Glossary of Terms

The name of this organisation gives a clue to what we do but the word ‘psychotherapy’ has a central meaning. It comes from two words, psycho (meaning mind) and therapy (meaning healing). 

This glossary is intended to give a definition of the key terms used in the field of psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, and counselling, to help members of the public understand what services are being offered.

Glossary of Terms

• Abuse: Harm caused by someone either to themselves or others. It can take the form of physical, sexual, psychological, financial, emotional, ritual, cult, and technological harm, be neglectful, fail to meet a child’s developmental needs, manipulative, coercive control, and honour-based. 

• Accreditation: The process of being recognised as being qualified or skilled in a profession, modality, or skill set by an awarding body.

• Boundaries - They are the framework within which the counsellor/practitioner and client/patient work that is governed by ethics and professional standards. They provide clear guidelines for how therapy will be offered. 

• Breach - This may otherwise be known as a break, usually with confidentiality whereby a disclosure of information is made, either deliberately or accidentally, without the client/patient’s consent, legal authority, or in the interests of the public.

• Children and Young People: Anyone under the age of 18.

• Client/Patient: A person who is receiving counselling, hypnotherapy, or psychotherapy.

• Clinical Assessment: A process of collecting information through interviews, questionnaires, and psychological tests of a person’s symptoms to determine the help needed and make a diagnosis if relevant.

• Code of Ethics: This defines the standards of ethics, practice and conduct that NCIP expects of all practitioners and that must be followed whatever their modality of practice and whether they meet clients in person, online, face-to-face, or via any other medium of communication. 

• Code of Conduct: The rules, regulations, principles, values, expectations, and guidance that members are expected to abide by to maintain professional standards.

• Competency - The professional abilities of members to be able to work within a modality safely and effectively.

• Confidentiality Breaches: see Breaches.

• Conflict of Interest: Whereby a person’s judgement, action, or decisions are potentially influenced by other vested or competing interests. 

• Consent - Informed/Explicit/Verbal: A person’s permission for something. Informed consent is when permission is given based on sufficient information. Explicit consent is permission given in a clearly expressed way. Verbal consent is permission given by verbal agreement.

• Continuous Professional Development (CPD): Further training undertaken post qualification to learn a new or enhance a skill set or to stay up to date with developments and regulations within the profession or modality.

• Contract: A written agreement between a practitioner and client/patient that sets out the services being offered and the expectations of both parties.

• Conversion Therapy: This is a prohibited service that is not covered by NCIP, and the UK Government is committed to banning this practice. It attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or suppress their harmful gender identity. 

• Counselling: involves talking with a professional qualified Counsellor about any issues you may have. These may be specific problems or any feelings or behaviours that are affecting you. The Counsellor is non-judgemental and aims to build a therapeutic trusting relationship to provide a safe and confidential space to do this work without giving any advice or opinions. Counsellors do not prescribe medication. 

• Counsellor (also see 'Practitioner') A person who is trained and qualified in a therapeutic modality, is a member of the NCIP or another awarding body offering therapeutic services and uses counselling skills. Trainees are also included when undertaking client work as part of their training course.

• Data Protection/General Data Protection Register (GDPR): Data Protection is the process in the UK that ensures everyone responsible for using personal data follows strict rules called 'data protection principles'. They must make sure the information is used fairly, lawfully, and transparently, for specified, explicit purposes, and used in a way that is adequate, relevant, and limited to only what is necessary.(www.gov.uk) 
• GDPR governs how the personal data of individuals in the EU is processed and transferred. (Ref European Council https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/data-protection/data-protection-regulation)

• Diversity - The differences and variations between people such as gender, age, sexual orientation, religion etc.

• Dual Relationship: Having two different relationships with the same person such as a client and neighbour, doctor, and friend.

• Equality: Equality is about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents. It is also the belief that no one should have poorer life chances because of the way they were born, where they come from, what they believe, or whether they have a disability. The Equality Act 2010 prohibits all employers, service providers, and providers of education, from discriminating against, harassing, or victimising individuals with protected characteristics. (https://www.equalityhumanrights.com)

• Evidenced Based: Modalities, interventions, and clinical treatments that have been proven to be effective by research and outcome evidence.

• Flooding Trauma Technique: This is a prohibited service that is not covered by NCIP. It involves exposing a client to a trauma trigger to face their fear but is viewed as harmful and gruelling for the client.

• Gender Identity: The sense of the gender a person identifies with which may be the same or different from their assigned birth gender.

• Harm: This can be psychological, emotional, behavioural, physical, or social harm to a person that causes upset, distress, and difficulties.

• Holistic: The mind, body, and spirit as a whole person.

• Human Equine Interactions Register (HEIR): The Human Equine Interaction Register aims to bring together all people involved in the field of Equine Assisted Services (EAS) to ensure high-quality service provision and create a greater awareness of their work.

• Identity: The sense of self, how someone sees themselves as a person, their values, morals, principles, beliefs, and their being within their relationships and communities. This will be individual and unique to each person.

• Inclusion: Giving every person equal access to services and support regardless of background and diversity.

• Insurance: Practitioners must have insurance to cover them in the event of malpractice or harm caused by them that results in physical, psychological, or emotional injuries or something they are liable for.

• Known Risks (also see Research): Risks that are anticipated beforehand through research, clinical or client work experience, professional journals, and regulatory guidance.

• Multimodal: NCIP members are largely integrative or multi-modal psychotherapists meaning they are likely to be qualified in several areas and models of psychotherapy.

• NICE: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Its role is to improve health and wellbeing by putting science and evidence at the heart of health and care decision-making. (www.nice.org.uk)

• Practice: Learning the theory, skills, and practical knowledge to become qualified to offer a therapy service to clients/patients.

• Practitioner (see also Counsellor): A trained and qualified person, registered with the NCIP or other awarding professional body to offer therapeutic services. This includes Coaches, Hypnotherapists, Supervisors, and Trainers. Trainees are also included when undertaking client work as part of their training course.

• Professional Conduct: The way members are expected to behave and work ensuring the client/patient's best interests are kept at the forefront of all work undertaken and a duty of care maintained.

• Professional Registrations: Membership to NCIP or other professional bodies which shows the practitioner is trained and qualified to a suitable level to provide therapeutic services to the public.

• Protected Characteristics: Under the Equalities Act 2010, it is against the law to discriminate against someone because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. These are known as protected characteristics (Equality and Human Rights Commission (Equality Act).

• Psycho-education: Learning about mental health conditions and how the mind works so it is easier to understand symptoms, reactions, and reasons for psychological issues.

• Psychotherapy: A way of working with and treating mental health conditions with a qualified professional such as a counsellor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or mental health practitioner.

• Records (also known as notes): This is where information about a client, such as contact details, contracts, assessments, sessions, topics discussed, any treatment plans, or details relating to the therapy given are kept. These may be either on paper or electronically.  

• Research: Studies completed to provide evidence of the effects of therapeutic interventions or modalities that allow practitioners to provide the best practice for clients. 

• Research Participants: People who agree to participate in any research studies.

• Risk Assessment: In therapy, this is a way of ensuring as much as possible, the safety of clients and minimising any potential risks either physical or psychological.

• Safeguarding: Everyone has a duty of care to protect a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights; enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. (https://www.england.nhs.uk/safeguarding).

• Services: Therapy or therapeutic interventions offered by a qualified practitioner to help the health and mental well-being of clients/patients.

• Sexual Orientation: This is about who a person is attracted to sexually or romantically regardless of gender, or a person may have no attraction at all.

• Sexual Relationships: A relationship that involves sexual intimacy.

• Skills: Whereby a person has learned to a proficient level an ability to perform a task or activity.

• Student/Trainee: A person learning the theory and practical skills to qualify as a practitioner, counsellor, psychotherapist, or coach.

• Subpoena: A legal document that commands a therapist/practitioner to appear in court to give evidence or testify. A therapist/practitioner’s notes/records can also be requested as evidence.

• Supervision: Supervision is seen by NCIP as the provision by a supervisor to a supervisee of a second opinion, clinical practice advice, and appropriate critical practice feedback. As such any practice feedback is critical to risk assessment and management and clinical advice contributes to the practitioner/client clinical process. In addition, supervisors are to guide the supervisee about the rules and laws that govern practice.  

• Supervisor: A supervisor is defined by the NCIP as a professional practitioner who is also qualified to supervise trainees and or practitioners in their field(s) of competence. 

• Testimonials: A statement endorsing the skills, practice, service received, or the character of the therapist/practitioner.

• Trauma: An extremely distressing, frightening, or stressful event that has emotional effects.

• Traumatology or Psychotraumatology: This is a systematic, evidence-based methodological study, definition, and treatment of human psychological reactions to traumatic situations. Evidence-based, three-phase clinical treatment approaches are recommended for trauma due to increased risk of harm to self and others. 

• Vulnerable Adult: Aged 18 years or over, who may need community care services because of mental or other disability, age, or illness and who is or may be unable to take care of themself, or unable to protect themself against significant harm or exploitation. (https://www.england.nhs.uk)

 MT 0125