BACP, NCPS and HCPC: what the letters mean

Letters after a counsellor's name show which professional body they belong to or where they are listed. Different organisations have different roles. Seeing a name and a set of letters tells you which register to check if you want to confirm a membership or learn more about the person’s professional standing.

Counselling is not a protected title in the UK, and these organisations are memberships and registers, not licences. The words a body uses about its members vary. Some use the term registered, others use accredited. If you are unsure what a term means, the body's own website usually explains it - or take a look at our pages /license-types/ and /therapists/ for a quick guide to the words you may see on this site.

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, usually called the BACP, is one of the larger professional organisations for counsellors and psychotherapists in the UK. Membership can include different levels or statuses that reflect training, ongoing learning and experience.

Being listed with the BACP typically means a counsellor has met the organisation's training and practice standards, and takes part in professional development and ethics processes. The BACP uses its own language for these statuses. If you want to check someone, look for their entry on the BACP's public register on the BACP website.

The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society, abbreviated NCPS, is another UK body that holds a register of counsellors and psychotherapists. The NCPS also sets standards for training and professional practice for its members and explains membership categories on its site.

To check an NCPS listing, use the NCPS public register on the NCPS website. That register should show the person's membership status and the terms the society uses to describe that status.

The Health and Care Professions Council, or HCPC, is a statutory regulator for a number of health and care professions in the UK. It maintains a public register for those professions it regulates. The HCPC uses the term registered for professionals on its register.

If a practitioner is on the HCPC register, you can search the HCPC's public register on the HCPC website to confirm their registration and read the entries that apply to them.

Start with the name and any registration number shown on the counsellor's profile. Then go to the relevant organisation's website and find its public register or "find a therapist" search page.

• Enter the counsellor's name or registration number on the body's search page.
• Look for the membership or registration status the organisation uses, and any notes about restrictions or conditions.
• If you are unsure about a term you see, the organisation's site usually explains what that status means.

You can also use our /therapists/ page to view profiles held on this site, and our /license-types/ page for a short glossary of terms you may encounter. Remember that the best source of up-to-date information is the professional body's own public register.

This site lists counsellors and shows the professional bodies they name on their profiles. Listings here are for information only and are not a recommendation. Use the public registers run by the organisations themselves if you want official confirmation of a person's membership or registration.

Membership or registration usually involves training standards, a code of ethics and some form of ongoing professional development. Each organisation describes its own requirements on its website. If you have questions about what a specific status means, checking the body’s definitions or contacting them directly can be the clearest route.

If you are feeling acutely distressed or worried about your safety, please contact someone now. The Samaritans are available on 116 123 any hour. In England, NHS 111 provides a mental health option - press 2 when prompted. If you are in immediate danger, call 999.

If you are not in immediate danger but want to talk through options for support, a GP can be a starting point for discussing care, or you can look at local services and the professional registers described above.