British Complementary Therapies Council

Registration

Registration Requirements

One of the main expectations of the BCTC is that its registrants will gain recognition and approval within existing healthcare systems, both private and public. 

As such, the BCTC has set qualifying standards that fully meet the independent regulatory functions of the House of Lords’ report:

a) It has representatives of each VSR-listed member therapy on its Council; 

b) It sets and monitors nationally recognised minimum Standards of Practice (SOP);

c) It externally verifies that its Training and Education Standards are incorporated in each therapy training scheme. 

If you are a therapist practicing complementary therapy and are not sure whether you qualify for registration, please view  the VSR approved list of therapies and, if necessary, register your interest and a BCTC representative will contact you.

Associations, Schools or Clinics

If you are an Association, School or Clinic offering training in one of the listed VSR therapies, please review the documents relating to minimum requirements of Standards of Practice and Training and Education Standards to confirm that your training syllabus meets the BCTC Registration requirements. 

Incorporating our standards will improve the credibility of your training syllabus and is more likely to help your therapy move towards acceptance into the State and Private Healthcare systems. 

Once the BCTC standards are fully incorporated, your graduates should then satisfy that particular element of our registration process.

For those Associations, Schools or Clinics whose therapy courses have not, in the past, fully incorporated the BCTC Standards, you could consider offering your graduated therapists a top-up course, covering the BCTC Standards as part of their CPD programme, in support of their application to the BCTC.

Grandparenting

For therapists whose training does not incorporate the BCTC Standards but who wish to register, you can apply to join the BCTC Register under a 2-year Grandparenting scheme.  

You will be required to provide all relevant training documentation with your application, as well as an extended CV. This must include evidence of holding practitioner indemnity insurance for a minimum period of 2 years. The BCTC will then assess your application for approval under the grandparenting rules.