What is the selection criteria for counsellor empanelment? Qualification, Experience, Counselling Skills Training, Operational Requirements and Commitment to Ethical Framework for Counselling Standards form the basis on which counsellors are selected for empanelment.

1. Qualification: All applicants must have a good working knowledge of Human psychology.  You, therefore, must have a master's degree or an equivalent qualification in Counselling Psychology, Clinical psychology, Social Work, Psychiatric Social work, Medical Social Work, Psychotherapy and General Psychology.  Applicants with any other master's degree or an equivalent qualification with General psychology as a one of the main subjects could also be considered.
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3. Experiential Counselling Skills Learning programme: In addition to your above stated qualification, you must have already undertaken an Experiential Counselling Skills Learning programme, in which you have had at least 50 hours of direct client contact under supervision of senior counsellor.  This will allow you to commence working with our clients as soon as you are empanelled.  At Insight Counselling Services an experiential counselling skill learning programme is one where, in addition to theoretical element of taught programme, you were given opportunity to achieve certain number of Counselling Skills and Self-Development practice hours under the guidance and supervision of an experienced counsellor. 
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3. Supervised Counselling Experience: In addition to already stated qualifications and counselling skills training, all those applicants who have demonstrable minimum experience of 3 to 5 years of supervised counselling practice, will be received favourably and may commence on a higher practice level.  We will not, however, disregard your unsupervised counselling practice experience, if successful, you may just be able to commence with us on a lower practice level. Supervised Counselling Practice mean that you have been receiving regular and continuous support and guidance from an experienced counsellor. This doesn't consider the support of your line manager at work, unless your line manager is a qualified and experienced counsellor. Supervision is essential to how practitioners sustain good practice throughout their working life. Supervision provides practitioners with regular and ongoing opportunities to reflect in depth about all aspects of their practice in order to work as effectively, safely and ethically as possible. Supervision also sustains the personal resourcefulness required to undertake the work. Though we value both supervised and unsupervised counselling experience, but rate supervised experience higher over unsupervised experience. 
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4. Continuous Professional Development trainings: Applicant who have been undertaking Continuous Professional Development trainings since their qualification will be treated more favourable over those who have not done so.   We, at Insight Counselling Services, believe our counsellors must spend a minimum number of hours in Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Counselling each year to ensure that they keep up to date with their theoretical and practical knowledge and skills relating to their work as a professional practitioner, including any new legislative requirements.
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5. Personal counselling: Applicant who have been receiving Personal counselling to remain fit for purpose as a practicing counsellor.  will be treated more favourable over those who have not done so.  Personal Counselling, at Insight Counselling Services, is considered an essential aspect of personal and professional development for counselling practitioners. It has many benefits for counselling practitioners as it improves their emotional and mental functioning, provides a better understanding of personal dynamics so that practice may be conducted with clearer perceptions, alleviates the emotional stress of the profession, serves as a profound learning experience, keeps them in touch with interpersonal reactions and needs of the service user by being placed into service user's role and provides an excellent opportunity to observe counselling methods directly, provides a cushion and protection from emotional burnout as part of their responsibility of self-care and their duty towards their service user by ensuring that they themselves are emotionally and psychologically fit to practice.
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6. Self-Assessment Tool:  Based on the above selection criteria, we have made available a Self-Assessment tool for you to assess your commencing practice levels with Insight Counselling Services. Insight Counselling Services offer 6 practice levels for empanelled counsellors. The determination of commencing practice level is based on your qualification and minimum counselling experience that you have at the time of empanelment. The use of this tool is purely voluntary, only if you wish to have an idea of your commencing level with us, prior to commencing empanelment process. This tool uses the above mentioned selection criteria for determining your commencing level. Each answer choice for these factors has been assigned certain points, cumulative total of your answers will give you an indication of the level at which you may commence with us.  The sole purpose of this tool is to help make an informed choice, before you proceed on completing your application.  The use of this tool does not guarantee your empanelment and/or your commencing level.You should have scored at least 1500 points on the self-assessment tool to be eligible for application.  If self-assessment of your qualification and/or experience doesn't earn you enough required points for empanelment, this is not the end of the story. You would be able to earn 1500 points to commence practice with ICS by completing our Counselling Skills Learning Programme, which will give you required points.  Having completed this learning programme, you will be allowed entry into empanelment process and you will be able to commence your counsellor career with us.