British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

What British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy does

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is a UK professional membership association founded in 1977, headquartered in Lutterworth, England, and operating as a registered charity (number 298361) and company limited by guarantee. It serves individual counselling and psychotherapy practitioners, student/trainee therapists, training providers and educational institutions, employers seeking qualified therapists, and the public searching for therapy. BACP maintains the BACP Register of qualified practitioners and a public-facing Therapist Directory, sets the Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions, and runs Professional Conduct Services and an Ethics Hub to protect the public. It is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority as a quality-assured register for health and social care.

The organisation's product portfolio forms an integrated practitioner ecosystem: nine journals (including the award-winning Therapy Today) provide research and practice content; the CPD Hub and CPD Hub+ deliver e-learning; conferences, workshops, and the Making Connections regional events programme (across the four UK nations) provide in-person and online professional development; the Accredited Courses Directory, Trainers and Supervisors Directory, and Jobs Board support career and training pathways; and BACP Divisions and Communities of Practice offer specialist interest groups. BACP Enterprises Ltd operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary for commercial activities. Underlying technology consists of standard digital platforms for membership management, directory search, events booking, e-learning delivery, and job listings; no proprietary AI or API capabilities are indicated in source material.

BACP generates revenue through five streams: tiered membership subscriptions (student, individual, registered, accredited, plus organisational membership for training providers); accreditation fees for counselling and psychotherapy training courses and the Approved Qualifications Scheme; events and CPD (member and non-member pricing); journals, advertising, and sponsorship; and BACP Enterprises Ltd commercial activities. Diploma courses priced at £2,200–£3,000/year, foundation degrees up to £6,000/year, and master's degrees £12,000–£15,000/year indicate the scale of the partner training economy BACP accredits and channels. GTM is a sales-led multi-channel model: direct website sign-up, the Therapist Directory as a public conversion surface, events and conferences, organisational partnerships with training providers, and employer relationships across the NHS and education sectors.

Name

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

Legal name

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

Website

https://bacp.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is a UK registered charity and professional membership association, founded in 1977, that accredits counsellors, accredits training courses, publishes journals, and runs a public therapist directory serving practitioners, students, training providers, employers, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (62133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Counselling accreditation services
• Professional membership body
• Therapist registration services
• Continuing professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Lutterworth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: BACP generates primary revenue through tiered membership fees including student, individual, registered, and accredited membership categories with varying annual subscription rates.
2. Accreditation Services: Revenue from accrediting counselling and psychotherapy training courses and qualifications, as well as approved qualifications scheme for awarding organisations.
3. Events and CPD: Revenue from professional development events, workshops, conferences, and online CPD courses including member and non-member pricing.
4. Journals and Publications: Revenue from journal subscriptions including Therapy Today and special interest publications for counselling professionals.
5. Advertising and Sponsorship: Revenue from advertising to members through website, publications, and events, as well as sponsorship packages for conferences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) is the UK's professional membership body for the counselling and psychotherapy professions. It sells tiered individual memberships (Student, Individual, Registered, Accredited), accredits training courses and qualifications through its Approved Qualifications Scheme, publishes nine journals including Therapy Today, runs CPD events and conferences, maintains the BACP Register and public-facing Therapist Directory, and provides ethical guidance via its Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.

Product overview

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) operates as a professional membership organisation providing a comprehensive ecosystem for counselling and psychotherapy practitioners. The portfolio consists of a unified platform with multiple interconnected services: the BACP Register and Therapist Directory serve as the core searchable databases of accredited practitioners; BACP Events delivers conferences, CPD workshops, and networking opportunities (both in-person and online); BACP Journals publishes nine journals including the award-winning Therapy Today; the CPD Hub and CPD Hub+ provide continuing professional development resources; the Good Practice in Action (GPiA) resources and Ethical Framework documents establish professional standards; the Ethics Hub and Professional Conduct Services maintain ethical oversight; the Jobs Board and Student Hub support career development; and the Trainers and Supervisors Directory and Accredited Courses Directory facilitate training and supervision. BACP Divisions offer specialised interest groups, while Organisational Membership and the Approved Qualifications Scheme extend support to training providers. Together, these products form an integrated professional ecosystem supporting practitioners from training through career development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BACP Individual Membership (Student, Individual, Registered, Accredited tiers) Tiered annual subscription memberships providing professional recognition, ethical guidance, CPD resources, therapist directory listing, and member benefits for qualified and trainee counselling professionals.
• Organisational Membership Annual membership for organisations such as training providers, colleges, and awarding bodies, granting access to the Approved Qualifications Scheme and BACP-accredited course designation.
• BACP Register Official searchable register of BACP-accredited therapists and practitioners who meet professional standards for counselling and psychotherapy, accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
• Therapist Directory Online searchable directory where registered BACP therapists are listed for individuals seeking counselling and psychotherapy services.
• BACP Journals Subscription-based journals and special interest publications for counselling professionals, including the award-winning Therapy Today.
• BACP Events and Conferences Conferences, CPD events, networking meetings, and professional development workshops (online and in-person) with member and non-member pricing.
• CPD Hub and CPD Hub+ Online continuing professional development resources and e-learning modules that members access to maintain and develop counselling competencies.
• BACP Jobs Board Online job board providing employment listings and student placement opportunities across the counselling and psychotherapy sector, available to members.
• Accredited Courses Directory Searchable directory of BACP-accredited training courses in counselling and psychotherapy that meet the association's quality standards.
• Trainers and Supervisors Directory Online directory for searching qualified supervisors and trainers in the counselling profession.
• Professional Conduct Services Oversight and processes maintaining high standards of proficiency and ethical practice within the counselling professions, including complaints handling.
• Accreditation and Approved Qualifications Scheme Accreditation scheme for counselling and psychotherapy training courses and qualifications, and approved qualifications scheme for awarding organisations.
• Certificate of Proficiency Assessment-based qualification providing a direct route onto the BACP Register for practitioners whose training is not BACP-accredited.

Quantifiable outcome

• More people are choosing therapy, finding it helpful and would recommend it according to BACP's Public Perceptions Survey

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Family ActionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily Action distributes educational grants of up to £300 to help students with additional costs associated with further education courses in counselling and psychotherapy.
• Student Loans CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment-owned non-profit organisation providing loans and grants to students in UK universities and colleges, including counselling training programmes.
• UCASminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides details of university courses across the UK, including counselling and psychotherapy degree programmes.
• University CompareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides information about clearing courses at UK universities for prospective counselling students.
• QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBACP-accredited courses are mapped to QAA benchmark standards and curricula for external quality assurance.
• Making Connections Events PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional events across the four UK nations (Derry/Londonderry, Glasgow, North East, Wales, London) offering networking and sponsorship opportunities for exhibitors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP): UKCP is the UK's leading professional body for psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. It maintains a PSA-accredited register of practitioners, accredits training, and runs member services closely paralleling BACP's core offerings, making it the most direct competitor.
• National Counselling Society (NCS): NCS is a PSA-accredited professional body for counsellors in the UK offering its own register, membership tiers, and CPD resources. It competes directly with BACP on practitioner accreditation and public therapist finding services.
• British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC): BPC is the UK professional body for psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapists with a PSA-accredited register. It overlaps BACP in practitioner registration, ethical frameworks, and CPD delivery, serving a related but more specialised psychotherapy segment.
• National Council of Psychotherapists (NCP): NCP is a UK PSA-accredited register providing membership and accreditation for psychotherapists. It is a smaller direct competitor to BACP for practitioner affiliation, especially in non-counselling psychotherapy disciplines.

Broad incumbents

• British Psychological Society (BPS): BPS is the UK's chartered body covering the full psychology profession, including counselling psychologists. It is broader than BACP but represents a major alternative home for therapy practitioners and influences UK training standards.

Regional players

• Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA): COSCA is Scotland's professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists, accredited by the PSA. It is comparable in mission and structure to BACP but operates at regional rather than UK-wide scope.
• Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP): IACP is the national professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists in Ireland, operating its own register, accreditation, and CPD framework similar to BACP's but serving the Irish jurisdiction.
• American Counseling Association (ACA): ACA is the largest professional association for counselors in the United States, providing credentialing, journals, conferences, and ethical standards. It is the most internationally comparable membership body to BACP, although US-focused.
• PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia): PACFA is Australia's peak body for psychotherapists and counsellors, providing national registration, training accreditation and professional standards. It mirrors BACP's model in a different geographic market.

Others

• Mind (UK Mental Health Charity): Mind is a major UK mental health charity providing information, advocacy and services. While not a membership register like BACP, it sits in the same mental health ecosystem, shaping public attitudes to therapy and competing for charitable funding and public mindshare.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheBACP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bacp
• Instagraminstagram.com/bacp.official
• Xx.com/BACP

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy