The National Counselling Society

Name

The National Counselling Society

Legal name

The National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society

Website

https://nationalcounsellingsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership Body — Counselling & Psychotherapy

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (62133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Professional counselling membership
• Psychotherapy accreditation services
• Counsellor directory platform
• Training standards recognition
• Mental health professional body

Headquarters

HQ city

Worthing

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

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. Individual Membership Fees: Annual subscription fees for individual counsellor and psychotherapist members at various accreditation levels (MNCPS, PNCPS).
2. Training Provider Membership: Membership fees for training providers seeking NCPS recognition for their courses.
3. Organisational Membership: Membership fees for organisations and recognised counselling services joining the professional society.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) operates a UK professional membership body for counsellors and psychotherapists. It runs a Professional Standards Authority-recognised Accredited Register, a public Find a Counsellor directory, a Find a Training Course directory, and tiered membership programmes for individuals, training providers and organisations, supplemented by CPD resources, policy advocacy, podcasts, publications and a Student Counsellor Magazine.

Product overview

The National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) operates a platform of professional membership services and public-facing directories. The core offerings include an Accredited Register recognised by the Professional Standards Authority, a Find a Counsellor Directory enabling the public to locate qualified practitioners, and a Find a Training Course Directory for prospective counselors. The society offers tiered membership categories (Individual, Training Provider, and Organisations) providing accreditation, CPD resources, and professional support. Supplementary services include the Our Voice content platform featuring podcasts and publications, and the Student Counsellor Magazine. The portfolio functions as a unified professional society ecosystem connecting practitioners, training providers, and the public seeking mental health support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership Professional membership for individual counsellors and psychotherapists at various career stages, providing accreditation (e.g., MNCPS, PNCPS), CPD opportunities, ethical guidance and access to NCPS resources.
• Training Provider Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Accredited Register recognised by Professional Standards Authority ensures public safety standards

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Professional Standards AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe society's Accredited Register is recognised by the Professional Standards Authority, which is a key regulatory partnership ensuring public safety standards in the counselling profession.
• Barnardo'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCPS worked closely with Barnardo's on policy discussions to ensure children and young people can access appropriate support, particularly in relation to the Children's Wellbeing & Schools Bill.
• UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCPS supports the sector-wide campaign led by UKCP calling for an urgent and comprehensive update to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on anxiety.
• Cruse Bereavement SupportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCruse logo appears in the partner/organisation logos section, indicating a collaborative relationship within the mental health sector.
• Helplines PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCPS refers individuals to the Helplines Partnership Helpline Hub for approved support services, particularly for those experiencing suicidal thoughts or requiring immediate help.
• Ata LossminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner logo displayed in the organisations section, indicating collaborative relationship in the mental health and counselling ecosystem.
• Family CarersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation logo displayed, representing collaborative relationship in supporting families and carers.
• BeechwoodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisation logo displayed in the organisations section, indicating collaborative relationship within the professional network.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Hypnotherapy Society: Another PSA-accredited professional register serving a related talking-therapy practitioner community. Operates a similar membership, directory, and accredited register model, making it a direct functional peer in adjacent practitioner markets.
• UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP): UKCP is the leading UK umbrella body for psychotherapy organisations. NCPS partners with UKCP on policy campaigns, and both compete for the same practitioner membership with comparable accreditation, register, and directory offerings.
• British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC): UK professional membership body for psychoanalysts and psychotherapists. Operates a member register, training recognition, and complaints procedure structurally similar to NCPS, serving overlapping practitioner populations in the talking-therapies space.
• General Hypnotherapy Register: PSA-accredited register for hypnotherapists operating a comparable accredited register and practitioner directory business model. Demonstrates the same accreditation-driven value proposition as NCPS in an adjacent practitioner vertical.
• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP): The largest UK professional membership body for counsellors and psychotherapists. BACP is NCPS's most direct competitor, serving the same practitioner base with overlapping accreditation, directory, and CPD offerings, but at significantly greater scale.

Broad incumbents

• British Psychological Society (BPS): The UK's largest professional body for psychologists, chartered and operating across a broader remit than NCPS. BPS competes for policy influence and provides adjacent accreditation services, though it does not focus on the counsellor/psychotherapist niche.

Emerging players

• Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy (ACAT): A smaller UK professional body focused specifically on cognitive analytic therapy practitioners. Represents the type of modality-specific membership body that NCPS competes against for specialist practitioner mindshare within the wider talking-therapies market.
• Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB): UK awarding body for counselling and psychotherapy qualifications. CPCAB sits adjacent to NCPS in the training-provider ecosystem and represents an alternative pathway for practitioner accreditation outside the PSA-recognised register model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncpscounselling
• Facebookfacebook.com/ncscounselling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-counselling-and-psychotherapy-society-ltd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The National Counselling Society