Glossary

Words used loosely cause most of the confusion in this subject. Each term below has its own page with a fuller definition and the published sources behind it. The A–Z follows.

The words that matter most when checking somebody

Protected title — a title restricted by law. Using one without being on the relevant statutory register is a criminal offence. Very few therapy titles are protected, and “psychotherapist” and “counsellor” are not among them.

Accredited register — a voluntary register assessed and approved by the Professional Standards Authority. The main public-protection mechanism for UK counselling and psychotherapy, and not the same thing as statutory regulation.

Clinical supervision — the requirement on practitioners to take their work regularly to a more experienced colleague. A condition of registration, not a sign of inexperience.

Therapeutic contract — the working agreement: what the work is for, how long, what it costs, and the limits of confidentiality.

The schools

Cognitive behavioural therapy, person-centred therapy, gestalt therapy, psychodynamic therapy, existential therapy, transactional analysis and integrative therapy — compared side by side on schools of therapy.

Mindfulness and movement

Mindfulness, MBSR and MBCT — the practice and the two structured programmes that carry nearly all of the clinical research.

Dance movement psychotherapy and embodiment — the movement-based end of the field.

Services and groups

Stepped care — the model NHS services use to decide what to offer first. Group analysis — the main British tradition of group psychotherapy.

Full A–Z