Ethics, Affordability & Real Support – You’re definitely not alone
Article authored by the ISPC
If you run a private counselling practice in the UK or abroad, you know the reality: you’re not just a therapist — you’re also your own admin team, marketeer, compliance officer, web designer and business strategist. You need a professional body that supports your independence, not one that adds layers of cost and complexity.
Yet many therapists stay with traditional associations out of habit — not because they’re getting real value or a real community that can help you grow.
That’s changing. A growing number of private practitioners are turning to the International Society of Psychotherapy and Counsellors (ISPC) — and for good reason.
One Flat Fee. No Surprises.
While other bodies charge £198+ per year — plus extra for accreditation, directory listings, and CPD tracking — ISPC membership is Free for Students, just £55 annually for Associate Members, and £75 for Accredited and Fellow Memberships, inclusive of:
- Full professional accreditation (upon meeting criteria)
- Free Therapist Directory listing
- Private Practice Templates
- No Bureaucracy
- No SCOPED
We’re also adding quick learning videos for students, free of course… and added very recently the beginning of our Private Practice Hub for Full Members (this will take another month or so to fully bring about the first stage of the hub)…and its freeeeee! On top of that we’re getting our head around providing free CDP training for our fully trained counsellors.
As a Private Practicing Counsellor what you really need is collaboration, good ethical support and a really good Website optimised for local SEO searches. We can help with all of that, pointing you in the right direction for you to thrive, rather than drown.
Built for Private Practice, Not Bureaucracy
ISPC was created by therapists in private practice, for therapists in private practice. We understand your daily challenges:
- Setting ethical boundaries with clients
- Managing cancellations and fees
- Staying compliant with UK data law (GDPR)
- Delivering effective online therapy
- Understanding how to gain private clients
- Managing relationships and expectations
- Balancing life with work
- Building your website
- The list is endless…
That’s why we’re trying to provide practical, ready-to-use resources and a platform of support to give you a foot on the ladder — (not just policy documents and a 52 page ethics guide that you can’t digest). Download client contracts, session note templates, data protection checklists, and more — all written to meet UK legal and ethical standards. They’re basic, but saves you hours in making your own from scratch.
Ethical Standards Without Gatekeeping
We uphold high ethical standards — but we also believe Counselling Membership Bodies should be fair, transparent, and focused on your actual practice, not your ability to navigate complex paperwork and essay writing.
ISPC welcomes qualified counsellors and psychotherapists from integrative, humanistic, psychodynamic, and pluralistic backgrounds — as long as you’re committed to:
- Regular clinical supervision
- Ongoing CPD
- Working within ethical boundaries
- Holding Insurance
And unlike other Counselling Organisations – Our process is supportive, not punitive.
A Community That Listens
Because ISPC is smaller and practitioner-led, your voice matters. We don’t make top-down decisions. Our members help shape our code of ethics, resources, and future direction.
Website Teams Meeting, a big thank you to everyone!
Website Support – We would like to thank all of you who joined the Teams meetings yesterday, in total we had nearly an 8 hour day full of website stuff. We hope it helped and will certainly consider doing this again next month.
Please keep in touch and start to build your community with those travelling the same path. We can all help each other. No one does it alone…
Your Practice. Your Choice.
No need to overpay for a logo on your website.
No need to compromise your therapeutic approach to fit a rigid framework.
And you certainly don’t need more admin when you’re already stretched thin.
ISPC offers a simpler, smarter, and more affordable way to belong to a professional body that truly supports independent therapists.
Join our practitioners who’ve made the switch
Learn more, and be yourself: www.ispc.org.uk
Memberships are open to students, qualified counsellors and psychotherapists committed to ethical, supervised practice in the UK and abroad.
Further Resources for ISPC Members:
We encourage all ISPC members to consider contributing to ISPC News and blogs. These are vital backlinks to your website increasing your google ranking. Your contributions really do help build a valuable resource for the therapy and counselling community.
And lastly, we appreciate those that have already come forward with their ideas and writings, we are uploading these blogs over the next few weeks and months.
Kindest Regards
ISPC Team
