ACTO: The Association for Counselling and Therapy Online

ACTO: The Association for Counselling and Therapy Online

12 September 2016    Online Therapy Hub

The following guide to ACTO provides information both for clients and therapists.

ACTO, or to give it it’s full name, The Association for Counselling and Therapy Online, is an association of therapists who are qualified to work online.

ACTO is leading the online therapy profession by providing this resource – it is ‘the place to go’ for:

 – clients looking for an online therapist,

– therapists looking for online clients,

– therapists looking for an online supervisor.

There are two registers:

– the register of online therapists

– the register of online supervisors.

You will find ACTO online at www.ACTO-UK.org.

You will also find a list of training providers who provide training for therapists wishing to work online.

Why was ACTO set up?

The first people who worked online realised there was no one place to go for those looking for a therapist online, or therapists looking to find clients who wanted to receive their therapy online. This is why ACTO was formed. It was also formed to provide a standard, as working online is not just a matter of turning on your computer; there is a lot of training and thought before an online therapist works online. The training is a post-qualification training; that means after the therapist has graduated as a counsellor or psychotherapist.

Who is listed on ACTO?

Therapists listed with ACTO are all qualified to work therapeutically online with one of the training providers listed by ACTO. That way clients know that their therapist will understand the issues involved in working online.

In addition, all therapists listed with ACTO will also belong to a professional association such as (but not exclusively) BACP, UKCP, BPS, and RCN. Each therapist is required to provide evidence of their professional membership registration and their qualifications.

All therapists are required to be supervised in their work, and BACP recommendations are that any supervisor supervising therapists working online should be experienced and trained in working online. ACTO also lists online supervisors: there are around 30 specialist online supervisors currently listed.

How to join

It’s very easy. To find a therapist, just go to http://www.acto-uk.org/seeking-a-therapist/

To find an online supervisor, just go to http://www.acto-uk.org/seeking-a-supervisor/

If you are a therapist working online or thinking about it you can join at http://www.acto-uk.org/applying-for-acto-membership/. For a full member the current fees as of September 2016 are £20, plus £10.00 to belong to one directory or £15.00 to be listed in both directories. If you don’t fulfil the criteria for full membership you may be able to become a community member or a student member.

The UK Therapy Hub, an online directory for therapists, rank highest those online therapists who are on the ACTO list and therefore trained to work online. Visit www.uktherapyhub.co.uk to register your practice.