Frequently asked questions

The Professionals Directory has a vital key function which sets us apart from other directories. With other directories, once qualified, counsellors are able to advertise that they can work with any client group they wish. For example, once qualified from an adult counselling course, they can advertise that they work with 5-year-old children, couples and groups etc.   However, all of these require additional skills and knowledge not taught on an adult counselling course. The Professionals Directory ONLY permits counsellors / psychotherapists to advertise for the client groups for which they have undertaken formal study, been assessed as being practically competent to work with, and hold an accredited qualification for.  The Professionals Directory will only connect you with qualified, verified, professional and specialist therapists.

If you are looking for a qualified, professional and specialist counsellor/psychotherapist you are in the right place! There are various routes on The Professionals Directory website you can find the right therapist.  You can use the top menu bar ‘directory’ to access the counsellors/psychotherapists who meet your specific needs. From here you can filter by the session type that you are looking for. Alternatively, from the homepage you can search by location, the type of service or type of session.  

The terms counsellor, psychotherapist and therapists are used interchangeably.  The term ‘therapist’ is a generic term which is used to describe many types of clinician, which may or may not, deal with mental health – a physiotherapist, for example.

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Both counselling and psychotherapy are talking therapies. There is actually no formal distinction between counsellors and psychotherapists, although it is commonly perceived that psychotherapists have a more in-depth level of training and work with the client at a deeper level of mental processing than counsellors.  Counsellors are perceived as working in an immediate manner with what is acutely impacting the client.    

At the present time,  the main professional bodies are working on an initiative called SCOPED to assist in categorising therapists/counsellors/psychotherapists and implementing a framework based around these categories. It is early days in the implementation of SCOPED. We will keep you updated on progress.

Psychiatrists and psychologists have distinctly different qualification requirement and fulfil different roles in the field of mental health.

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A psychiatrist is a qualified medical doctor who specialises in the field of mental health conditions which often require interventions other than talking therapy.  Psychiatrists can formally diagnose mental health conditions as well as prescribe medication as a means of treatment. Most psychiatrists work in NHS services such as community mental health teams, inpatient and outpatient facilities and occasionally in GP surgeries. You will usually require a referral from your GP to see a psychiatrist as part of the NHS. Psychiatrists can further specialise in childhood and adolescence, adult, older person and learning disabilities.

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A psychologist holds a degree in psychology. They study the mind, behaviour, mental states, cognitive, emotional, social and perceptual processes. A psychologist is not a medical doctor and they are unable to prescribe medication. Psychologists usually work is a broader range of environments than psychiatrists.  These include prisons, private practice, sports teams and educational psychologists in school.

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Applied psychologists use theory to solve problems in behaviour. Examples of Applied Psychologists include Clinical Psychologists, Counselling Psychologists, Sports Psychologists and Educational Psychologists. All of these titles are protected by law and individuals must hold the relevant qualifications to use these titles.

Online therapy is undertaken on an electronic device where therapist and client are both visible to each other.   In person therapy takes place with both therapist and client in the same room.  This is usually in the therapists consulting room.  It could, however, be in the client’s home if the counsellor offers home visits.

This can be down to personal preference. Each method of delivery comes with its pros and cons – and the pros and cons can also vary from person to person.  For example, some people find counselling within the comfort of their own home, via online methods, actually enables them to attend therapy if they have time or travel constraints. Others may not feel comfortable engaging in therapy from their home because of lack of privacy.    Some useful things to consider are privacy, distractions, stability of the internet, time available and ease of travel. Some therapists work using more than one method and this could enable you to try different options to see what you feel works best for you.

Yes, all of the counsellors/psychotherapists listed are qualified professionals who, in addition, hold specific qualifications relating to the client groups they advertise that they work with, e.g. children, couples, families, young people.

Therapy sessions can vary in length, depending on client group and reason for attending therapy. In general, most adult sessions are 50 or 60 minutes in length. Children’s sessions can be between 30 and 50 minutes due to the age of the child. Couples and family sessions can vary greatly, these are usually a minimum of 50-minute sessions. Each therapist will have the duration of sessions offered listed on their individual profile.

Most clients attend counselling on a weekly basis. This is to provide consistency and enable a therapeutic relationship to develop between therapist and client, as well as providing processing time away from sessions. Some therapists offer flexibility in session frequency. If this is something that you feel would be beneficial to you, it would be prudent to have this conversation with the prospective therapist prior to commencing sessions.

This can vary depending on the complexity of your needs.  Clients can also take different amounts of time to build trust with their therapists depending on what brings them to counselling and impacts how quickly you feel comfortable to be open with your therapist about the difficulties you are facing. It can often be difficult for a therapist to estimate how many sessions you may need at the start of therapy. If you are only able to engage in a specific number of sessions, it would be advisable to discuss this with your therapist as soon as possible.

Counselling varies in cost, this could be due to geographical location, qualification, experience, and specialism. Each therapist lists their current fees on their individual profile.

Counselling and Psychotherapy are unregulated professions and because of this, professional bodies have been created to provide an ethical framework for counsellors and psychotherapists to adhere to. These bodies, although not compulsory to join, also provide an external complaints procedure should you feel the need to complain about the therapeutic service you have received.

The most well-known professional bodies are United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the newest addition is National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). Each professional body independently holds a register of the counsellors and psychotherapists who have memberships with them.

Yes, you can list in as many categories as you wish. We will ask for evidence of your qualifications for each category you wish to add.

It is important for clients to feel able to ask their therapist for evidence of their qualifications, professional indemnity insurance and professional body membership. Professional indemnity insurance and professional body membership are renewed annually and it’s advisable to ensure that your therapist continues to have valid documentation throughout the duration of your therapy.

There is no requirement for those in private practice to hold a valid DBS, however you may wish to ask your therapists if they hold one, especially when working with children.