A professional milestone (again, sort of)
I’ve been approved for (the new) Senior Accredited Registrant membership (SNCPS Acc.).
After effectively losing Senior Accreditation with the BACP, along with many other Senior practitioners ahead of the SCoPEd changes, the process with the NCPS was very hard work but fair. I joined the NCPS in April this year, as an existing Senior Accredited member of the BACP, one week before the BACP demoted me to Accredited member status at my membership renewal date. I value that the NCPS gave existing Senior Accredited members the opportunity to reapply for this new "Column C" aligned Senior Accreditation, free of charge, before the SCoPEd transition period ended.It was incredibly hard work and I spent somewhere around 150 hours on it. It was an application that had to demonstrate robust, Masters-level academic rigour.
I didn't go to University. At 17 I bailed out of first year A levels feeling utterly rudderless. I was studying Biology, Chemistry and Sociology (which on reflection, are still subjects I have a keen interest in!). I went on to do an early and innovative training in Computing - it was a weird amalgamation of study and an apprenticeship where I learned to program in COBOL and C!). Then I had some interesting and, it turns out, useful and grounding jobs before deciding in my 30's to train to become a therapist. I was very pleased that there was a vocational route available. An adult diagnosis of ADHD and a shedload of therapy helped me make sense of my lifelong struggles.
Hearing that my application has been successful felt really validating and the icing on the cake was the feedback; my application being described as thorough and well presented, with particular attention to the research proposal; "particularly comprehensive and well thought out". I picked a research topic close to my heart (what is it they say about MEsearch?!) and it was an emotive exploration that took me back to a trickier time in my career. This was the hardest part I felt, and I had to research how to do research.
I would add, that given that my work is now predominantly in therapeutic coaching and relationship coaching, it was intriguing going back many years and reflecting on a very different kind of practice; a practice that included working with people with various psychiatric diagnosis, working in an acute addictions unit, and working with deeper layers of trauma. It felt honoring of hundreds of therapeutic relationships that I still hold close to my heart.
Facing this "Masters-esque" endeavour was daunting. I've had some cracking support in the form of coaching, supervision and a good friend checking over my research proposal (thank you so much all of you!)
Beneath the relief and the pleasure of the approval there are other, more complex feelings. It's bitter-sweet.
Accreditation and Senior Accreditation doesn’t make someone a better therapist. Many excellent practitioners hold no titles at all. What matters to me is continuing to reflect, to stay connected to the professional community, and to be able to articulate the thinking that underpins my practice in ways that can stand up to scrutiny.
I'm grateful for a process that allowed that.
Back to work...
Facing this "Masters-esque" endeavour was daunting. I've had some cracking support in the form of coaching, supervision and a good friend checking over my research proposal (thank you so much all of you!)
Beneath the relief and the pleasure of the approval there are other, more complex feelings. It's bitter-sweet.
Accreditation and Senior Accreditation doesn’t make someone a better therapist. Many excellent practitioners hold no titles at all. What matters to me is continuing to reflect, to stay connected to the professional community, and to be able to articulate the thinking that underpins my practice in ways that can stand up to scrutiny.
I'm grateful for a process that allowed that.
Back to work...
