REGISTRATION BODY MEMBERSHIP

Registration body membership of Addiction Professionals identifies to the public and organisations that you adhere to Standards of Conduct and Ethics, evidencing commitment to good quality practice. All members are allowed to use the Addiction Professionals logo on business cards, letterheads and online profiles.

Practitioner Members

Practitioner Members are individuals working in the addiction sector who agree to adhere to our Standards of Conduct and Ethics. When describing your relationship with AP make your status clear by describing yourself as a Practitioner Member of Addiction Professionals or Practitioner Member of AP.

Advanced Practitioner Members

All members confirm a commitment to ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) by agreeing to our Standards of Conduct and Ethics. Advanced Practitioner Members make a further commitment to the type and amount of CPD they take part in, together with an agreement to be audited if requested. When describing your relationship with AP make your status clear by describing yourself as an Advanced Practitioner Member of Addiction Professionals, or Advanced Practitioner Member of AP.

Registered and Accredited members

Registered and Accreditation is a quality status for experienced practitioners, evidencing the highest level of achievement.

Registered members have evidenced high standards of competency in their practice. To become a registered member they have completed the Drug and Alcohol Professional Certificate, or the Drug and Alcohol Family Worker Professional Certificate. Registration involves a detailed application and the building of a portfolio of evidence.

For those who have successfully achieved registration in the Drug and Alcohol Professional Certificate when describing your relationship with AP make your status clear by describing yourself as an Registered Member of Addiction Professionals, DAPC, or Registered Member of AP, DAPC

For those who have successfully achieved registration Drug and Alcohol Family Worker Professional Certificate, when describing your relationship with AP make your status clear by describing yourself as a Registered Member of Addiction Professionals, DAFP, or Registered Member of AP, DAFP

Accredited Members have achieved the highest level of competency by completing either the Drug and Alcohol Professional Certificate or the National Counsellors Accreditation Certificate. Accreditation involves a detailed application, the building a portfolio of evidence, and completion of externally validated qualifications.

For those who have successfully achieved accreditation in the Drug and Alcohol Professional Certificate when describing your relationship with AP make your status clear by describing yourself as an Accredited Member of Addiction Professionals, DAPC, or Accredited Member of AP, DAPC.

For those who have successfully achieved accreditation in the National Counsellors Accreditation Certificate when describing your relationship with AP make your status clear by describing yourself as Accredited Member of Addiction Professionals, NCAC, or Accredited Member of AP, NCAC.

Organisational membership

There are two forms of organisational membership : Provider Affiliate Membership and Academic Affiliate Membership. Organisational membership evidences a commitment to quality, standards and the protection of the public.

General advertising

We advise members to advertise services for which they are qualified to deliver. 

Using the terms ‘counsellor’ ‘therapist’ ‘counselling’ or ‘therapy’

For practitioners who wish to describe themselves as ‘counsellors’ or ‘therapists’ or describe their services as ‘counselling’ or ‘therapy’ we will ask that the following criteria have been met:

You will be required to have completed and graduated from a counselling or psychotherapy practitioner training course at educational level 4. Your course must have involved at least 450 hours classroom-based tutor contact. You must also have completed a supervised placement of at least 100 client contact hours as an integral part of your course. Your placement hours must have been:

a. carried out with genuine clients, rather than peers from your course, for example

b. in an appropriate setting with appropriate clients. Counselling services are an ideal setting as they are likely to assess whether clients are suitable for your level of competence. Your training provider should not allow placement hours through private practice or with client groups that have not been pre-assessed as suitable - such as children and young people or those with complex mental health needs.

c. assessed (or marked) as an integral part of your training

d. supervised. Supervision is important at all stages of seeing clients.

We will consider applications from individuals who feel that they have met the above requirements via a combination of courses.

Professions with primary registration bodies

Practitioners wishing to advertise as psychologists must be registered with the HCPC.

Practitioners wishing to advertise as nurses must be registered with the NMC

Practitioners wishing to advertise as doctors must be registered with the GMC.

Practitioners wishing to advertise as psychiatrists must be registered on the GMC specialist register in General Psychiatry.

Practitioners wishing to advertise as social workers must be registered with Social Work England, the Scottish Social Services Council, Social Care Wales, or the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.

Practitioners wishing to advertise as pharmacists must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council.

For any questions please email [email protected]