Plain-English glossary
What words like registered, chartered and accredited mean, and the full names behind common therapy abbreviations.
Uses your browser’s own voice. Nothing is sent to us.
Please read. We’re a directory: we don’t provide therapy, give medical advice or diagnose, and we don’t recommend, endorse or guarantee any practitioner. Always check a practitioner’s registration yourself on the public register; any check we show was correct only on the day it was made.
Words about registration and practice
- Registered
- On a public register kept by a regulator or an approved professional body. You can usually search the register by name or number. Being registered means the person met that register’s standards when they joined and agreed to its code of conduct.
- Regulated by law (statutory regulation)
- Some professions can only be practised under certain titles if the person is on a legal register. For the professions we list, that register is the Health and Care Professions Council. It covers Arts Therapists, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Practitioner Psychologists and Speech and Language Therapists.
- Protected title
- A job title that is legally restricted to people on the right register, for example “Physiotherapist”, “Dietitian” or “Clinical Psychologist”. The word “psychologist” on its own is not protected, and neither are “counsellor” or “psychotherapist”.
- Accredited register
- A voluntary register run by a professional body and checked against standards by the Professional Standards Authority. Counsellors, Psychotherapists, Play Therapists and others are not regulated by law, so membership of an accredited register is the usual sign that someone has met recognised standards.
- Accredited (member)
- Some bodies use “accredited” for a higher level of membership, usually after extra supervised practice. This is different from an accredited register. Ask the practitioner which they mean.
- Chartered
- A status awarded by a professional body that holds a Royal Charter. For example, the British Psychological Society awards Chartered Psychologist status, and members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy may call themselves chartered physiotherapists. Chartered status is not the same as legal registration.
- Supervision
- Regular confidential discussion of a practitioner’s work with an experienced colleague. Most professional codes expect it.
- Continuing professional development
- Ongoing training a practitioner does to keep their skills up to date. Registers usually require it.
- Modality or approach
- The type of therapy someone uses, such as cognitive behavioural therapy or person-centred therapy.
- Referral and self-referral
- A referral is when a professional, such as a GP, asks a service to see you. Self-referral means you contact the service yourself.
- Confidentiality and its limits
- What you say is kept private, with some exceptions, for example if someone may be at serious risk of harm. A practitioner should explain their limits at the start.
- Safeguarding
- The duty to protect children and adults at risk from harm or abuse. Practitioners follow safeguarding procedures if they are worried about someone’s safety.
- Informed consent
- Agreeing to something after it has been explained clearly, including the risks, the costs and your right to stop.
Therapy names in full
A practitioner can explain what each approach involves and whether it suits what you want help with. We’re not suggesting any approach is right for you.
| Short form | Full name |
|---|---|
| CBT | Cognitive behavioural therapy |
| DBT | Dialectical behaviour therapy |
| EMDR | Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing |
| ACT | Acceptance and commitment therapy |
| CFT | Compassion focused therapy |
| CAT | Cognitive analytic therapy |
| IPT | Interpersonal psychotherapy |
| MBCT | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy |
| DIT | Dynamic interpersonal therapy |
| SFBT | Solution focused brief therapy |
| TF-CBT | Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy |
| MBT | Mentalisation-based treatment |
| — | Person-centred therapy |
| — | Psychodynamic psychotherapy |
| — | Systemic (family) therapy |
| — | Integrative therapy |
Organisations and other abbreviations
| Short form | Full name |
|---|---|
| HCPC | Health and Care Professions Council |
| PSA | Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care |
| BACP | British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy |
| UKCP | UK Council for Psychotherapy |
| NCPS | National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society |
| BPS | British Psychological Society |
| ACP | Association of Child Psychotherapists |
| AFT | Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice |
| BAAT | British Association of Art Therapists |
| BAPT | British Association of Play Therapists |
| ADMP UK | Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK |
| RCSLT | Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists |
| RCOT | Royal College of Occupational Therapists |
| CSP | Chartered Society of Physiotherapy |
| BDA | British Dietetic Association |
| GP | General practitioner (family doctor) |
| CAMHS | Child and adolescent mental health services, also called children and young people’s mental health services |
| SENCO | Special educational needs co-ordinator (in a school) |
| EHCP | Education, health and care plan |
| SEND | Special educational needs and disabilities |
To check a register, see how to check a register.
If you need help now
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.
Last reviewed 12 October 2026. General information only, written for the UK. Not affiliated with the NHS, the Health and Care Professions Council or any professional body.