For media enquiries, please call 07766 700417 or email media@bacp.co.uk. 

Spokespeople

Our spokesperson network includes more than 100 practising counsellors who can comment on a range of different issues. We can provide expert comment and insight on:

  • mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and body dysmorphia
  • topical events which might impact on mental health, for example natural disasters, bereavement, violent crime
  • issues in everyday life - such as within relationships or at work
  • the profession - ethics, standards, policy, best practice, in person and online therapy
  • what are counselling and psychotherapy – who might need it, how does it help and what should people expect from it
  • issues affecting a particular demographic, such as children and young people, racialised communities or LGBTQ+ people; or certain settings, such as the workplace or schools

Statistics

We have access to data on mental health and counselling that may help with news articles and features. We’re willing to work with journalists to share some of our unpublished statistics on an exclusive basis.

Our annual Public Perceptions Survey explores people’s experiences of therapy and mental health issues, as well as looking at factors that influence their mental health and wellbeing. We first carried out this survey in 2010 and it has been an annual survey of around 5,000 members of the public since 2019.

We carry out an annual member survey that explores key issues and trends that our members are seeing in their therapy rooms. Previous findings have looked at the long-term mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, how therapy has changed in the past few years and the main reason clients are seeking therapy.

Counselling on screen

If you're making a drama or documentary programme that features counselling, we can help you portray our profession in an accurate, realistic and sensitive way.

Therapy frequently features on television and radio, reflecting a greater understanding of the effectiveness of counselling and a decrease in the stigma attached. However, there's a risk that ill-informed or insensitive coverage could leave viewers with a negative view and stop people who could benefit from seeking help. There are also important ethical considerations to showing participants engaged in a real life therapeutic process.

We're happy to advise, for example, on the portrayal of counsellors and characters undergoing therapy. We can help by:

  • putting you in touch with a counsellor for an informal chat about the therapeutic process. Our members work in variety of settings, with different groups and different types of therapy, so we can usually find you a specialist in the particular field you wish to portray.
  • assisting with script, character and storyline development to ensure your depiction of counselling is as realistic and representative as possible. This can include specific advice about our own procedures, such as what happens when a complaint is made about a counsellor.
  • advising on ways of portraying counselling that maintain the confidentiality between counsellor and client and give an accurate representation of what counselling involves.

See also ...