner has different requirements to transition between columns. Whilst the minimum standards will be the same across the partners, some partners may have additional criteria requirements to transition between columns. This variation is due to the alignment of the partners’ membership categories with the SCoPEd columns. If you are a member of a PCPB partner, they can guide you on what steps to take to move column.

All six partner organisations that developed SCoPEd have adopted the framework. This means their registration processes and membership categories are aligned with SCoPEd standards. By February 2026, all PCPB partners’ membership categories will fully reflect these standards, allowing for a clearer pathway for career progression, if you wish to.

The SCoPEd framework offers greater clarity about the broad range of skills, knowledge, training and experience you possess, reinforcing to clients and employers you are a qualified, competent and ethical practitioner.

You can use the framework to identify pathways for further education and training, supporting career advancement, if you wish.

The SCoPEd framework empowers clients to make informed choices when selecting a counsellor or psychotherapist by providing a clear picture of the therapist’s skills, training and competences. It ensures that clients receive care from professionals who match their specific therapeutic. By choosing a therapist who is a member of a PCPB partner, a client also has the reassurance that a therapist is on a Professional Standards Authority (PSA) accredited register. This transparency fosters trust and safety, as clients can be confident that their therapist is properly trained, qualified and equipped to provide effective support.

Yes. If you have the skills and knowledge to practise competences in another column you are still able to use those skills to do so. The framework sets out minimum standards but is not intended to limit the way that individuals practise.

The SCoPEd framework provides a clear set of competences for therapists via three columns (A, B, and C). By referencing the framework, you can ensure that the professionals you hire have the skills, knowledge and experience that match the responsibilities of the role. The framework helps provide consistent expectations and ensures the therapists you employ meet high professional standards.

The SCoPEd framework provides a consistent approach to assessing the qualifications and competences of counsellors and psychotherapists. This helps commissioners identify the most suitable professionals for specific services, ensuring that clients receive care from qualified and competent therapists.

Training providers can align with the SCoPEd framework by incorporating the competencies and skills outlined in the framework into their curriculum. This ensures that students are being trained to meet the core professional standards agreed upon by the PCPB partners. However, course approval is not done centrally by the PCPB; each partner organisation has its own recognition and accreditation process. While any course can align itself with the SCoPEd framework, only graduates from courses that meet the SCoPEd framework standards (and any additional requirements required by individual PCPB partners) will be able to register with a PCPB partner. Training providers seeking to have their course recognised or accredited as aligned with the SCoPEd framework by one of the PCPB partners will need to contact them directly to discuss the specific requirements.

Yes, the SCoPEd framework outlines core competencies and skills that can guide the design of your curriculum, helping ensure that students are well-prepared for professional practice. Any course can choose to align itself with the SCoPEd framework, but only graduates from courses that meet the SCoPEd framework standards (and any other additional requirements required by individual PCPB partners) will be eligible to join a PCPB partner. This alignment can enhance the credibility of your programme and make your graduates more competitive in the job market. Training providers looking to have their course recognised or accredited as aligned with the SCoPEd framework by a PCPB partner should reach out to the respective partner directly to discuss the specific requirements for that organisation. Course approval is not done centrally by the PCPB; each partner organisation has its own recognition and accreditation process.

The SCoPEd framework ensures that graduates from programmes aligned with its standards will meet the necessary competences for registration with one of the six professional bodies that have adopted the framework. Graduates will still need to meet the requirements of the individual partners.