MEMBERS HANDBOOK

2025

NATIONAL COUNCIL of INTEGRATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPISTS

The Old Church. 55-57 Grove Road. Harrogate. HG1 5EP

www.the-ncip.org

info@the-ncip.com

MEMBERSHIP

When joining the National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists, a practitioner of any modality of psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, counselling or in combination, has a clear career progression path and guidance of how to achieve all they wish in their chosen profession.  The National Council will support and encourage every member on their path but with it comes certain professional requirements, all of which are clearly defined here.

CONTENTS

1. Levels of Membership
2. Member Accreditation Scheme
3. Code of Conduct
4. Complaints Procedure

TRAINEE MEMBERSHIP

As a student you are likely to be at the beginning of your career as a psychotherapist, coach, hypnotherapist or counsellor. This Handbook will guide and support you as you progress to full membership and to become an accredited member of NCIP.

Trainee membership is open to those undertaking a course that includes classroom tuition and is at least diploma length (at least 37 credits or 370 notional study hours). Every unit and qualification has a credit value and a level. One credit represents ten notional hours of learning, showing how much time the average learner would take to complete the unit or qualification. The minimum level is to be equivalent to QCF Level 5. The National Council accredits training centres and courses to these educational standards. The NCIP management reserve the right to ask for assignment and/or casework to demonstrate a high enough standard of practice to warrant membership.   

MEMBER – MNCIP/MICIP (Registered)

Membership is for those who have graduated from an NCIP accredited diploma or suitable alternative diploma. 

1. A diploma length training course of at least one academic year being the core training, (370 NLH) at a minimum of Level 5 equivalent (England).  
2. A minimum of 60 hours pre-graduation client hours either as a placement or trainee client work in private practice. Supervised at 1 hour for every six client hours. If the diploma requires more than 60 hours then these must be in addition to the diploma length. 

Membership is also available to other practising psychotherapists, counsellors, coaches and hypnotherapists. The applicant must demonstrate their training or practice experience to be of a standard suitable for membership.

ACCREDITED MEMBER – MNCIP/MICIP (Accred.)

Accreditation is for members who achieve the Accreditation Criteria laid out in this document.  

SENIOR ACCREDITED MEMBER – MNCIP/MICIP (Snr Accred.)

After a further six years continuous accredited membership and other standards are met, the member may apply for senior accreditation. See below for criteria. They will then be able to use the letters - MNCIP (Snr Accred.).

FELLOWSHIP - FNCP

Is awarded by the Governance of the NCIP/ICIP for outstanding contribution to their field of expertise and/or to the NCIP/ICIP.  

NON-PRACTISING MEMBERSHIP

Members who are retired or no longer practice whose membership is up to date may continue to use the letters of their practising membership with the letters (NP) attached.  e.g. MNCIP(NP)

ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP

For those who are not in practice as a psychotherapist but do not fall into the other categories.  

MEMBER ACCREDITATION SCHEME

Guidance on Progression

You can apply for accredited membership if you provide psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, coaching or counselling to individual people, couples, groups or families and can provide satisfactory evidence to meet all Criteria 1 to 9. (This scheme is open to all qualified members regardless of their modality of work.)

Once accredited the member may use the letter MNCIP (Accred.) and the following statement in their professional stationery, advertising and website: "An accredited member of the National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists."

The accreditation remains in place with continuous practice and annual proof of continuing supervision and CPD at the qualification levels. Continuous practice includes up to one year off in any three years. Mitigating circumstances 

STANDARD FOR ACCREDITED MEMBERSHIP

“To demonstrate the capacity for independent, competent, ethical practice” 

In order to meet the standard for accredited membership, you must demonstrate that you can satisfy each of the criteria that follow, which are numbered 1 to 9. 

CRITERIA FOR APPLICATION

Eligibility Criteria 1-5 

When you apply, and throughout the assessment process, you must be: 

1. A member of the NCIP 

2. Covered by professional indemnity insurance (in the country you practice should they require it).

When you submit your application, you must be:

3. Practising counselling, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, coaching or counselling. Either in a private practice or employed for one of more of these purposes. 

4. Your training and supervised practice must meet one of the following criteria: 

EITHER: 

4.1 You have been awarded a qualification from an NCIP accredited training course.

AND have been in practice at least three years when you apply for accreditation. In addition:

OR: 

4.2 You have successfully completed and received an award for practitioner training that: 

AND 

1. Have been in practice at least three years when you apply for accreditation. 
2. Have at least 450 hours of supervised practice accumulated within three to six years (they do not have to be consecutive years.)
3. To be supervised at 1:6 client hours for the first 120 hours and then 1:10 for the remaining 330 hours.  

5. Supervision 

You have an ongoing contract for counselling/psychotherapy supervision for a minimum of 1.5 hours per month for each month in which practice is undertaken. This supervision is for full time therapists. This is considered to be a minimum of more than 20 client hours a month. For therapists working 20 or less client hours per month, a minimum of one hour supervision per month is adequate. 

Reflective Practice Criteria 6-8 

6. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) 

As a professional you have a responsibility to keep your skills and knowledge up to date.  The Professional Associations Research Network defines CPD as, 

'any process or activity that provides added value to the capability of the professional through the increase in knowledge, skills and personal qualities necessary for the appropriate execution of professional and technical duties, often termed competence’.

1. CPD must be at least 30 hours per year and can be anything from reading a book about your profession to taking a full diploma in another modality.  
2. Describe a CPD activity, relevant to your area of practice that you have undertaken in the 12 months before applying for accreditation. Provide a summary of this CPD activity (minimum 400, maximum 600 words) and in this demonstrate how the activity has influenced your practice.

Items 7, 8 & 9 are covered by one piece of written work of no more than 1,500 words.

7. Self-awareness 

Describe an experience or an activity which has contributed to your own self-awareness. This should include reasons for choosing the experience or activity and show how this self-awareness is useful in your practice.

8. Knowledge and understanding 

Describe a rationale for your client work with reference to the modalities that inform your practice. Reflect within this how you place your self-awareness within your way of working and comment on how issues of difference and equality impact upon the therapeutic relationship.

9. Practice & Supervision 

Demonstrate how your practice is consistent with your described way of working and how you use your self-awareness in the therapeutic relationship and how supervision enhances your practice. 

A portfolio of the above must be completed and sent to The National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists at info@the-ncip.com

Record Keeping

The NCIP/ICIP Training & Professional Standards Committee makes annual random checks of members record keeping in the following categories.

Supervision

Every member is required to have supervision at least ninety minutes per month if a full-time therapist. Part time therapists with twenty or less client hours per month may have one-hour supervision per month. For all members this should be with a recognised supervisor. Accredited, Senior Accredited and Fellows may have peer supervision if they wish where there is a reciprocated agreement with a peer or peers.  

We allow some leeway in that should the member feel they need more supervision than the minimum requirement they of course may do so and keep record of it.  

CPD 

CPD refers to the process of tracking and documenting the skills, knowledge and experience that you gain both formally and informally as you work and develop your skills beyond any initial training.  It is a record of what you experience, learn and then apply to enhance your skills in front of your clients.  

It should be; 

• A documented process.
• Be self-directed: driven by you.
• Focused on learning from experience and reflective learning.
• Help you set development goals and objectives.
• Include both formal and informal learning.

We include reading and researching but note that any book cannot be recorded as more than two hours.

SENIOR ACCREDITED STANDARD

“To demonstrate the capacity for independent, experienced, competent, ethical practice.” 

After a further six years continuous accredited membership the member may apply for senior accreditation.  On successful application they will then be able to use the letters - MNCP (Snr Accred.).

1. A record of a further six years of clinical practice at a rate on average of 150 client hours per year. (Circumstances such as illness or sabbatical for childbirth etc will not bar the member from applying.)
2. Supervision records for the previous six years that evidence a minimum equivalent of one hour a month.  (This changes to ninety minutes minimum per month on 1^st January 2022.)
3. A record of a minimum of thirty hours CPD per year for each or the last six years.  
4. A record of at least twenty hours of personal development.  
5. A 1,000-word submission of the philosophy of the practice.

APPENDICES

1. Code of Ethics & Professional Practice
2. To Make a Complaint about a Member of NCIP (Reference)
3. Clinical Assessment Guidance
4. Risk Assessment Guidance
5. Advertising Risk Assessment Guidance
6. CPD Guidance
7. Personal Development Guidance

Appendix A.

https://www.the-ncip.org/Code_of_ethics

Appendix B

TO MAKE A COMPLAINT. 

https://www.the-ncip.org/makeacomplaint

Appendix C.

Clinical Assessment Guidance Document

https://www.the-ncip.org/raguidance  

MT0125