Regulation of Psychotherapy – Another Arts Therapist struck off

I’ve previously highlighted the unregulated nature of counselling and psychotherapy in the UK. Arts therapists and clinical psychologists are now regulated by the Health Professions Council, so that any rogue practitioners can be struck off. The same does not apply to psychotherapists or counsellors. The risk this presents was demonstrated by the Derek Gale case. Struck off as an arts therapist by the HPC for abusing his clients, he simply retitled himself as a psychotherapist and carried on practicing.

Because of cases like Derek Gale, I fully support the ongoing moves for counsellors and psychotherapists to be regulated by the HPC alongside their arts therapist and psychologist colleagues.

Yesterday, a second arts therapist, Andrew Davies, was struck off by the HPC. The reasons are straightforward. He was shagging his clients.

1. Between 1996 and 2007 a service user, Person A, received arts therapy treatment from you through one to one arts therapy sessions and group therapy sessions.

2. During that time, you engaged in a personal relationship with person A, which:

a. was sexual at times;
b. involved you lending person A money;
c. involved you providing emotional support to person A;
d. involved you discussing your personal life with person A;
e. involved you giving person A the keys to your home;
f. involved you using person A’s home; and
g. resulted in person A becoming dependent on you.

He also slept with two other clients. This is clearly an individual who is not fit to practice therapy. We can only hope that he doesn’t follow Derek Gale’s example and start calling himself a counsellor or psychotherapist.

The loophole needs to be closed, and it needs to be closed soon.