On the 12 of December 2022, CORU organised an information session for counselling and psychotherapy organisations. It was as part of the work of bringing these two professions to the stage of being state registered with protection for the titles. I attended the information session to represent the IGAS committee. The information session was recorded and is available to view through CORU’s website. https://coru.ie/news/news-for-health-social-care-professionals/counsellors-and-psychotherapists-information-session.html.
Another resource (FAQ) Frequently asked question for counsellors and psychotherapists is also available there with additional information having been added as a consequence of questions submitted on the information day. The answers to some questions is not clear at this stage. CORU is embarking on a phase of consultation with stakeholders; the professions, the training organisations and those representing the general public. I offer here a few of what were my observations having attended the event.
CORU means ‘fair, just and proper’. Their remit is to protect the public and they are concerned with professional competence. They will be in a position to receive complaints from the public regarding practitioners who may be seen as in breach of their code of professional conduct and ethics. The information session was online. I was aware that 94 people attended although only the panel of the CEO Ginny Hanrahan and three other officers were visible in their individual screens all backgrounded by CORU branding. Participants names were not shown and there was no online chat function, questions were submitted but could only be seen by the CORU staff who read them out. The presentations were comprehensive and business like. I had the impression that CORU has garnered significant experience to date. For example, they are used to dealing with professions where some operate as employees of organisations and others as independent practitioners in private practice. 25,000 professional practitioners from a range of disciplines have been regulated by CORU since the first professional grouping, Social Workers were registered in 2011.
They were keen to point out ‘We will work with you’ and that registration had been good for the professions regulated to date and their service users. There will be initially be implications for training organisations. A threshold of training for ‘safe level to practice’ will have to be met for each of the professions. One shift for some trainings is that practice placement hours will have to have been completed on graduation. There will be one registration board for counselling and psychotherapy but two registers. Practitioners may qualify or wish to be on both registers and if so will pay two registration fees to use both titles. Through a grandparenting process, a person who has been working using the title of psychotherapist or counsellor will be eligible to apply for registration. This is for an initial two year transition period only. Those seeking to go on the register will have to furnish evidence of two years of practice within the previous five. Practice is clinical but, as I understand it, may also include work within the profession such as research, teaching and management. CORU will audit CPD.
I encourage everyone to engage with the web materials for themselves and see how they relate to your own particular situation. I expect we will have many more conversations as a community prior to official registration.
Teresa Mason