Check Before You Book: A Printable Checklist
A one-page checklist for choosing a therapist, counsellor or psychologist in the UK. Print it, keep it by you for a first call, and tick things off as you go.
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Please read. This is general information, not medical, legal or professional advice. We’re a directory: we don’t provide therapy, and we don’t recommend, endorse or guarantee any practitioner or register. Always check a practitioner’s registration yourself on the official register before you book. We checked the facts on this page on each organisation’s own website on 21 October 2026, but registers and rules change, so the official website is always the final word.
Check Before You Book
1. Check the register
- Ask which register they are on and for their registration or membership number.
- Find the register yourself (see therapistcircle.co.uk/guides/check-a-register), not through a link someone sends you.
- Search by name or number. Do the name, profession and status match?
- Look for any conditions, suspension or removal notice.
- For a protected title, such as clinical psychologist or art therapist: are they on the HCPC register?
2. Ask about how they work
- What training do they have for what you need help with?
- What approach do they use, and what would sessions be like?
- Who supervises their work?
- What do they keep confidential, and when might they have to share information?
- How do they store your notes and personal information?
3. The practical side
- Fees, how to pay, and the cancellation policy.
- Session length and how often you would meet.
- Online, phone or in person? For online sessions, which platform?
- How will you review whether it’s helping?
- What happens if you want to stop?
4. After the first contact
- Did they answer your questions clearly, without pressure?
- Did you feel listened to?
- It’s fine to speak to more than one person before you decide.
- If something feels wrong, you can stop, and you can raise a concern with their register.
From therapistcircle.co.uk/guides/check-before-you-book. General information, not advice. Always check registration yourself on the official register. In an emergency call 999. For urgent help that is not an emergency, call NHS 111, or Samaritans on 116 123.
More Help
- How to check a therapist is registered in the UK: every register in one place
- Questions to ask before you book: more detail on each question
- Questions to ask a child’s therapist: a printable list for parents and carers
- Counsellor, psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrist?
- Online therapy safety checklist
Common Questions
Can I print this?
Yes. Use the print button, or your browser’s print option, and the checklist fits on one A4 page.
Does Therapist Circle check registrations?
We check each practitioner’s registration when they join, and every profile shows the register and number. A check is only correct on the day it was made, so please check the register yourself before you book.
Sources
Call 999 or go to A&E if life is at risk. For urgent help that is not an emergency, call NHS 111. To talk, ring Samaritans free on 116 123 (24 hours). To text, message SHOUT to 85258.
Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the NHS, the Health and Care Professions Council, the Professional Standards Authority, the General Medical Council or any professional body or register named here. Last reviewed 21 October 2026.
Are you a registered practitioner? List your practice free in our free UK therapist directory.