Membership Criteria

We are a level 5 Organisation

Levels are defined Here

Level 4 applicants may apply, subject to our level 4 criteria below.

Full Membership

Level 5 Applicants

Level 5 is defined Here

An individual who has a Level 5 Qualification or above in Psychotherapy, Counselling, Hypnotherapy (or a combination), can apply to join as a full member, subject to the below requirements.

The qualification must:

• Be worth at least 37 credits or 370 hours of study in total. This is known as notional learning hours (NLH), which is the estimated time a learner would take to complete the qualification, including all study and assessment time.

• Include at least 120 hours of guided learning. This means time spent learning directly from a lecturer or instructor, in person.

• Be at a level that's equivalent to or higher than Level 5 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), which is a system used in the UK to recognise skills and qualifications, click here for the RQF breakdown.

• Be a practical, vocational qualification aimed at preparing the individual to work directly with clients. It's not enough to just know the field; the diploma must provide the skills needed to practice professionally.

Although Degrees in psychology, mental health and wellness, etc. can provide valuable and relevant knowledge to the field of Psychotherapy, they do not qualify as practical, vocational qualifications for the purpose of working with clients in a professional setting.

Further Information for Level 5 Applicants:

• If the applicant's qualification is a Level 5 or higher and from a recognised organisation (e.g. Ofqual or UK University etc.), the application is likely to be successful.
• If the applicant's qualification is Level 5 or higher but not from a recognised organisation, the application will be passed to the NCIP's Training and Professional Standards Team for inspection - They may even reach out to the applicant for clarification.
• Applicants must hold appropriate Indemnity Insurance coverage to join the NCIP. For an insurer, please click Here
• All Applicants must agree to the Membership Agreement upon application.

Full members may apply for Accreditation, subject to Accreditation criteria found Here.

Ready To Join? Click Here

Full Membership

Level 4 Applicants

Level 4 is defined Here

If the applicant has a Level 4 Qualification in Psychotherapy, Counselling, Hypnotherapy (or a combination), we request the following evidence to gain access to Membership:

• The level 4 qualification must be worth at least 37 credits or 370 hours of study in total. This is known as notional learning hours (NLH).
• The qualification must Include at least 120 hours of guided learning. This means time spent learning directly from a lecturer or instructor, in person.
• The qualification is required to be a practical, vocational qualification. It's not enough to just know the field; the diploma must provide the skills needed to practice professionally.

Although qualifications in psychology, mental health and wellness, etc. can provide valuable and relevant knowledge to the field of Psychotherapy, they do not qualify as practical, vocational qualifications to work with clients in a professional setting.

Level 4 applicants must supply the NCIP with the following:

• Evidence of a minimum of 2 years in Practice (private, employed, or mixed).
• Evidence of a minimum of 250 Client Hours over the 2 years (excluding training client hours).
• Evidence of Client, Supervision, and CPD hours.
• A written statement from the applicant's Supervisor or workplace confirming their experience.
• Applicants must hold appropriate Indemnity Insurance coverage to join the NCIP. For an insurer, please click Here
• All Applicants must agree to the Membership Agreement upon application.

The NCIP believes that an applicant holding a Level 4 qualification in conjunction with a minimum of 2 years of evidenced practice and the required client hours is operating at a Level 5 standard.

Full members may apply for Accreditation, subject to Accreditation criteria found Here.

Ready To Join? Click Here

Full Membership with Accreditation

Further Information for Previously Accredited Applicants

The NCIP honours previous Accreditations and Supervisor status the applicant has earned from previous organisations - this is so as not to have the applicant jump through hoops to gain accreditation with us.

We accept Accreditation status' from PSA-accredited registers. The applicant must provide evidence of past accreditation(s) to meet this criteria.

This means, a successful applicant with proof of previous Accreditation(s) and who meets our Membership Levels 4 or 5 Criteria, will achieve accredited status upon joining.

Applicants must also hold appropriate Indemnity Insurance coverage to join the NCIP. For an insurer, please click Here

Applicants must agree to the Membership Agreement upon application.

Ready To Join? Click Here

Supervisor Membership

Accredited Supervisor Applicants

The applicant must be an existing NCIP Accredited Member to apply for Supervisor Membership

Supervisor Membership (NCIP Accredited Supervisor) requirements:

• Hold a Qualification in Clinical Supervision.
• A minimum of 4 years in Practice (private, employed, or mixed).
• A written statement from their Supervisor or workplace confirming their years in practice.

or, if you:

• Hold a Qualification in Clinical Supervision.
• Can evidence 4 years of membership with the NCIP, or other recognised professional association.

Applicants must also hold appropriate Indemnity Insurance coverage to join the NCIP. For an insurer, please click Here

All Applicants must agree to the Membership Agreement upon application.

Ready To Join? Click Here

Trainee Membership

Training Applicants

The applicant must be studying a Level 5 NCIP Diploma Course or equivalent Level 5 course to apply for Trainee Membership. Level 5 is defined Here.

The diploma length should be (370 NLH) or more.

Once the Trainee Member has completed the course, they will be able to upgrade their membership to Full Membership (See above).

All Applicants must agree to the Membership Agreement upon application.

Ready To Join? Click Here

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