BYE-LAW 1C

CRITERIA FOR RE-ACCREDITATION AS A MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATION

1.0   As  specified  in  Bye  Law 1,  clause 10, accreditation as a member of the Association is valid for five years (or for such period as the Association shall, from time  to  time, decide.)  To renew membership at the end of  that  period, members  must  apply  to  the  Re-Accreditation Committee, whose role is to judge whether the criteria for re-accreditation laid down in this Bye Law have been  met.  All  membership  re-accreditations are valid for five years  (or such period  as the  Association shall, from time to time, decide) and are subject to further renewal at the end of each such period  (except in the case of  anyone granted Honorary Membership).

2.0  The criteria by which eligibility for re-accreditation shall be judged involve four aspects:

• practise as a psychotherapist
• supervision of practice
• continuing professional development 
• insurance

3.0   Practise as a psychotherapist

To be eligible for re-accreditation, applicants must normally show that they have continued to practise in a way which maintains their skills as humanistic and integrative psychotherapists. (Some possible exceptions to this are detailed below.)

3.1   Such practice should normally involve a minimum of 400 hours of client work practice over a five year period.

3.2   Such practice may take various forms, including one-to-one work with individuals, work with couples, work with groups, etc., provided that the work is from a humanistic and integrative perspective.

3.3   In cases where applicants for re-accreditation have not been able, for economic or other reasons, to maintain the normal minimum practice, they may still be re-accredited if they can show that they have sought in other ways to maintain their skills as integrative and humanistic psychotherapists.  Such other ways may include, for example, reading, participation in discussion groups, participation in on-going training, receiving therapy etc., and must include 30 hours of training directly relevant to the practice of psychotherapy over the five-year period.

4.0   Supervision

To be eligible for re-accreditation, applicants must show that their practise as a humanistic and integrative psychotherapist is adequately supervised. The amount and kind of supervision considered adequate for those applying for re-accreditation for the first time is different to the amount and kind considered adequate for those who have already been re-accredited at least once.

4.1   For those who are applying for re-accreditation for the first time, the amount and kind of supervision required are as follows:

A.   Amount of Supervision Required for First Re-Accreditation: The psychotherapist is required to undertake one hour of supervision for every 25 hours of client work, with a minimum frequency of monthly supervision. 

B.   Kind of Supervision Required for First Re-Accreditation: Supervision must consist of either or both of the following two kinds:

(i)  Individual (One-to-One) Supervision

• This may either have been with a supervisor accredited as a supervisor by IAHIP, or with a supervisor accredited by another equivalent organisation acceptable to IAHIP

(ii)  Group Supervision  

Group and individual supervision are considered to be equivalent, provided that the group in question is:

• of a duration equivalent to at least thirty minutes per supervisee.  (This does not imply that the time be allocated equally for individual presentations.) 

• involves one identified supervisor accredited by IAHIP or an equivalent organisation acceptable to IAHIP
• takes place in a group of no more than four supervisees (or, exceptionally, in a larger group with more than four supervisees but which lasts for at least thirty minutes for each supervisee in the group).

4.2    For those who have already been re-accredited at least once, the amount and kind of supervision required is as follows:

A.   Amount of Supervision Required for Second or Later Re-Accreditation: The psychotherapist is required to have undertaken one hour of supervision for every 50 hours of client work, with a minimum frequency of monthly supervision.

B.   Kind of Supervision Required for Second or Later Re-Accreditation: Supervision may consist of any combination of the following four kinds:

(i)  Individual (One-to-One) Supervision 

• This may either have been with a supervisor accredited as a supervisor by IAHIP, or
• with a supervisor accredited by another equivalent organisation acceptable to IAHIP

(ii)  Group Supervision 

Group and individual supervision are considered to be equivalent, provided that the group supervision in question:

• involves one identified supervisor accredited by IAHIP or an equivalent organisation acceptable to IAHIP.
• is of a duration equivalent to at least thirty minutes per supervisee.  (This does not imply that the time be allocated equally for individual presentations.)
• takes place in a group of no more than four supervisees (or, exceptionally, in a larger group with more than four supervisees but which lasts for at least thirty minutes for each supervisee in the group).

4.3    Even where applicants for re-accreditation have not been able to have the normal minimum number of clients (as allowed for in clause 3.3 above), they may meet the requirement for supervision by attending group supervision in which other participants are receiving supervision for their work.  The frequency of such supervision should be in conformity with either clause 4.1 A or clause 4.2 A as appropriate.

5.0   Continuing Professional Development

All applicants for re-accreditation must have continued their professional development as psychotherapists.

5.1   An average of 50 hours per year of Continuing Professional Development is required (i.e. a total of 250 hours over each five-year period).

5.2    If an applicant for re-accreditation has not been able to complete the full amount of continuing professional development required, the Re-Accreditation Committee shall consider the explanation for the shortfall that is offered by the applicant and their proposals as to how the hours may be made up.  If the Committee considers that the circumstances pertaining to the shortfall are exceptional, and that they call for a sympathetic response in line with the humanistic ethos of the Association, the Committee may accept the proposals from the applicant as to how the missing hours may be made up, or offer revised proposals.  If the applicant undertakes to make up the missing hours in a way that is acceptable to the Committee, they may be re-accredited.  However, failure to fulfil this undertaking shall be a barrier to their next re-accreditation. 

5.3   (i)   Acceptable forms of Continuing Professional Development may come from any of the eight categories listed below, (a) to (h), with category (a) being compulsory.

(ii)   The hours to be counted must be drawn from at least three of these categories, though they may be drawn from a larger number of categories or even from all eight categories.  

(iii)   A maximum number of allowable hours is set only for category (g).

(iv)   For at least three of the categories from which hours are drawn, there  should be at least 10 hours over the five-year period.

(v)   Hours claimed from category (a) and from category (c) should be supported by attendance certificates or other evidence.

The categories are as follows:

(a) Attendance at additional or advanced psychotherapy and related training programmes. An average attendance of six hours per annum at a workshop or training course directly relevant to the practice of psychotherapy i.e. 30 hours over five years. This can be in person or on-line but evidence of completion should be supplied.

(b) Engagement as a client in personal therapy or group therapy or as a participant in other relevant experientially based group learning activities

(c) Attendance at psychotherapy conferences / symposiums / lectures / workshops / seminars / reading groups or other shared learning environments that address psychotherapy theory and practice.

(d) Supervision (individual, group, peer or paired) over and above the normal supervision requirements for reaccreditation.

(e) Engagement in activities for or on behalf of the Association e.g. committee work, membership of Governing Body, etc.

(f) Working as a supervisor or as a trainer in the field of psychotherapy, or in related fields that call for psychotherapeutic skills. 

(g) Engagement in self-care and/or self-reflective activities and/or practices e.g. meditation, yoga, martial arts, journaling. (Maximum average of 10 hours per year, i.e. maximum total of 50 hours over the five-year period.)

(h) Writing and publishing articles or books relating to psychotherapy.  (This form of continuing professional development is counted in the following way: (i) An article on psychotherapy in a journal counts as 15 hours in the year in which it is published.  (ii) A book in the field of psychotherapy counts as 25 hours per annum for a five-year period (i.e. 125 hours in total).  These hours may be divided across two five-year periods of re-accreditation, if required.

6.0   Insurance

All applicants for membership re-accreditation must show that they have adequate insurance for their work as psychotherapists.

7.0   Re-Accreditation of Non-Practising Associate Members

As defined in Bye Law 4 a, clause 3 and sub-clauses, Non-Practising Associate Members are “accredited, fully paid-up members of the Association who wish to retire from the profession, or who for any reason (such as taking a sabbatical, family reasons, career change, illness, travel, study) wish to suspend their practice for one year or more”.  As specified in Bye Law 4 a, clause 3.2, “Members may become Non-Practising Associate Members, and continue in that status, by notifying the Membership Secretary of their decision, and by paying the special Non-Practising Associate Member annual subscription, which will be determined by the Governing Body of the Association from time to time”.

7.1   Those who have been Non-Practising Associate Members for three years or fewer may return to full membership by notifying the Membership Secretary of such intention, attaching: 

(a)   a letter from a supervisor stating that they will be supervising them when they become full members

(b)   a copy of their insurance certificate                                                                                                   

(c)   payment of the full Membership Subscription for the year in which they return to practice.  

For such people, the years in which they are non-practising will not count as regards the requirements for re-accreditation.  (This means that in calculating when re-accreditation is due for people in this position, the years in which they were Non-Practising Associate Members will be ignored i.e. re-accreditation will be required after five years of full membership.  Similarly, the requirements for Continuing Professional Development will simply ignore these years.  However, Continuing Professional Development undertaken during the year(s) as Non-Practising Associate Members may count towards the total required since the previous accreditation or re-accreditation.)

7.2   Those who wish to return to full membership after more than three years as Non-Practising Associate Members must apply to the Re-Accreditation Committee.  The requirements for their return to full membership shall include all those requirements set out in sub-clause 7.1 above plus an additional requirement of satisfying the Re-Accreditation Committee that they have prepared adequately for a return to practice by, for example, attending top-up training courses, and/or by undergoing psychotherapy as a client.  They may also be required to agree to have twice the normal amount of supervision for the first year of their return, if the Re-Accreditation Committee believes this is necessary for the safety of clients.

8.0   Lapsed Members.

Lapsed members are those who have failed to renew their full membership or to become non-practising associate members, and who have consequently lost their membership.  

8.1   Those whose membership has lapsed for one or two or three years may return to full membership by applying to the Membership Secretary and paying the annual subscription for the years in which their membership was lapsed.  

8.2   Those wishing to return to full membership under the terms of sub-clause 8.1 above (i.e. those whose membership has lapsed for up to three years) may also apply to the Governing Body on hardship grounds to waive the payment in full of the subscriptions due for the years their membership had lapsed.  If the Governing Body has reason to believe that there were mitigating circumstances, such as serious economic hardship or illness, they may grant such a waiver in whole or in part.

8.3   Those whose membership has lapsed for more than three years shall not have an automatic right to renew their membership.  Such former members may write to the Governing Body explaining the circumstances in which they allowed their membership to lapse and seeking permission to apply to renew it.  The Governing Body shall have the discretion to grant or refuse this request in the light of the circumstances.  The Governing Body shall also have discretion to require payment of fees for some or all of the years in which membership had lapsed, in order to ensure that those seeking return to membership after four years or more years are not economically advantaged compared to those returning after three or fewer.

8.3.1    If, in the case of a person whose membership had lapsed for more than three years, the Governing Body grants permission to apply to renew membership, the applicant may submit their application to the Re-Accreditation Committee.  That Committee shall decide in each case whether there are special conditions that must be met by the applicant prior to renewal of membership.  Such conditions might include attendance at top-up courses, undergoing further therapy as client, agreeing to increased levels of supervision, etc.  The Committee’s decision on such conditions shall be taken in the light of the situation of the applicant and with regard to the protection of their future clients.

9.0   Appeals

9.1    Applicants for re-accreditation, whose applications are refused by the Re-Accreditation Committee, may appeal this decision if the Committee did not properly follow its own procedures.  

The appeal should be made in writing to Governing Body, giving the basis for the appeal. The Governing Body will appoint an Ad-Hoc Appeals Board to hear and adjudicate on the appeal.  The “Grounds for Certain Appeals” and “Terms of Reference for Appeals Process”, for the time being in force, shall apply.