Core Professions

We welcome people from many backgrounds and different experiences to apply for BABCP Accreditation.

To apply, you must meet our criteria for CBT training and also have a BABCP-recognised professional background in mental health or related areas. This means having a Core Profession that we recognise.

If you do not have a Core Profession, you must complete a portfolio of evidence to show that you have equivalent training and experience. This is known as the Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes portfolio (KSA).

The professions listed here all include a substantial amount of mental health training as part of the initial training.

Members of other professions and different backgrounds can use the KSA portfolio demonstrate equivalent mental health knowledge gained in their working careers, based on their individual work history and training.

These are the professions that have training meeting our accreditation requirements for knowledge and experience in mental health. If your professional background is not listed here, please see our KSA information.

• Arts Therapists – Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Registered
• Counselling – Accreditation with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP), Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA), OR Federation of Drug and Alcohol Professionals’ National Counsellor Accreditation Certificate (FDAP NCAC).
• Medicine – Psychiatrist or General Practitioner, MBChB or MBBS, and usually PG training with membership of MRCGP, MRCP or MRCPsych
• Occupational Therapy – BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy, MSc Occupational Therapy, OR Diploma of the College of Occupational Therapists (DipCOT) and HCPC Registered
• Psychotherapy/ Psychotherapeutic Counselling – United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) Registered
• Registered Nurse – Mental Health (RMN), or Learning Disability
• Social Work – Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW), Diploma in Social Work (DipSW), MA Social Work, or BA/BSc Hons Social Work. Registered with one of four UK regulators - Social Work England (SWE), Social Care Wales (SCW), Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
• Postgraduate Doctorate in Clinical/Counselling Psychology - accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and HCPC Registered as Practitioner Psychologist
• Educational Psychology - Doctorate or Qualification in Educational Psychology Stage 2 (QEPS) - must have BPS Chartership (CPsychol) and HCPC Registration as Practitioner Psychologist
• Health Psychology – Qualification in Health Psychology Stage 2 (QHP) - must have BPS Chartership (CPsychol) and HCPC Registration as Practitioner Psychologist
• Forensic Psychology – Qualification in Forensic Psychology Stage 2 (QFP) - must have BPS Chartership (CPsychol) and HCPC Registration as Practitioner Psychologist

Once you have met either our Core Profession or KSA requirements for at least 12 months, you are eligible to apply for Provisional Accreditation. During that time, you must also have been accountable for your own professional practice to a senior clinician. For more detail see our Provisional Accreditation Guidance. 

If you were admitted on to Level 2 accredited courses before 1 October 2020 using these criteria, you can still apply for Accreditation without completing a KSA.

• Core Professions list and criteria - prior to 1 October 2020

Questions?

What if I trained abroad? This section of our Getting Accredited FAQs will help you work out which route to take if your core professional training was overseas.

What if I lapse my Core Professional Registration or Accreditation? We advise you to maintain your registration or accreditation with your core professional body. This is because CBT is not a state registered profession and you may prefer to stay under a statutory body, or you might need it for future job roles. However you can still apply for Accreditation with us as long as you have evidence of having held that registration if it has lapsed. Giving up your core professional registration later will not affect any accredited status with us and you can continue to apply for Full Accreditation and annual Reaccreditation. The only exception to this would be if the lapse is due to disciplinary reasons, in which case you should let us know.

Contact us

Please email us at accreditation@babcp.com