Joining Faqs

Student Membership = £21 per year

Clinical Membership = £75 per year

Trainee membership = £45 per year

Membership fees must be paid by online bank transfer. In exceptional circumstances we can accept payment by cheque but you must clarify this with the administrator first.

UPCA Membership runs from 1st September – 31st August each year. You will receive a renewal reminder by email in July and you must renew your membership before the 31st August.

If you have been in membership of UPCA previously and need to re-join and backdate your membership (and also UKCP Registration) please contact us with details of when you were last a member. There is a re-joining fee of £46.20 plus fees for missed years.

Successful completion UPCA Approved Courses lead to registration with UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy) it is therefore a requirement of such courses, that students become members of UPCA and remain in membership for the duration of their training. UPCA therefore provides:

• a route to student and trainee membership of UKCP
• an ethical framework and standards for professional practice
• advice and collegial support in the event of any professional conduct issues
• opportunities to attend conferences and seminars arranged by the association

Once we have received your application, it can take up to 28 days to process from the date we receive your completed application form.

UKCP has many organisational members which are grouped into colleges according to areas of interest. UPCA is the accrediting body for one of these organisational members, that it, the Universities Training College (UTC). Colleges are responsible for vetting and accepting members and holding them in membership for the duration of their training.

Once all elements of training have been successfully completed, members can apply to become Accredited members of UPCA, at that point you can also apply to UKCP for registration.

Once you join the UKCP register, you must also stay in membership of UPCA. All UKCP registrants are required to belong to a college/organisational member of UKCP.

For more information on UKCP colleges VISIT: https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/about-ukcp/how-we-are-structured/ukcp-colleges

Psychotherapeutic counsellors are counsellors who have trained to a UKCP recognised standard (normally graduate level or equivalent). In psychotherapeutic counselling, the emphasis is on the in-depth therapeutic relationship jointly created by the therapist and client.

Psychotherapists undergo a four-year, postgraduate, in-depth and experiential training in how to work with a variety of people with a wide range of emotional distress, mental health issues and difficulties. Psychotherapists are trained in one or more psychotherapy approaches.

For more in depth information about the differences in the training of psychotherapeutic counsellors and psychotherapists see the: UKCP standards of education and training

UKCP encourages members to remain with their organisational member or college because of the peer support and guidance they can offer, especially in relation to ethical questions. However, there is no requirement for full clinical members to stay with their organisation after their first year of UKCP membership.

Please visit our Membership Categories page for more information on how to apply.

Complete an application form for UPCA Accredited Clinical Membership, ask your university to validate PART E of the form and provide us with evidence of your qualification. Make the payment (details how to pay are in the form) and send the completed form with all documents requested to administration@upca.org.uk

Once your accredited membership has been confirmed we will send you a certificate and you can then apply to UKCP to be placed on the national register.

While there’s no single agreed definition of what neurodiversity is, it does help as an umbrella term to identify specific needs of therapists and clients. UPCA wants to encourage its members and so if there are specific issues we can support you with related to membership, audit or accreditation please contact Helen Fisher the administrator. With a more detailed knowledge of your specific needs, we could then tailor-make a more enabling process.

UPCA /UKCP do not approve online only training. UPCA policy is that courses are taught in-person, although some training institutions may deliver up to a maximum of 50% training online .

Likewise, client practice in training is also usually in-person although some institutions again may allow a percentage of online practice.