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PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
On Psychotherapy Training Programmes

The course programmes offered by Amida Trust are independent. They are not limited by the requirements of any external organisation or accrediting body. This allows for great flexibility within the learning community and creates an environment in which innovation and new scholarship is always possible. This system has stood the programme in good stead for over twenty years and led to much innovative work and excellence of standards. Students joining the programme should expect it to develop as they go through the learning process and they will be part of the development process, as the community expands into new areas. They will have opportunities for co-operative activity, and are encouraged to be self-challenging rather than competitive with others. They are likely to become involved in the broader activities of Amida Trust and the Amida community, in substantial ways if they wish. Becoming a therapist means growing as a person so that one has a bigger heart and broader mind for others, and in this respect all life experience has relevance to our training.

ASSESSMENT
Students on the programme are required to demonstrate levels of competence or knowledge appropriate to their level of study, as set out in the course handbook. Students who fail to reach such standards may be asked to complete extra written or practice work. In general, the ethos of the course is such that students are encouraged to reach and develop their own potential and to find ways of building on their level of skill and interest. The flexibility of the programme allows students to revise goals and find new directions for their work, rather than encountering failure. Most staff response takes the form of dialogue and facilitative questioning rather than grading. In this way students who demonstrate application in their work achieve good outcomes and the course standards are maintained at a high level. The final assessment of students takes place through the completion meeting, at which the external moderator is generally present. This is an opportunity for reflection, feedback and closure, as well as for identifying areas for future training and development.

ACCREDITATION AND REGISTRATION
Students who wish to practice as counsellors or psychotherapists on completion of the course will be concerned to know about arrangements for accreditation and registration. These vary greatly in different countries, so, overseas students with such concerns are well advised to seek advice locally before embarking on the course. In UK there is currently no system of compulsory registration for counsellors or psychotherapists, though this may change in future. The simplest method of gaining accreditation in UK is through BACP. This organisation has a very large membership and is one of the biggest accrediting bodies for counsellors and psychotherapists in the country. The Advanced Certificate programme is broadly designed to meet the requirements of BACP, but you should check current details, since there may from time to time be additional requirements of which you should be aware. The process of gaining accreditation through BACP is lengthy for all applicants and requires post-qualifying experience as well as a regular supervised practice. Graduates from the Advanced Certificate who wish to do so have, however, generally succeeded in obtaining BACP accreditation.

ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
The course is governed by the IBAP code of ethics, which provides a complaints procedure for ethical complaints. Any concerns relating to the professional, ethical or academic standards of the course may also be addressed in the following manner. Initially the matter should be raised informally with members of staff concerned. If the matter is agreed to be of sufficient seriousness, a formal meeting may be requested for this purpose, whose outcome should be agreed and recorded in writing. Should this meeting fail to resolve matters, the matter should be referred either to the external moderator of the course or to the chairperson of the Amida Trustees. In the final instance an external arbitrator, acceptable to both parties, may be appointed.