COSRT is the Professional Body for Psychosexual and Relationship Therapists. We set strict professional standards that all our Members must adhere to. These standards are contained in ‘Good Therapy – COSRT Code of Ethics and Practice. We have a detailed Conduct Procedure that is used to manage any complaint made against a COSRT Member.
What to do if you have concerns
The process of therapy is normally smooth and unproblematic, but sometimes things may go wrong and leave you feeling concerned. In the first instance, and where possible, an effective way to address concerns is to raise them directly with your therapist to see if the situation can be resolved.
But there are times when speaking with your therapist isn’t enough or even the right thing to do. For example, a concern may be over serious misconduct, you might feel uncomfortable speaking with them, or they may not be able or willing to address your concerns in the way you would like.
So, you should always feel comfortable approaching COSRT for support. If you get in touch with us with a concern over a Member, we can speak with you in complete confidence to understand what has happened. We will be able to point you in the direction of support when needed and will make sure the COSRT Conduct Procedure is explained so you can make a complaint if you wish to.
If you would like to share concerns informally and in confidence, please email complaints@cosrt.org.uk in the first instance. This is a secure mailbox monitored by staff responsible for overseeing the complaints procedure.
How to make a complaint
If you would like to make a formal complaint against a COSRT Member, there are some steps to take.
First, read the Good Therapy – COSRT Code of Ethics and Practice. This explains how COSRT Members are supposed to act. Please try and identify the ways in which the therapist has not met expectations laid out in these documents.
Then send a written and signed complaint to complaints@cosrt.org.uk which contains at least:
- The name, work address and COSRT registration number (where known) of the Member complained about.
- A detailed account of the relevant facts leading to the complaint plus dates of event(s).
- Any witness statements which the Complainant relies upon. These should be signed by the witness.
- Reasons why the complaint should be considered if it is submitted outside of the timescales set out in this Procedure.
- An explanation of attempts to resolve the issue with the Member prior to the complaint being submitted.
Full details of how to make a complaint are included in the Conduct Procedure.
The type of complaints we accept
The first thing to confirm is that the person you are complaining about is a Member of COSRT. When you know that, check when the conduct you are complaining about happened. There are many different types of thing that you might have concerns about, but many complaints that we receive and deal with cover:
- The way a Member has acted when providing services, for example, how they deal with things like contracts or how they speak to you.
- The standard of therapy provided by a Member, for example, how you are listened to or whether they give appropriate therapies.
- How a Member has behaved outside their clinical work, for example, committing a crime or bringing COSRT into disrepute.
Things we do not deal with
COSRT is very careful to only accept complaints that meet set standards. Some of the complaints that we will not accept are those that are, for example, deemed:
- Frivolous or meant to cause trouble for a Member.
- Not connected in a meaningful way to Member’s professional work, the profession, or COSRT.
- About things being investigated by the Police, or that are part of legal proceedings.
What happens when you complain?
When you submit a complaint, it will be checked to make sure it has the relevant information, and it meets certain requirements. These are set out in the Conduct Procedure. If it passes this stage, you will be told, and the complaint will begin.
A Case Manager will look after the entire complaint process and will be a constant point of contact.
An important part of the complaint is an information gathering process. This is where information and potential evidence is collected related to the elements of the complaint. The person gathering this information will try to speak to everyone involved in the complaint when they can and will produce a full dossier at the end of their work.
Both you and the Member will have opportunities to provide information and give comments on the dossier as the process carries on.
Professional Conduct Panel
A small panel will consider all the information available. This is the Professional Conduct Panel (PCP). This meets to evaluate everything known about the complaint and to decide what action or actions may be needed.
The Panel may choose to:
- Close the complaint if they believe there is no case to answer.
- Refer the complaint to another organisation if it feels it should be dealt with elsewhere.
- Issue a Letter of Advice to the Member.
- Propose a sanction that can be voluntarily agreed by the Member, including things such as a formal warning, requiring the Member to undertake training, or having mediation between you and the Member.
- Moving the complaint to a full Hearing if it is too serious to deal with at this stage.
Determination Hearing
This is the final stage a complaint can reach. At this point a formal hearing takes place where the PCP examines evidence and can question witnesses such as the Member and sometimes the complainant.
The PCP can issue any sanction including terminating someone’s COSRT Membership.