Counselling is at 'real risk' of being downgraded or removed from the NICE Guidelines for Depression, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) has warned.  

The BACP says that removing counselling from NICE guidelines would have a “disastrous impact” across the UK. 

The BACP says on their website that removing or downgrading counselling inside the NICE Guidelines for Depression “could lead to counselling and other forms of therapy no longer being offered through the NHS, restricting patient choice and depriving people of a proven intervention”. 

The consultation on the NICE Guidelines for Depression was due to start in June 2017 but this has now been pushed back, with the publication of the final guideline also moving into 2018.