IAEBP - Membership Criteria and Standards

Last updated: June 2026

Introduction

The following are the criteria and standards required to qualify for membership with the International Association of Evidence Based Psychotherapy (IAEBP).

If you are interested in joining the organisation, please submit a Membership Enquiry.

(A) Professional Standards

All IAEBP members must have undergone a certain amount of hands-on training and reached a certain standard of proficiency and experience before they are eligible to join the organisation. This is based around three main areas of competence:

They have successfully passed an approved Hypnotherapy and/or Psychotherapy Diploma Course.
They have undergone a specified amount of hands-on training and experience (set by the Council of Management and reviewed annually).
They have undergone their own training therapy as appropriate.

(B) Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

All IAEBP members are committed to Continuing Professional Development. CPD is about continuing to train and study in a particular field (hypnosis, psychotherapy, psychology etc.) and updating skills and techniques that are already learned.

This means that each member attends a number of advanced training workshops and seminars every year. There is a minimum standard of CPD that must be achieved each year. The standard is set and reviewed annually by the Council of Management.

(C) Supervision: Personal and Professional Support

Supervision is mandatory for all IAEBP members. Clinical supervision is not about having somebody watch over your shoulder while you are working — it is about having a professional relationship with someone trained and experienced in your particular field where, working together, you can ensure that you are providing the very best treatment for your clients.

This would typically mean having regular meetings where the therapist discusses issues or difficulties with their clients, their personal life, or a combination of the two.

The IAEBP recognised that the common therapeutic model of supervision was not entirely suited to the rapid type of therapy that its members practise, so it developed its own model. Supervision is divided into two separate strands: Personal Support and Professional Support. Every IAEBP member is encouraged to receive their supervision (which is a condition of membership) from two different sources.

The IAEBP has experienced members who are trained in either Personal Support or Professional Support. These members are indicated on the Find a Therapist pages, with either "Pers. Support" or "Prof. Support" after their name.

(D) Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks

As part of its commitment to providing the most professional service possible and safeguarding the public, the IAEBP requires all members to hold a current Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

DBS checks are available to individuals who work directly with children or other vulnerable people. The check involves a criminal record check and checks against relevant barring lists. Members based outside England and Wales should hold an equivalent criminal record check from their jurisdiction (for example, Garda vetting in Ireland or the relevant disclosure process in their country of practice).

It is a condition of membership that all IAEBP members hold a current enhanced DBS check or equivalent.

For more information, see the Disclosure and Barring Service at gov.uk.

(E) Fellowship

Fellowship of the IAEBP is awarded by nomination only, in recognition of outstanding contribution to evidence-based psychotherapy and/or to the IAEBP. Fellows are nominated by the Council of Management. Fellowship is not available through application.