Counsellors and Psychotherapists (Regulation) Bill (HC Bill 120)
A
BILL
TO
Provide that the Health Professionals Council be the regulatory body for
counsellors and psychotherapists; and for connected purposes.
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Regulation of mental health practitioners
(1)
Section 60 of the Health Act 1999 (Regulation of health care and associated
professions) is amended as follows.
(2) After section 60(2)(ca) the following paragraph is inserted—
“(cb)
5the professions regulated by the Counsellors and
Pyschotherapists (Regulation) Act 2013,”.
2 Code of ethics for registered counsellors, therapists and psychotherapists
(1)
Counsellors, therapists and psychotherapists shall be registered by the Health
and Care Professions Council, formerly known as the Health Professions
10Council, “the Council”.
(2)
The Council shall prepare and publish a code of ethics (“the code”) for
registered counsellors, therapists and psychotherapists.
(3) The code must include a prohibition on gay to straight conversion therapy.
(4)
Agreement to abide by the code shall be a condition of admission to the register
15maintained by the Council under the Health and Social Work Professions
Order 2001 (“the register”).
3 Complaints and disciplinary procedures
(1)
Where a patient complains to the Council that a registered counsellor, therapist
or psychotherapist has breached the code, the Council must investigate that
20complaint.
Counsellors and Psychotherapists (Regulation) BillPage 2
(2)
A practitioner found by the Council to have breached the code shall be subject
to disciplinary action by the Council, including temporary or permanent
removal from the register. A breach of that section of the code relating to
prohibition of gay to straight conversion therapy shall result in permanent
5removal from the register.
4 Short title and commencement
(1)
This Act may be cited as the Counsellors and Psychotherapists (Regulation)
Act 2013.
(2)
This Act comes into force at the end of the period of 6 months beginning with
10the day on which it is passed.