Division of Counselling Psychology Member Survey

Please help us to better represent you and meet your needs.  The more we know about you, the better we can advocate for you, respond to your queries and influence policy and development.

One example where we urgently need more information about our members is where you work. 

We know there are around 3,300 Counselling Psychologists registered with the HCPC.  The recent Psychological Professions Workforce Census (published in November 2023 and updated in April 2024) from the NHS Benchmarking Network, corrected the number of Counselling Psychologists working in English Trusts to 324 and reduced the figure for Clinical Psychologists. 

We believe this figure is grossly inaccurate.  We are aware of many members being recorded as Clinical Psychologists or Psychological Therapists on the NHS Employee Staff Record (ESR).

Why is this important? Last year's NHS Long Term Workforce Plan made no mention of Practitioner Psychologists, other than Clinical Psychologists.  It suggested an urgent need for an increase in Clinical Psychology training places.

While we continue to challenge the inequitable treatment of Counselling Psychology trainees (and our qualified colleagues) we must also challenge the assumptions made by NHS England in this plan. If NHS England cannot be sure who it is they are employing – how can they make robust plans for future training, recruitment and retention?

Our member survey also asks for information about your engagement with leadership, research and supervision – as well as your views on the Division's future strategy and direction, and how we can support your practice.

The survey will take just 10-15 minutes to complete – and will enable us to have a much more clear, robust picture of who our members are.

Please do complete whether you are a consultant, newly qualified, a trainee, an affiliate or general member with an interest in our profession, work in the NHS, independent practice or elsewhere.