1.1 This Bye Law sets out the minimum criteria that an applicant must meet in order to be re-accredited as a psychotherapist and a member of the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP) for those who have previously been accredited through Bye Law 2A. These criteria have been drawn up so as to align with the standards agreed with the Irish Council for Psychotherapy and the European Association for Psychotherapy.

1.2 Applicants must have been accredited through Bye Law 2A for at least twelve months and for no longer than 24 months. Failure to successfully re-accredit after 24 months of accreditation through Bye Law 2A will result in additional criteria being imposed by the Accreditation Committee, and it is advisable to contact the Accreditation Committee in good time if this situation is likely.

1.3 The humanistic and integrative nature of an applicant’s practice is ascertained through:

a) evidence of relevant Continuing Professional Development, and

b) a comprehensive report from the applicant's supervisor(s).

1.4 For the purposes of re-accreditation, a psychotherapy or supervision ‘hour’ is a session of 50-60 minutes duration. A combination of shorter sessions that accumulate to 50-60 minutes does not constitute a psychotherapy or supervision session.

1.5 Re-accreditation through this Bye Law is granted for five years, after which re-accreditation must be applied for through Bye Law 3A.

2.1 Accreditation through Bye Law 2A required a minimum total of at least 180 hours of psychotherapy undertaken as a client. This Bye Law requires a minimum combined total of 250 hours of psychotherapy undertaken as a client. Evidence is only required for all hours over and above the minimum 180 hours required previously.

2.2 All individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy and process group must be conducted by either:

a) IAHIP accredited psychotherapists, or

b) suitably qualified psychotherapists accredited by an equivalent professional organisation, and who pursue their own practice from a shared humanistic and integrative ethos in a way that is congruent with the applicant’s orientation as a humanistic and integrative psychotherapist.

2.3 The balance of 70 hours can be made up of:

a) further individual psychotherapy, and/or

b) further group psychotherapy or process group, and/or

c) psychotherapeutic experience facilitated by either (i) an IAHIP Member, or (ii) a professional qualified in their field and accredited by a relevant professional body.

2.3.1 Some or all of the additional 70 hours required above may have already been undertaken during core training and evidence for this will already have been submitted when applying for accreditation through Bye Law 2A.

2.4 Only individual psychotherapy hours (2.3a) conducted after accreditation through Bye Law 2A may be conducted remotely. Hours counted for 2.3b and 2.3c must be conducted in person.

3.1 Accreditation through Bye Law 2A required a minimum total of at least 300 hours of clinical practice to be undertaken. This Bye Law requires a minimum combined total of 500 clinical practice hours to be undertaken. Evidence is only required for all hours over and above the minimum 300 hours required previously.

3.2 All clinical practice hours must be supervised.

3.3 Time spent in consultation with or offering psychological support to a client’s partner, parents/guardians, friends or family, or in consultation with another professional (social worker, doctor, etc.), does not count towards clinical practice hours for the purposes of re-accreditation.

3.4 Of the combined total of 500 hours of clinical practice, a maximum of 175 hours are permitted to take place remotely and require the approval of the supervisor(s). Remote hours in excess of this will not be counted.

4.1 Accreditation through Bye Law 2A required a minimum total of at least 75 hours of supervision of clinical practice to be undertaken. This Bye Law requires a minimum combined total of 150 hours of supervision of clinical practice to be undertaken. Evidence is only required for all hours over and above the minimum 75 hours required previously.

4.1.1 Supervision of clinical practice undertaken after accreditation through Bye Law 2A may be conducted in person, or remotely, or a combination of both.

4.2 Didactic supervision hours (e.g. clinical seminars), in excess of the maximum 25 hours allowed for accreditation through Bye Law 2A, may be counted up to a maximum of a further 25 hours. Evidence from the training college is required.

4.3 For all additional (non-didactic) supervision hours:

4.3.1 A ratio of at least one hour of supervision to eight hours of clinical work is required (1:8), with a minimum frequency of monthly supervision, until the total of 500 clinical practice hours has been reached.

4.3.2 Supervision can be conducted either individually, or in a group, or a combination of both. However, at least 50% since first accreditation must be individual supervision.

4.3.3 Where supervision is in a group, the group must not exceed four supervisees. Each supervisee must have the opportunity to make a meaningful presentation and must receive one hour of credit for each hour of group supervision. Group supervision sessions must last at least 30 minutes per supervisee (e.g. 90 minutes for a group of three supervisees, or 120 minutes for a group of four supervisees). This does not imply that time must be strictly allocated equally to each individual.

5.1 Applicants must ensure that their supervisor(s), whether for individual or group supervision, are either:

a) IAHIP accredited supervisors, or

b) supervisors accredited as such by other equivalent organisations acceptable to IAHIP*, and who agree to work in a way that is congruent with the supervisee’s orientation as a humanistic and integrative psychotherapist/supervisor. (*Check the IAHIP website for the current list.)

5.2 All supervision conducted after Phase 1 (core training) and before reaching 500 clinical hours must not be conducted by the applicant’s Phase 1 (core training) supervisor(s), or by any supervisor who had any role whatsoever in their training.

5.3 There must be a clear distinction between line management and clinical supervision. The avoidance of dual relationships provides maximum benefit for the supervisee and protects the integrity of the supervisory relationship. Supervision should not have a disciplinary function, which it is inevitably open to if the supervisor is also the supervisee’s line manager. Therefore, for re-accreditation purposes, an applicant who received supervision from a line manager, or other person with similar authority, cannot count these clinical hours or supervision hours towards re-accreditation.

6.1 Applicants for re-accreditation must have continued their professional development as humanistic and integrative psychotherapists.

6.1.1 Applicants applying for re-accreditation between 12-18 months after accreditation through Bye Law 2A are required to have undertaken at least 15 hours of CPD.

6.1.2 Applicants applying for re-accreditation between 19-24 months after accreditation through Bye Law 2A are required to have undertaken at least 20 hours of CPD.

6.2 Acceptable forms of CPD can be from any of the following four categories, and evidence must be provided:

a) attendance at additional or advanced training programmes or workshops directly related to the practice and skills of psychotherapy; or,

b) engagement in voluntary activities on behalf of the Association, ie membership of the Governing Body, a committee or working group, or as co-ordinator of a Regional Network.

c) writing and publishing articles related to psychotherapy in a peer-reviewed journal (such as Inside Out). Each published article counts as 15 CPD hours.

d) additional clinical supervision hours over and above the normal supervision requirements outlined in Clause 4 above.

7.1 All applicants for re-accreditation must provide evidence of current adequate professional indemnity insurance for their practice as psychotherapists.

8.1 All applicants for re-accreditation under this Bye Law must give the following undertakings in the event that their application is successful:

a) to abide by the Codes of Ethics and Practice of IAHIP, and

b) to present themselves for re-accreditation as IAHIP requires, and

c) to renew their membership of IAHIP annually, and

d) to demonstrate commitment to ongoing professional development, and

e) to be committed to maintaining appropriate ongoing supervision and support in accordance with IAHIP requirements, and

f) to ensure they maintain adequate and up-to-date professional indemnity insurance for their practice as psychotherapists.

9.1 The Accreditation Committee is the competent body to implement this Bye Law in accordance with the provisions of Bye Law 2, and the decisions of the Accreditation Committee as to whether an applicant for accreditation fulfils the conditions of membership shall, subject to the right of appeal below, be final.

9.2 Applicants for re-accreditation, whose applications are refused by the Accreditation Committee, may appeal this decision if the Committee did not properly follow its own procedures. The appeal must be made in accordance with the procedure for Appeals set out in Bye Law 10A and must be made within 20 working days of receipt of the decision being appealed.