Frequently asked questions

It means we have checked two documents for that counsellor: a counselling qualification from a recognised route, and a current professional insurance document. The dates of those checks are shown on the profile. It does not mean we have assessed their clinical skill, and it is not an endorsement by the NHS or anyone else. Our full verification standard is published for anyone to read.

No. Counselling is not statutorily regulated in the UK, which means anyone can legally offer "counselling" regardless of training. That is exactly why this directory exists: to make real training and insurance visible and checkable.

No. We are an independent directory run by Truly Empowered Ltd, funded by counsellor membership fees. We have no connection with, or endorsement from, the NHS, CQC, any charity, any professional body or any training school.

Start with the fit: their training level, whether they state experience with your situation (for example anxiety or bereavement), location, home visits and fees. The profile flags and filters are built for exactly this. For anything medical, involve your medical team in the decision and always follow their advice.

No. Searching, profiles, Check a Counsellor and all guides are free for the public, with no account needed. The directory is funded by counsellors' membership fees.

We are careful here, deliberately. Counselling is a talking therapy used, among other things, for anxiety, low mood, bereavement and relationship difficulties, but this directory does not make treatment claims and a listing is not a promise of results. Discuss whether counselling is appropriate for you with your GP, consultant or specialist nurse, and always follow their advice.

It does not mean they are unqualified; many good counsellors have not joined yet. Ask them which recognised counselling school they trained with, to what level, and whether they hold current insurance. Our free guide, How to check your counsellor is qualified, gives you the full checklist.

Use our Complaints Procedure. We investigate breaches of our Code of Conduct and outcomes can include removal from the directory. For emergencies contact 999; for possible crimes, the police.

Featured members pay for more prominent placement, and we label it clearly wherever it appears. Featured placement never changes what is checked: every member on the directory meets the identical verification standard.

Any practitioner with a counselling qualification from a recognised route (CPCAB, another Ofqual-recognised awarding body, a university, or a documented equivalent) and current professional insurance covering counselling practice. Verification is manual and the standard is published in full.

Two: your counselling training certificate and your current insurance schedule. Optionally, your latest refresher or update certificate, which earns the public "Revalidated" chip if dated within 24 months. Phone photos are fine as long as they are legible.

About two minutes to sign up and pay, then around ten minutes in your dashboard to add your practice details and upload your documents. We review within two working days of your documents arriving, and your profile is live the moment you are approved.

Founding membership is £99 a year including VAT, locked at £99 while your membership stays active, for the first 300 members or until 31 December 2026. There is a £229 three-year founding option, a Featured tier at £179 a year, and a £39 first year for the newly qualified. Everything is on the pricing page; we publish every price.

We tell you exactly why, you get 14 days to sort it, and if it cannot be resolved you are refunded in full automatically. Applying is risk-free.

No, and please be wary of anyone in this industry who does. We guarantee the work that makes visibility possible (verified profiles, town pages, structured data, indexing, client guides) and we show you your own profile stats so you can judge the results. Plus a 30-day full refund while you decide.

Yes. You can list multiple practice locations and you will appear in results and town pages for each, ordered by distance like everyone else.

It is a live embed for your website: one copy-paste, links to your directory entry, and shows your current verified status. If your membership ever lapses, the badge expires automatically, which is precisely why it is worth something while it is live.

Your membership runs 12 months from your join date. We email you 30 days and 7 days before renewal with the exact price and a one-click way to manage or cancel. Founding rates never rise while your membership stays continuously active.

Cancel any time in one click from your billing portal. New memberships have a 30-day full-refund cooling-off, and every automatic renewal has a 14-day one. Outside those windows your membership simply runs to the end of its paid period.

None at all. Most counsellors appear on several lists, including their professional body's directory. This directory does a different job: consumer-grade search, verified rich profiles and the AI-search layer. Keep everything that works for you.

No. Enquiries go straight to your inbox and clients deal with you directly. We take no commission on anything; membership fees are our only income from members.