How Much CPD Do Counsellors Actually Need? A Practical Guide
If you've ever sat down in December trying to remember what counted as CPD back in February, you're not alone. Most counsellors I speak to feel a bit guilty about this, and honestly, they shouldn't. The rules are more forgiving than the anxiety suggests.
Getting your head around counsellor CPD requirements early in the year saves the scramble later.
Key Takeaways
CPD requirements vary by professional body — check your own body's current minimum
Reading, supervision, and reflection can count, not just formal courses
A dated, certificated workshop gives clear evidence for tricky renewals
Counsellor CPD requirements: what counts, and how much is actually enough
BACP asks accredited members to complete a minimum amount of CPD each year and to log it against clear learning objectives. NCPS takes a gentler line: less about hitting a number, more about being able to show your learning connects to your practice. Either way, the bar is lower than the guilt implies.
The bit people under-claim
CPD isn't only formal courses. A clinical text you actually reflected on. A peer supervision group. A podcast episode with proper notes on what it changed in how you work. John McLeod, who's written extensively on what makes counselling genuinely evidence-informed rather than just evidence-aware, would say the reflection is the CPD — the reading is just the prompt for it.
Where a structured course still earns its place
That said, a dated, certificated course still matters, particularly if you want clean, defensible evidence for a specific competency. A one-day workshop on something focused, like Single Session Therapy, gives you exactly that: a certificate, a date, a clear learning objective, done.
A plan that doesn't become a scramble
Set a rough hours target early in the year, not at renewal
Mix formats — one structured course, some reading, some supervision reflection
Log as you go, with a sentence on what actually changed
Choose CPD that fills a real gap, not just what's easiest to book
Whatever else you take from this, understanding counsellor CPD requirements properly means logging little and often, not cramming in December.
Whichever stage of training you're at, there's a next step waiting for you.
A Few Common Questions
Counsellor CPD requirements: Do I need a set number of hours every year?
Depends on your body. BACP sets a minimum for accredited members; NCPS leans more on reflective, demonstrable learning than a strict count. Worth checking your own body's current guidance, since it gets reviewed.
Can informal learning like reading count as CPD?
Yes, as long as you can show what you learned and how it touched your practice. A short written reflection alongside it is usually enough to make it stand up if questioned.
Is one structured workshop worth it versus spreading CPD across the year?
Both earn their place. A focused workshop gives you something concrete and certificated. Reading and supervision keep you developing quietly in between. You want both, not one instead of the other.
The Luminary Compass runs CPD workshops for practising counsellors from Poundbury, Dorchester, including a one-day Single Session Therapy course with a proper delegate handout pack.
Written by Ian Smith, BSc (Hons), BACP Accredited, founder of The Luminary Compass — a CPCAB-accredited counselling skills training provider based at The Poundbury Therapy Rooms, Dorchester.
