The Register of Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy
Application for Senior Practitioner Member
The Register of Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy is a post-qualifying register
designed to recognise the specialist expertise in psychotherapy of Chartered Psychologists
irrespective of Divisional membership or route to Chartered membership.
The register identifies a specifically psychological approach to psychotherapy defined by six
principles that encourage a co-operative and generative relationship between traditions and
approaches in both psychology and psychotherapy. These principles are not tied to specific
psychotherapeutic models and recognise that, whilst psychologists, like other
psychotherapists, are normally trained initially in a specific model, as they gain in
experience they often actively seek to learn from other approaches. This is encouraged by
the stress in psychological training on inquiry, research and the evaluation of theories and
approaches to practice encapsulated in the notion of ‘scientist practitioner’. So the register
aims to promote inquiry into the strengths and limitations of differing models together with
openness to the possibilities of integration and to developing ideas and forms of practice.
The six principles together underline a commitment to maintaining:

a psychological attitude towards inquiry and critical evaluation;

a psychotherapeutic attitude towards self-exploration and reflective practice; and,

an active awareness of the ethical, social and political dimensions and contexts of
practice.
At the same time it is recognised that psychologists specialising in psychotherapy will have
been trained in a specific core model and that it can be important for this identified.
For the purposes of the register a model is defined as follows:
A specific therapeutic approach with a body of theory and research, which has implications
for therapeutic practice and offers an explanation, with internal consistency, about the
nature of a person, of psychological difficulty, of the therapeutic relationship and the
process of change. This includes approaches based on clear principles of integration.
Applicants for membership of the register are, therefore, required to provide evidence of
training and experience in their initial core model and to demonstrate their commitment to
the six principles.
There are two levels of membership that indicate continuing professional development in
the specialism of psychotherapy. Practitioner membership recognises continuing
professional development of approximately 2 years. Practitioners are also eligible to
receive the EFPA (the European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations) ‘European
Certificate of Specialist Expertise in Psychotherapy’. Senior Practitioner membership
recognises a further period of continuing professional development and a contribution to the
development of the discipline.
Section 1
Personal details
Name:
Membership number:
Contact address:
Section 2
Please provide your certificate/s of training together with evidence that your training has met
the psychotherapy training requirements of a recognised professional body such as BPS,
UKCP or BACP or the DoH or NOS competences. This is not required if you are already
a Practitioner member.
Please provide a log of your practice since completing your postgraduate training in psychology
– this should cover at least 8 years since completion of your postgraduate psychology
programme (or 6 further years if you are already a Practitioner member) and include
direct psychotherapeutic work with clients. This need be no longer than1/2 pages.
Section 3
Please provide a log of your CPD relevant to your specialism – this need be no longer than 1/2
pages and should include evidence of how your practice has benefited from learning from
and about differing approaches.
Section 4
Please provide a summary of your contribution to the discipline, such as service
development and management, experience of training and supervising other practitioners
and/or relevant research and publications.
Section 5
In applying for membership you need to be able to sign up to confirm you currently practice
as a psychologist specialising in psychotherapy, in accordance with the following six
principles agreed by the Society.
Principle 1: Psychologists as psychotherapists
(a)
Principle: In creating a register of psychologists specialising in psychotherapy there
is recognition that those involved have continuing commitments and responsibilities
as both psychologists and psychotherapists, and to the development of constructive
relationships between those roles, disciplines and value systems
(b)
Aims and competencies:
(i) To be familiar with, and able to draw on, knowledge and approaches in
psychology, which have particular relevance for psychotherapeutic
understanding and practice.
(ii) To be able to think psychologically about approaches and issues in
psychotherapy, which have significant implications for psychology and use this
knowledge and understanding to elaborate aspects of psychological therapy
and/or practice.
Principle 2: Inquiry and communication
(a)
Principle: As psychologists specialising in psychotherapy, attitudes and approaches
which reflect ongoing inquiry (of many kinds and at many levels) are expected to be
central.
(b)
Aims and competencies:
(i) To be familiar with, and able to make use of, a range of approaches (both
quantitative and qualitative) to psychological inquiry relevant to psychotherapy,
and to adopt a continuing attitude of inquiry in relation to psychotherapeutic
practice.
(ii) To be familiar with, and to undertake, the range of modes of communication
required in psychotherapeutic practice and inquiry, and the dissemination of
knowledge and understanding (formally and informally) arising from
psychological and psychotherapeutic practice and research.
Principle 3: Psychotherapeutic practice and understanding
(a)
Principle: Psychotherapy, in its many forms, involves intimate, interpersonal modes
of inquiry which engage the ‘heart’ as well as the ‘head’, feelings as well as ideas,
involvement and responsibilities in relation to the lives of others as well as reflection
and re-framing of what may be going on.
(b)
Aims and competencies:
(i) To be conceptually knowledgeable about a number of approaches (e.g. theories
and models) and with ways of working (e.g. individual, family, group) in
psychotherapy, and be familiar with relevant clinical and scientific information.
(ii) To be able to undertake, in informed and imaginative ways all aspects (e.g.
theoretical, practical, scientific, administrative) of at least one approach to the
practice of psychotherapy.
Principle 4: Personal and professional development
(a)
Principle: It is a requirement that psychologists specialising in psychotherapy will be
engaged in ongoing supervision and personal development, which may contribute to
the development of honest and satisfactory ways of establishing and maintaining
constructive therapeutic alliances with clients and relationships with colleagues.
(b)
Aims and competencies:
(i) To be actively and systematically engaged in personal development work of a
variety of kinds, so that greater understanding of personal issues is developed
and impediments to effective practice are recognised and reduced.
(ii) To be actively engaged in being supervised (in a non-managerial sense), so that
personal, clinical and professional issues in psychotherapy are open to
continuing questioning review and reconsideration.
Principle 5: Knowledge of the wider world
(a)
Principle: In addition to knowledge about psychological and psychotherapeutic
approaches and issues, it is expected that psychologists specialising in
psychotherapy will be aware of the wider contexts within which psychotherapy is
practised.
(b)
Aims and competencies:
(i) To be familiar with major social, cultural and political issues and controversies
concerning psychotherapy, including multicultural, ethical and equal opportunity
issues.
(ii) To be familiar with disciplines and aspects of life outside the context of
psychotherapy and to be able to make use of this knowledge in appropriate ways
in psychotherapeutic reflection, practice and inquiry.
Principle 6: Re-registration and further professional development
(a)
Principle: All psychologists specialising in psychotherapy are expected to continue
with education and training relevant to both psychological and psychotherapeutic
understanding and practice.
(b)
Aims and competencies:
(i) To be involved in ongoing personal and professional development work in ways
which maintain, develop and refresh psychological and psychotherapeutic
knowledge, understanding and practice in relation to requirements of the reregistration process.
(ii) Where relevant, to be engaged in the creative development of professional
understanding, knowledge and practice, including systematic and carefully
planned continuing professional development training, in ways which are relevant
to ‘advanced practitioner’ status
I declare that I currently practice as a psychologist specialising in psychotherapy in
accordance with the above principles.
Signed:
Date:
Section 6
Payment
Please include a cheque made payable to The British Psychological Society or give
your debit/credit card details below.
I enclose a cheque for £75 or please charge my Credit/Debit Card £75.
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