SCoPEd Framework

As many of you are aware, in February 2023, the chair of the SCoPEd Oversight Committee announced that all partners in the SCoPEd partnership have collectively adopted the SCoPEd framework.

The SCoPEd partner organisations are:

• Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions (ACC)
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
• British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC)
• Human Givens Institute (HGI)
• National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS)
• UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

We at CPCAB recognise the united adoption of the framework and thank the partners for their years of work on this challenging project. The framework collates research into the existing practical elements and competencies that are taught throughout the current landscape of counselling and psychotherapy training and puts together a coherent map that aims to represent the value and scope of counselling education in this country.

You will be pleased to know that CPCAB qualifications are fully represented and valued within this framework. The implementation of the framework should only increase the level of understanding, recognition and respect for the level of training you have gained with CPCAB when moving into your counselling career.

For example, the Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, long acknowledged as an excellent vocational training option to become a ‘qualified counsellor’, and an important entry point to the profession is clearly shown in the framework in column A. The knowledge, skills and behaviours you would expect (as a minimum) to achieve competence in through your Level 4 Diploma are reflected throughout the overarching themes. The SCoPEd framework recognises and does not alter the fact that the Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling from CPCAB does still qualify graduates as a counsellor, as it has always done.

CPCAB’s post-qualifying qualifications are also represented through the enhanced competencies within the framework. These are accrued through experience or through further training.

During the development process, CPCAB has been consulted by the partners and we have given feedback on the framework throughout its evolution.We continue to work with centres, candidates, employers, and the professional associations to champion the value of vocational training and ensure that our candidates have parity of esteem, excellent career prospects, and meaningful opportunities for progression within the counselling and psychotherapy profession.