Individual

To apply for membership click here.

• Our Application Ethos

  We aim to avoid a needlessly complicated ‘tick box’ style of application in preference for a more holistic approach to your experience, practice and qualifications. We are holders of a Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register of counsellors and we give clear guidance about what you need to do to become an Accredited Registrant if that is your goal. You may have been in practice for some time, and your training route may have been different from current requirements. We will refer such applications to our Professional Standards Committee for an individual assessment, thus ensuring that applicants who meet the relevant standards for safe, competent and ethical practice need not be excluded.

• How To Apply

  1. Start the application process here
  2. Whether you have just started on a course of studies or have been practising counselling for years there's a membership grade that's right for you. Tell us if you are already a member of another relevant professional body and we may be able to offer you an equivalent membership grade.
  3. If you're not sure which grade/form you need, please call us on 01903 200 666 or hello@nationalcounsellingsociety.org and we'll be more than happy to help!
  4. If you need any additional support, such as for a visual impairment or dyslexia, give us a call and we can support you.
  5. And if there's anything else at all you want to talk about then please contact us.
• I'd like additional support with my application!

  We're more than happy to help you if you need any additional support. We can help with a variety of things, for example if you have a visual impairment, or if you have dyslexia, or if you struggle working online.

  We do whatever we can to meet the needs of our members in an individual way, so please call our team on 01903 200 666 and talk to us about how we might be able to support you.

• I'm Registered with another organisation: what can the NCS do for me?

  Alongside our unique ethos, we have a range of membership benefits for anyone joining the Society.

  If you have a membership with another organisation that holds Accredited Register status under the Professional Standards Authority, we may be able to recognise the process you have already gone through in order to obtain membership. If eligible, we will provide an equivalent grade to membership with the Society, for example, you will need to hold registrant status in order to be placed on the Society Register. This avoids needless completion of additional paperwork as some verification will already be in place via your existing membership (please note you will need to complete an application form).

  Unfortunately, if your membership is not obtained via another Accredited Register organisation, we will not be able to offer equivalent routes to membership as we are unable to verify their standards.

  You can find a list of the membership organisations and equivalent grades we offer here.

• I'm a student: what can the NCS do for me?

  Student membership with the NCS is open to anyone studying a counselling course which would be compatible with the Society Code of Ethics, irrespective of whether such course is recognised by the Society.

  Student members of the NCS receive a wide range of benefits including:

  • Reduced Membership Fees
  • Reduced Supervision Fees
  • Reduced Personal Counselling Fees
  • A wonderful, monthly digital magazine
  • Discounted rates for insurance through a variety of providers
  • Full access to the members' area of the website which includes good practice guidance and other useful information
  • Access to a placement listings page
  • Up to 30% off with selected book publishers
  • Free CPD library, and more discounts for other CPD courses
  • Access to apply for the TOTUM card (previously known as NUS Extra).
  • To find out more listen to the podcast.