Public Statement
The ISPC was founded in August 2000 as a new professional body to whom counsellors and those practicing counselling skills could belong. Our purpose was and is to provide an alternative to the other professional bodies for our members and to offer the public more choice.
As with
all things new it takes time to develop and market a new organisation and ISPC
is no different. However, we are steadily growing as more counsellors and other
professionals in the talking therapies become aware of our existence. Our
present membership is growing steadily and there are many counsellors who have
applied for our information pack and are in the process of deciding if the ISPC
is for them.
The
administrative board of the ISPC serve to administer membership applications and
prepare newsletters and registers. All board members are at this time unpaid and
give their time and effort on a voluntary basis in the belief that there is a
place in the counselling profession for a new body that not only cares for
counselling as a profession and clients as people who need help in matters that
are of a personal/emotional nature but also for counsellors themselves.
Having said that the ISPC realises that the public of whom clients are made up of need protection from exploitative and untrained counsellors. At this time there is no legislation to prevent such people practicing as counsellors. It is with this in mind that the ISPC employs strict rules in who can apply for membership.
ISPC
awards membership at the levels of:
Student
Member
Associate Member (AMISPC)
Full
Member (MISPC)
Fellow Member (FISPC)
All
applicants for membership must provide evidence of training and qualifications
and a supervisor’s reference. The board of administration vigorously checks all
references and qualifications and expects its members to sign and abide by the
ISPC’s code of ethics and to be subject to ISPC’s complaints procedures.
The ISPC has agreed terms with Holistic Insurance Services to provide IPSC members with Indemnity Insurance with cover of up to £5,000,000 for any one claim for an annual fee of £46.50. Please contact ISPC for more information. The fee quoted is a reduced rate for ISPC members.
I trust
that I have answered any questions that might arise in the course of choosing a
counsellor from our register.
If you
have any questions whatsoever please feel free to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Dr
Graham Cocking PhD
Founder
and Registrar of Members
Dr Graham Cocking PhD in the field of Psychology, BA Counselling Psychology FFMSc
Mr John Smejka MSc BSc (Hons) CEng MICE
Mrs Beverly Smith SRN Dip. Counselling, Trauma & Supervision
Dr Kenneth Bryden Wood PhD Management FFMSc
Mr J G Mannering MBA ACMA ACIS (who serves in an advisory capacity in financial matters.)