Cancellation policy

Members may cancel their subscription to a product, service or membership at any time but may not be eligible for a refund of fees already paid. Alternatively, members can lapse their subscription at the point of renewal through non-payment but will not be eligible for a refund of fees already paid.

Please refer to the Refund policy for further information. Ceasing your membership will also stop access to products and services that are received through being a BACP member. In some instances further fees may be required to continue a product or service at a non-member fee.

When you lapse or cancel your membership

If you wish to, you can end your membership or stop any service you’ve applied for separately, by telling us. We may ask you to confirm this in writing or by email. If you do tell us that you wish to end your membership you will no longer be able to use any of the products and services linked to it.

If you are subject to an ongoing disciplinary procedure with BACP, any request to cancel or lapse membership may be deemed not to be effective for the purpose of the procedure, so that BACP may complete the procedure as if the member retained their membership to the end of the procedure.

If you pay your subscription by Direct Debit payments the Direct Debit instruction will be cancelled by BACP for the next payment. Please note that if you cancel your Direct Debit instruction this will automatically lapse or cancel your membership. It is therefore important that you contact BACP as soon as possible.

In the event of you wishing to cease your membership we will require payment of any arrears that may be due from you at the time and the return of your membership card, which is the property of BACP, following which you will have no further obligations.

It is the member’s responsibility to ensure that they meet the current eligibility criteria when they are ready to reinstate lapsed or cancelled membership. Additional fees over and above membership subscriptions may be required to reinstate all your previously achieved statuses. BACP reserves the right to alter, amend, change, modify or withdraw any of the membership categories and their associated eligibility criteria at any time and without prior notice.

If you lapse, cancel or cease membership

If you choose to lapse or cancel your membership, or we withdraw or end your membership, or your application to membership is declined, we’ll keep your information confidentially afterwards.

If you are registered or a registered accredited member when you lapse, cancel or cease your membership the benefits of these statuses will no longer apply. You will no longer appear on the BACP register, be able to use the BACP register logo and may not use any designatory letters or titles.

Full divisional membership is dependent on BACP membership so this will cease. Any other subscriptions such as divisional journal subscriptions may be retained on payment of an additional fee for ‘non-member’ subscription.

Cancelling your membership

Cancellation of membership needs to be in writing, either by letter or email. Your membership will be current until we receive confirmation from the Professional Conduct department that there are no outstanding disciplinary actions against you. BACP will write to you to confirm that we have cancelled your membership as per your request. However, until this letter is received you should consider your membership to be current and that you remain obligated to the terms and conditions, policies, Ethical Framework and associated protocols of BACP.

Once you stop paying your membership fees, you will no longer have access to any products and services you receive as a BACP member, even if you’ve not received confirmation of your membership cancellation. However, you will still be classed as a current member for any disciplinary actions through the Professional Conduct department.

Lapsing your membership

Upon receipt of renewal of membership, members can choose to lapse their membership for up to 36 months leaving the option to return at any stage within that period. You are required to advise BACP as soon as possible of your decision to lapse membership so that we can discuss with you the professional impact and your options for return. Dependent on when within the period you are able to reinstate your membership will determine what additional paperwork or fees will be required.

Reinstatement of cancelled membership

Cancelled membership can be reinstated at any time within 36 months of the original request taking effect via the completion of a membership reinstatement form. As the original request was for cancellation the membership will not be backdated but will restart from the point of the membership being reinstated.

Cancelled membership will be reinstated on receipt of all the documentation, and fees and meeting of the terms and conditions. Acceptance of reinstatement may be subject to prior authorisation of the Professional Conduct department where applicable.

Those requesting reinstatement of cancelled membership will also need to submit the necessary supporting documentation for the membership category, terms and conditions and/or subscription fees. Non-practising members may reinstate their membership as a retired member following completion of the declaration.

Where a member was previously a registered accredited member, membership will be reinstated when all declarations, reinstatement forms, terms and conditions and payment are received and verified. Reinstatement will be made in the original membership category * unless a member requests that their accredited member status is not renewed. In such case membership will be reinstated as a registered member MBACP and the member will no longer be able to advertise themselves as an accredited member.

* Where a member was previously a senior accredited member, reinstatement will not be made in the original membership category. In this case, membership will be reinstated as a registered accredited member.  

All reinstated members accept that it is their responsibility to gain registered member MBACP status within 24 months of being reinstated as an individual member.

Unfortunately, after 36 months of a membership being cancelled, the only route to restart membership is to complete in full a new Invitation to membership application pack. Any previously used routes to registration will be deemed invalid and will need to be repeated.

Reinstatement of lapsed membership – less than 31 days

If it is less than 31 days since your membership lapsed, you can go online and reinstate your membership by completing the terms and conditions along with payment of fees. Acceptance of a request to reinstate membership may be subject to prior authorisation by the Professional Conduct department where applicable.

If a member doesn’t wish to renew their accredited member status they will be reinstated as a registered member MBACP and cannot advertise themselves as an accredited member.

Non-practising members can be reinstated as a retired member subject to completion of the online retired declaration.

As it is less than 31 days since the original renewal date was due, BACP will backdate the reinstatement to the original renewal dates. Payment of subscription fees will be required for the full 12 months where paying by cheque or debit or credit card, whilst outstanding Direct Debit payments will be collected in the first claim.

Reinstatement of lapsed membership – over 31 days but less than 36 months

If it is over 31 days but less than 36 months since your membership lapsed, and you are practising, your membership will be reinstated in the previous category upon submission of sufficient supporting documentation, appropriate terms and conditions and fees. Acceptance of a request to reinstate membership may be subject to prior authorisation by the Professional Conduct department where applicable.

Where a member was previously a registered accredited member, membership will be reinstated in the original membership category * when all reinstatement forms, appropriate terms and conditions and payments are received and verified; unless a member doesn’t wish to renew their accredited member status. In such case membership will be reinstated as a registered member MBACP and the member cannot advertise themselves as an accredited member.

* Where a member was previously a senior accredited member, reinstatement will not be made in the original membership category. In this case, membership will be reinstated as a registered accredited member.  

Non-practising members can be reinstated as a retired member subject to completion of a retired declaration.

As it is over 31 days since the original renewal date was due, membership will restart from the day that all supporting documentation, terms and conditions and fees are received and accepted by BACP.

Unfortunately, after 36 months of a membership being lapsed the only route to restart membership is to complete in full a new Invitation to membership application pack. Any previously used routes to registration will be invalid and will need to be repeated.

Therapist directory

If your status as a registered member or accredited service ceases, or you cancel your directory subscription, your entry will no longer be displayed on the directory search pages of our website.

Conferences and events

Cancellations of conference or event attendance will be required in writing or by email. If there is more than three weeks to the conference or event a refund will be issued according to the refund policy. If you cancel after this period or are unable to attend without letting us know beforehand the attendance fee will be forfeit unless the cancelled place can be resold. In this case, we will advise you after the event has taken place and the refund policy will be applied.

This policy should be read in conjunction with BACP’s Standing Orders, Articles of Association, policies and Professional Conduct Procedure - see Membership policies.

BACP’s policies are subject to review and can be amended at any time. It is important that you regularly review these documents.
7 February 2024