How we are structured

Members may also take part in the work of our faculties. Faculties are groups of members – organisational and individual – who share a mission or interest, such as research or working with children.

We also have a members forum comprising representatives from the colleges, geographical regions and honorary fellows who gather to debate issues of consequence to psychotherapy, the profession and to UKCP.

Members may also form special interest groups. These usually arise from informal peer groups and are composed of members (organisational and individual) who share a particular professional interest. These groups can be created freely by members for any purpose in line with UKCP’s mission and values.

Who we are

UKCP is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. We exist to advance, promote and maintain high standards of practice of psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling for the benefit of all.

We’re also a membership organisation, and our members play a very active role in our governance and activities.

How we are governed

We are governed by our Board of Trustees. Our Board sets our overall strategy and policy, defines our organisational goals, and evaluates performance. It ensures that we comply with our governing documents and our charitable objectives.

Our Board is made up of members elected by the UKCP membership as well as lay trustees, who are not psychological professionals. They are appointed by the Board to provide an independent view and a different perspective on our work and to bring additional skills and experience.

To help our Board fulfil its role, we have an Executive Committee which oversees ongoing work.

Ensuring input from across the organisation through our committees

We also have committees responsible for specific areas of work, ensuring a broad spectrum of input from across the organisation. Our committees report to the Board or Executive Committee. We recruit a mix of both members and non-members to join our committees. Committees may, from time to time, form working groups to carry out particular projects.

The following committees currently report to the Board of Trustees:

• Education Training and Practice Committee (ETPC)
• Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Intersectionality (EDI-BIIDE)
• Ethics Committee
• Executive Committee
• Finance, Risk and Audit Committee (FRAC)
• Membership Committee
• Professional Conduct Committee (PCC)
• Professional Regulatory Committee of the Colleges and Faculties (PRCCF)
• Remuneration, Appointments and Performance Management Committee (RAPMC)

Supporting different theoretical perspectives through our colleges

We encourage the exchange and understanding of different theories and practices within psychotherapy. To support this, all our members, both individuals and organisations, are also members of UKCP colleges.

Colleges are sections of our members who share psychotherapeutic philosophies and practices. In addition to UKCP’s general standards of education, training and practice, colleges may set further requirements relevant to practitioners in their field.

When an individual becomes a member of UKCP through one of our organisations, they automatically become a member of the college that the organisation belongs to. As their career develops, a member may decide to join more than one college or change colleges.

There are 10 UKCP colleges:

• College for Child and Adolescent Psychotherapies (CCAP)
• College of Family, Couple and Systemic Psychotherapy (CFCSP)
• College of Medical Psychotherapists (CMP)
• College of Outcome Oriented and Hypno-psychotherapies (COOHP)
• College for Sexual and Relationship Psychotherapy (CSRP)
• Constructivist and Existential College (CEC)
• Council for Psychoanalysis and Jungian Analysis College (CPJAC)
• Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy College (HIPC)
• Psychotherapeutic Counselling and Intersubjective Psychotherapy College (PCIPC)
• Universities Training College (UTC)

Encouraging discussion and participation

Our Members’ Forum is a regular meeting where any member may have their voice heard by the people within UKCP who shape the organisation’s strategy. Its purpose is to facilitate better communication between different parts of UKCP, regardless of where people are based, their psychotherapeutic approach, or their activities or services within UKCP.