HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

How to hire a CBT therapist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to CBT therapists in any UK nation, but psychologist titles are protected. Here are the checks that matter and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a CBT therapist in five steps

  1. Know which title you are booking'CBT therapist' has no register; 'clinical psychologist' does. Check the HCPC Register if a psychologist title is used.
  2. Name the problemAnxiety, low mood, panic, OCD, insomnia — CBT is structured around a specific problem.
  3. Ask about the planHow many sessions, what between-session work, and how progress is measured.
  4. Get the terms in writingFee, session length, cancellation and confidentiality.
  5. Do the homeworkCBT depends on practice between sessions; expect worksheets or tasks.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No statutory register applies to CBT therapists in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the title is not protected, so anyone may use it. The HCPC says titles such as therapist and psychotherapist are not protected. Some CBT therapists join accredited voluntary registers; that is a choice, not statutory regulation.

Ask which voluntary register they are on, if any, and search their name on that register's own site.

Protected psychologist titles

Plain 'psychologist' and 'CBT therapist' are not protected, but 'clinical psychologist', 'counselling psychologist' and the other practitioner psychologist titles are: only someone on the HCPC Register may use them, and doing so without registration is an offence under the Health Professions Order 2001.

If the CBT therapist uses one of those titles, search them on the HCPC Register under 'practitioner psychologist'. hcpc-uk.org →

Trader status and cancelling a block

A CBT therapist in private practice is a trader under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Sessions booked online or by phone carry a 14-day right to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013; if you chose to start within the 14 days, you pay for the sessions you had.

Get the CBT therapist's fee, cancellation terms and session length in writing before the first appointment.

Insurance

Because no register applies to a CBT therapist, no law sets an insurance requirement for them. Professional indemnity insurance is still the cover that would pay out if their work harmed you.

Ask the CBT therapist whether they hold professional indemnity insurance and who the insurer is.

VAT

CBT is standard-rated at 20% unless a health professional on a statutory register — an HCPC practitioner psychologist or an NMC nurse, for example — delivers it within their profession, or directly supervises it; then it is exempt. A practice with VAT taxable turnover over £90,000 must charge VAT and show it as its own line; a therapist under the threshold charges none.

Ask whether the CBT therapist is on the HCPC or NMC register, and for the VAT number if VAT is added. gov.uk →

“What is your CBT training, and is it accredited?”

A good answer: A named CBT qualification with supervised practice, and a voluntary register you can look up — or an HCPC number if they are a psychologist.

“Have you treated this problem with CBT before?”

A good answer: Experience with your specific problem, or an honest referral to a CBT therapist who has it.

“How many CBT sessions are usual for this?”

A good answer: A typical range, often six to twenty, with a review point.

“How will we measure progress?”

A good answer: Short questionnaires or ratings at set sessions, which the therapist shares with you.

“What will I do between CBT sessions?”

A good answer: Worksheets, records or experiments, which the therapist explains each week.

“Who supervises your CBT work?”

A good answer: A named or described clinical supervisor.

“What are the limits of confidentiality?”

A good answer: The narrow cases of serious risk in which the therapist would share information, and how you would be told.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends — the CBT therapist you met, or another therapist at the practice, employed or subcontracted
  • The fee per CBT session, its length and how often
  • The expected number of sessions and the review point
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% shown as its own line unless an HCPC or NMC registrant delivers the therapy
  • Missed-session and cancellation rules
  • Any report or letter charged separately
  • Online or in person, and any price difference

Walk away if

  • Calls themselves a clinical psychologist without HCPC registration
  • No structure, goals or measures — just open-ended talking billed as CBT
  • Asks for a large block of fees up front
  • Promises a guaranteed cure
  • No written agreement on confidentiality and fees
  • Advises stopping prescribed medicine
LOW
£40
TYPICAL
£65
HIGH
£150

What a CBT therapist costs: £40–£150 per session

CBT is priced per session, weekly, for a set course; the total depends on the number of sessions agreed. CBT Therapist price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

CBT therapists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. AssessmentThe CBT therapist explores the problem and agrees specific goals.
  2. FormulationA shared map of how thoughts, feelings, body and behaviour keep the problem going.
  3. Active sessionsStructured weekly sessions with techniques practised in and between sessions.
  4. MeasurementQuestionnaires at set points to see whether it is working.
  5. Ending and relapse preventionA written plan for keeping progress going.

CBT
Cognitive behavioural therapy — a structured talking therapy.
Formulation
The shared explanation of what keeps the problem going.
Behavioural experiment
A planned test of a worrying prediction.
Thought record
A worksheet for noticing and questioning thoughts.
Relapse prevention plan
What to do if the problem returns.
Practitioner psychologist
HCPC-protected titles such as clinical psychologist.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep your CBT materialsThe formulation, worksheets and relapse-prevention plan — they are what you use after the sessions end.
Compare the scoresLook at the first and last questionnaire scores together.
Ask about a boosterWhether a follow-up session in a few months is offered.
Write the reviewHonest detail about this CBT therapist helps the next person choose. If it went badly, start with the make-it-right step so they can answer.

STEP 1Complain to the CBT therapist directlyWrite down the date, the problem and your remedy. A CBT therapist who sells the therapy is held to reasonable care and skill by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and section 54 lets you insist it is put right without charge, or pay a reduced price.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate a booked CBT therapist below four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then you review.
STEP 3No regulator — but titles are protectedThere is no regulator for CBT therapists. A CBT therapist who will not engage can be referred to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland; if the CBT therapist claimed a protected psychologist title, tell the HCPC.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is still owedIf the CBT therapist will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a CBT therapist: questions people ask

No statutory register applies to CBT therapists in any UK nation. A clinical or counselling psychologist offering CBT must be on the HCPC Register, because those titles are protected.

Search the HCPC Register at hcpc-uk.org under 'practitioner psychologist' by surname.

Often six to twenty, depending on the problem; agree a review point.

£40 to £150 a session, typically around £65. Clinical psychologists and specialist problems sit at the top of the range. Read the cbt therapist price guide for the factors, then search above to see CBT therapists in your area.

It can be. A CBT therapist who is not on a statutory register cannot use the health exemption in VAT Notice 701/57, so a VAT-registered practice adds 20%.

Raise it with the CBT therapist — the plan should change. If the service fell short, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 duty of reasonable care and skill applies to a therapist in business.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: CounsellorHow to hire: PsychotherapistHow to hire: HypnotherapistHow to hire: Mindfulness CoachHow to hire: Life CoachHow to hire: Wellness CoachHow to hire: Occupational TherapistHow to hire: Holistic TherapistAll 701 hiring guides →

CBT therapists near you

CBT therapists in LondonCBT therapists in ManchesterCBT therapists in BirminghamCBT therapists in GlasgowCBT therapists in BelfastAll cbt therapists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HCPC — understanding the regulation of psychologists
  2. HCPC — professions and protected titles
  3. HCPC — check the Register
  4. gov.uk — Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  9. Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57) — 2.5 Services that are not exempt from VAT (taxable at the standard rate)
  10. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register