Banbury Counselling Academy
response to the Scope of Practice and Education(SCoPEd) Framework
The Banbury Counselling Academy (BCA) is committed to offering gold standard training opportunities to our students now and in the future.
In this context we have examined the SCoPEd framework proposed by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and partner organisations. Although we have concerns that the establishment of this framework might limit access to the breadth and depth of counselling and psychotherapy training that is currently available, we also acknowledge the need to create a map which clearly indicates appropriate pathways to professional qualification. Coming from the philosophical ethos of humanistic counselling, we share concerns voiced by a large number of counsellors and psychotherapists that the framework focusses excessively on a medical rather than a social model of mental distress. We are encouraged, however, that the last version places greater emphasis on the significance of the therapeutic relationship and integrates diversity and inclusion as standard aspects of the work.
As our awarding body, we are satisfied with the response of the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) to SCoPEd. We are confident that the career pathway that our qualifications represent are robust and will continue to offer our students recognition of the value and quality of their professional status.
Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB)
The BCA has had a long and successful relationship with the CPCAB. We have collaborated with them to provide all levels of the CPCAB counselling training route from Level 1 through to Level 6 since 2011. We have consistently received excellent reports from the External Evaluation process that we engage with every 6 months. We trust the process that the CPCAB training route offers for vocational counselling training as we have found that it is robust and fit for purpose, given the relational nature of counselling and psychotherapy work.
As part of our ongoing strategy to provide secure training and produce excellent counsellors, in 2020 we engaged in a 2-year pilot scheme in collaboration with the BACP to establish the new Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling BACP Approved Practitioner Qualification.
This qualification partnership with BACP is designed to support qualification standards and enhance the pathway to becoming a registered BACP counsellor. The BACP Approved Practitioner Level 4 Diploma includes a high level of theoretical learning, practical skills training as well as covering the developing field of remote and online counselling. The pilot scheme was successful, and BCA now offers this qualification as standard. Candidates embarking on the BACP Approved Practitioner Qualification are assured that their qualification has been pre-approved by the BACP, are facilitated to take the BACP Certificate of Proficiency at the end of the 2-year course and are able to apply directly for Individual Registration with BACP once qualified.
Future Developments for BCA
Currently the CPCAB is the only body which certificates our courses, however we are also making links with other organisations and developing course materials which we anticipate will give our students multiple options to develop their career opportunities. We are investigating all options to continue our organisational development and ensure our relevance in the changing landscape of counselling and psychotherapy. We anticipate in the future that our students will have more choices to further enrich their career opportunities with us, whether that is through the traditional CPCAB Level 4, 5 and 6 Diploma route, or degree level qualifications and modules in integrated counselling and coaching etc. We are meeting the challenge of SCoPEd by investigating multiple paths to excellence of therapeutic training in the future.
A summary of the SCoPEd framework
The CPCAB response to SCoPEd
“The Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, long acknowledged as an excellent vocational training option to become a ‘qualified counsellor’, and an important entry point to the profession is clearly shown in the framework in column A. The knowledge, skills and behaviours learners would expect (as a minimum) to achieve competence in through the Level 4 Diploma are reflected throughout the overarching themes. The SCoPEd framework recognises and does not alter the fact that the Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling from CPCAB does still qualify graduates as a counsellor, as it has always done.….. This means that the CPCAB progression route still provides a consistent, coherent, and accessible path for learners wishing to become a counsellor, work in the field (whether in an agency or as in independent practitioner) and gain membership of a professional association. During the development process CPCAB have been consulted by the partners and have given feedback on the framework throughout its evolution. They continue to work with centres, candidates, employers, and the professional associations to champion the value of vocational training and ensure that our candidates have parity of esteem, excellent career prospects, and meaningful opportunities for progression within the counselling and psychotherapy profession.”