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Rayner my parade! The importance of specialist advice.
Jemma Brimblecombe
Julie Norris, Partner in our Regulatory team has contributed to a new book alongside Andrew Campbell-Tiech (Drystone Chambers) - "The Psychotherapist and the Professional Complaint: The Shadow Side of Psychotherapy" by Adah Sachs and Valerie Sinason.
Julie and Andrew's contribution is in chapter 13, titled 'Reform' - here is a short extract;
Regulation is a branch of law. Laws that are effective in both theory and practice share certain characteristics. These include accessibility, clarity of purpose, clarity of expression, ease of application and finality. Further, laws should be objectively fair and understood to be so, not only by those directly affected by them but also by the public at large.
As will be seen, the current state of the regulation of therapists reflects none of the above, save perhaps finality. How has this happened?
It usually comes as something of a surprise to those unfamiliar with the world of professional standards that anyone can set themselves up in the business as a therapist, analyst or counsellor. There is a legal requirement to belong to one of the professional bodies. There are no educational standards to attain, nor is previous experience required. I shorty, there is no statutory regulation. In March 2022, Lord Bethel, junior ministers at the Department of Health and Social Care, announced on behalf of the government that, despite a number of Private Members' bills seeking to remedy this, there are no plans to introduce a statutory scheme. It is unthinkable that any government would take a similarly relaxed view of the regulation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists or paramedics. If you practise as a doctor but without troubling to obtain the requisite qualifications and authorizations, Pentonville, not Harley Street, await you.
You can learn more about the book or purchase it by clicking here.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Learn more about our Legal Defence for Psychotherapists, Psychoanalysts and Counsellors.
If you have any questions or concerns about the content covered in this blog, please contact Julie Norris or a member of the Regulatory team.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julie Norris is a Partner in the Regulatory Team specialising in advising clients in the legal services sector. Julie predominantly advises law firms, partners, barristers and judges on regulatory compliance, investigations, adjudication and enforcement action, brought or threatened by regulators. Julie is top-ranked in both major legal directories for her work in the regulatory field.
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