Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions (ACC)

About ACC

The Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions (ACC) is a Christian professional membership organisation for those involved in counselling/psychotherapy and linked professions, i.e. pastoral care, coaching and spiritual direction, in the UK. We offer professional support and resources to our members, and are committed to promoting safe and ethical practice.

We hold a national register of counsellors who are Christian. Our register is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) under its Accredited Registers programme. The programme was set up to provide public assurance for health and care occupations that are not yet subject to statutory regulation, for example, counselling and psychotherapy. Accreditation with the PSA means that we have met the Authority’s standards, and we celebrate the recognition that brings to our organisation and our members.

ACC is an ecumenical organisation; our members are from various Christian denominations and traditions, united by the same faith, professions and callings. We are honoured to be an established professional voice that promotes the therapeutic importance of considering a person’s spirituality and religious faith as being intrinsic to their psychological wellbeing, and a person’s psychological wellbeing being similarly intrinsic to the health of their spiritual and religious life.

We are a registered charity (1018559) and a company limited by guarantee (2791541).

Our wider professional involvement

ACC is a partner organisation of SCoPEd (the Scope of Practice and Education). It is a shared framework that maps existing core competences and practice standards for counsellors and psychotherapists working with adults, and has been developed in collaboration by six PSA accredited register membership bodies in counselling and psychotherapy.

ACC is part of the Coalition for Inclusion and Anti-Oppressive Practice which brings together organisations with a shared mission to improve diversity within the counselling, psychotherapy and psychological therapy professions.

ACC is a signatory of the Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy in the UK.

ACC is also a member of the Accredited Registers Collaborative, the Climate Mind Coalition, Spirituality, Health, and Wellbeing in NHS & Social Care Wales (SHaW), and part of Psychological Professions Stakeholder Group NHS England and Health Education England.

Our Christian identity

ACC is ecumenical and welcomes Christians from all denominations and expressions of Christian faith and spirituality. We are:

• A distinctly Christian praying community of Trustees and Staff who share a belief in a living God who is active in the world and who wish to align ourselves with God’s action in the world.
• Advocating for the importance of faith and spirituality in contributing to the worth, dignity and flourishing of individuals and communities.
• Challenged and informed by Christian and counselling ethics.
• Generous of spirit in relation to who we work with or alongside, looking always for what we have in common rather than allowing difference to be a barrier.
• Interested in best practice and the intersection of practical theology and psychotherapeutic support for those seeking help.
• Able to comment generally on contemporary issues from a Christian psychological wellbeing perspective.
• Concerned with mental and spiritual health in a contemporary context that recognises the dynamic of intersectionality and discrimination within a wider context of societal concerns about political, financial, climate and world stability.
• Discerning in professional spheres and endeavouring to live out our faith in encounters with colleagues, including in the wider profession, in a way that is respectful and open whilst at times having courage to raise difficult or controversial issues.

Become an ACC member

We are delighted that you may be considering joining us. We are a UK charity that provides membership services for individuals and organisations involved in professional counselling, psychotherapy and the ministry of pastoral care. We are an ecumenical organisation, welcoming those from Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christian churches and traditions.

We currently offer the following memberships:

• Counselling membership
  • Student membership
  • Registered counsellor membership
  • Counselling organisational membership
• Pastoral care membership
  • Pastoral care individual membership
  • Pastoral care organisational membership
• Friend membership

We also award Fellowship and Honorary Fellowship in recognition of the contributions that individuals have made towards the work of ACC and the wider world of counselling and pastoral care. They are gifted by ACC towards the individuals, which means they cannot be applied for.

Join ACC