British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
About
To promote & provide education & training for counsellors &/or psychotherapists working in either professional or voluntary settings, to raise the standards of counselling/psychotherapy for the benefit of the community. To educate the public in the part that counselling/psychotherapy can play in society.
Focus & reach
Verification & registration
Every mark links to the official registry entry and opens in a new tab.
Integrity assessment
A score from 0 to 100 for how openly a charity shares public information across five areas: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and data recency. It does not measure programme impact. See exactly what we do and do not have →
Financials
Charity Commission (UK)Leadership at a glance
Official filingsSimilar charities
GiveRadar Intelligence
GiveRadar Analysis
Based on the records currently verified by GiveRadar, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy has a substantially complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the Charity Commission.
- By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 98% of the 78,357 education charities in the United Kingdom with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
- Established in 1988, it predates 83% of the education charities in the United Kingdom GiveRadar has a founding year for. View this cohort
- Its integrity score of 86 places it in the top 1% of the 87,708 education charities in the United Kingdom GiveRadar tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its registration. View this cohort
- government registration
- financial records (5 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Filing history
5 years on file from Charity Commission (UK): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
Sign up to viewTax deductibility
Whether a gift to British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy lowers your own taxes depends on where you pay them. Choose your country to see the rule that applies.
UK donations qualify for Gift Aid. BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY is registered with the Charity Commission. Eligible UK taxpayers can boost their gift by 25% at no extra cost.
BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY is in United Kingdom, a TGE (Transnational Giving Europe) member country. Dutch donors can route gifts via Stichting Transnational Giving Europe to receive Dutch ANBI-equivalent deductibility, subject to TGE's 5% pass-through fee.
BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOR COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY is registered in United Kingdom. US donors generally cannot deduct gifts to non-US charities directly. To claim a deduction, route the gift through a US 'Friends of' fiscal sponsor or a donor-advised fund that performs equivalency determination (IRS Rev. Proc. 92-94).
This is general guidance, not tax advice. Confirm treatment with the charity or your tax advisor before donating.
Leadership & board
Official filingsBoard members and senior officers on record, with disclosed pay where available.
10 officers and trustees on file, free with a GiveRadar account.
No red flags detected
Timeline
From official filingsKey dates from this charity's official filings, newest first.
In the news
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
Trustpilot
A sad case of the unethical regulating the unethical.
Trustpilot
My therapist abused his position of power over 24 months ago now, and the BACP still have not heard the case, despite it being fairly black and white and with unequivocal supporting evidence. They lack the bite to enforce their own policies, instead allowing their Members (their therapists, who fund them) to get away scot-free and continue seeing other vulnerable clients without any reprimand or retraining.The BACP officially took my case on 23 months ago. It then took 18 months to get a hearing date. Once that date came, it has since been delayed several times due to the therapist doing all they can to avoid facing the music. The BACP has displayed an extremely limited capacity for deploying common sense - petrified, it seems, by the thought of taking action. Taking no action at all is a much less scary route for them, even when it contravenes their own protocols.The BACP claims to be set up to protect those potentially vulnerable people who seek therapy from its member therapists. In this regard, it is an abject failure and, frankly, a disgrace.
Trustpilot
Terrible organization. Without going into too much detail I made a complaint about a couples counsellor. The counsellor completely sided with my husband. I spoke about the abuse from him and she completely disregarded it. She sent an email to my doctor and my husband about me but didn't even send it to me. There were complete lies on it. My husband wanted to go for counselling to get help for his behaviour but she just rubber stamped it and made out it was all me. The BACP said she was in the right?! I feel sorry for other women who have to deal with this counsellor and other women who have suffered domestic abuse and have to deal with this organisation. My new counsellor said she is not part of the BACP because she has issues with their ethics. I can see why now!
Trustpilot
Does an extemely poor job of regulating, and alows unethical therapists get away with murder.
Trustpilot
Since the BACP don't require members to have had any personal therapy on their training and additionally accredit anyone with inadequate training via an online test ("proficiency test"), you can rest assured this disastrous combination will lead to disastrous results.... Oh yeah, they changed their complaints procedure in 2018 to suit the members, so don't expect your complaint to get anywhere. Their Investigation and Assessment Committee (IAC) are not qualified enough to process complaints in a critical and objective manner anyway, and rarely "investigate" anything. That's the appalling truth about the so-called BACP "accreditation". It means nothing.
Trustpilot
Therapy standards are appalling in England. BACP accredited means nothing with the amount of incompetent creeps targeting vulnerable people for financial gain.Some charge the same as psychologists since COVID !!A therapist repeatedly gaslit me and it took me decades to tell someone about childhood sexual abuse. He refuted my reporting of this abuse and invalidated everything I confided in him.He has caused me more damage with his unprofessional, incompetent behaviour. He made lame excuses for the abuser.I will never ever seek help from a therapist again. They are predatory charlatans.
Trustpilot
I went with another membership, as on two occasions the BACP were incredibly rude, unsupportive, and this time even told me that if I were to look for a membership with them I would need more than I have, and to look around for other memberships who have 'lower standards'. As somebody who has struggled with their self-esteem and needed long-term therapy, qualified in using counselling skills, got a MSc in Psychology, 5 years experience supporting vulnerable individuals in various settings, practicing therapeutic work under a fully qualified therapist and supervisor, and about to embark on a doctorate as a counselling psychologist, I had to laugh that this was coming from somebody who knows nothing about me or my journey. I didn't bother explaining anything more as frankly it didn't deserve anymore of my time. Where would you consider that to be at all appropriate to say?That told me all I needed to know about this organisation.
Trustpilot
I have had 2 bad experiences with BACP therapists.My ex-partner, a BACP registered therapist, used to hit me and when I finally asked her to acknowledge that she was abusive she told me to "get over it". She's still practicing and involved with vulnerable people.The second was a couples therapist who we saw to try and discuss our relationship, this one diagnosed me with autism within 20 minutes of the session, worse than doing that is that his website says he's not qualified to diagnose autism. This was reported to BACP who did nothing.
Trustpilot
I made a complaint to the BACP about an unethical counsellor registered with them.In the submission of my complaint I sent transcripts, where I had recorded my sessions and could prove he was unethical. On the form it says they do not accept audio recordings and will only accept transcripts. Later I was told that they could not use the transcripts as the could not be verified. After the complaints process was complete I decided to make a complaint against BACP, itself. It was a waste of time as they lean upon the excuse "We use and external body and there's nothing we can do." I questioned what the point of the complaints process was and recieved no reply. Unfortunately this makes finding a counsellor incredibly difficult when you cannot trust the body that they are registered to. As they do not hold their counsellors accountable to the ethical framework they have agreed to, counsellors are indeed free to offer, at best a poor service and at worse further pain and trauma, all unchecked. When the unethical support the unethical, there is no possibility of trust.
Trustpilot
"Get over it" - That's the actual response I got from a BACP registered therapist when I said that I'd been physically abused by my ex-partner multiple times.She's still working with vulnerable people in Sussex.
How it stacks up against peers
Compared with 6 similar education charities in United Kingdom.
Cause areas in United Kingdom
Charities working in each area, this charity's highlighted.
Sources and verification
- Officers and trustees
- Charity Commission for England and Wales - Register of Charities · 10 disclosed in the public registry.
What we know and don't know
Every data point we track for this charity, and whether we have found it. Disclosure only, never a judgment of the charity's work.
Data freshness
How current this profile is, and when we last checked it against the official source.
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
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Frequently asked questions about British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is a registered education nonprofit based in Lutterworth, England, United Kingdom. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. It was founded in 1988 and has been operating for 38 years. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 86/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports £14M in annual revenue. 10 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected. The charity has 39 community reviews with an average rating of 1.1/5. On Trustpilot, it has a rating of 1.5/5 based on 39 reviews.
Based on official filings, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy has £14M in annual revenue. It allocates 94% of expenses to programs and services. This is above the average of 85% for education charities in United Kingdom. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of £910K. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
To promote & provide education & training for counsellors &/or psychotherapists working in either professional or voluntary settings, to raise the standards of counselling/psychotherapy for the benefit of the community. To educate the public in the part that counselling/psychotherapy can play in society. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is classified as an education organization registered in United Kingdom. The organization was founded in 1988.
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is a charitable company limited by guarantee, the most common incorporated form for UK charities. It is registered with both Companies House and the Charity Commission, and must file annual accounts with both regulators. Directors (who are also charity trustees) have limited liability.
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy's registered charity number is 298361. You can use it to look up the organization on the Charity Commission register.
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is located in Lutterworth, England, United Kingdom. The organization was established in 1988 and has been active for 38 years.
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is based in Lutterworth in England. The Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) is the primary regulator. Scotland has its own regulator (OSCR), and Northern Ireland has the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI). A charity registered with the CCEW may operate across the whole of the UK or internationally.
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Quick facts about British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
- What is British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy?
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is a education charitable company based in Lutterworth, United Kingdom. To promote & provide education & training for counsellors &/or psychotherapists working in either professional or voluntary settings, to raise the standards of counselling/psychotherapy for the benefit of the community. To educate the public in the part that counselling/psychotherapy can play in society.
- When was British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy founded?
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy was founded in 1988.
- Where is British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy located?
- Headquartered in Lutterworth, England, United Kingdom.
- What is British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is £14.3 million. 94% of expenses go to program services.
- Is British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy trustworthy?
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 86 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy's website?
- https://www.bacp.co.uk
- Are donations to British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy tax-deductible?
- Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United Kingdom under local rules. US donors should check whether the charity has an equivalency-determination letter or a US-based fiscal sponsor before claiming a deduction.