Exclusive: Lack of formal oversight means anyone can set up in practice and continue to work after misconduct cases, campaigners say

• ‘I was completely vulnerable’: woman tells of alleged abuse by ‘counsellor’
• When therapy goes wrong: the problem of underqualified practitioners

Ministers face calls for the urgent regulation of all psychotherapists and counsellors to protect vulnerable people, as lawyers report a rise in lawsuits by patients for alleged harm done during therapy.

Unlike most other healthcare roles, including doctors, midwives and osteopaths, “psychotherapist” and “counsellor” are not protected titles nor statutorily regulated professions in the UK. (This excludes art therapists and art psychotherapists, dramatherapists and music therapists which are protected titles that can only be used by regulated professions.)