Your individual circumstances and business activities will dictate the insurance you require. Counsellors generally require products liability and professional indemnity insurance as a minimum, along with employers liability insurance should they employ others. Your broker might recommend further cover based on your individual needs, such as management liability portfolio, cyber insurance and cover for contents such as business equipment.
Psychotherapist insurance
The policy provides cover for talking professionals working as psychotherapists, either as educators, trainers or supervisors.
Types of therapists covered by the policy include:
- Animal assisted psychotherapy
- Art therapy
- Cognitive behavioural therapy
- Drama therapy
- Equine assisted psychotherapy
- Group psychotherapy
- Hypnotherapy
- Music therapy
- Play therapy
- Psychoanalysis
- Psychodynamic psychotherapy
- Psychosexual therapy
- And more...
Our features and benefits
- Comprehensive specialist cover starting from £1.79 per week*
- No excess on the core therapists insurance**
- 24-hour commercial assistance and legal helpline
- Recommended by several major industry associations
- Discount for members of all recognised professional associations (listed below in FAQs) such as UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), British Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (BABCP) and the National Council for Hypnotherapy
- Cover can include protection for hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and life coaching as well student counsellors in training (at no extra cost).
Plus, key optional extras if required:
- Employers liability insurance
- Cyber insurance
- Management liability insurance
- Contents insurance.
Get psychotherapy insurance cover now
Buy online today using our quick and easy online solution – our experts are always on hand to support you.
What's covered in counselling insurance?
We’re always transparent about what’s included in our professional liability insurance. But if you’re not sure what kind of cover you need, our friendly team is always happy to help.
Please note this list is not exhaustive – please refer to the full policy document for details.
What's insured?
- Professional indemnity/malpractice: Choose from £1.5 million up to £10 million. This insurance covers claims arising from your work as a talking therapist, supervisor or educator. Cover is provided on a full civil liability basis which means it isn’t restricted just to allegations of professional negligence. With a choice of five cover levels, you can select a level which suits your business needs and gives you peace of mind.
- Public and products liability: £10 million as standard. This is the insurance that deals with your public liability for causing bodily injury to people or damage to property due to an accident caused by your negligence (for example, your client tripping and falling in your home or workplace).
- Complaints and disciplinary hearings: Up to £500 a day, providing full help and support should a complaint be made about you to your professional body or other regulator including specialist help in submitting your response and legal representation at disciplinary hearings.
- Professional wills: Up to £5,000 ‒ cover in the event of death or incapacity to help with reallocation or secure destruction of client notes and records.
- Crisis containment: Up to £25,000 ‒ cover for expenses related to managing and mitigating a crisis specific to the counselling profession. As a counsellor, if you encounter a situation that could potentially harm your reputation, professional standing or financial stability, crisis containment cover can assist in responding effectively and efficiently to the crisis. The Oxygen policy will cover the costs incurred with a crisis containment provider, such as crisis management expenses, public relations and communications, legal support, crisis response planning and reputation protection.
- Directors and officers liability: Up to £100,000. This cover is for limited companies and is designed to provide financial support for key people within your business if they face allegations of personal wrongdoing. It works to protect directors, officers, partners and other company leaders in the event they stand accused of a wrongful act. This can include breach of duty of care, breach of trust, negligent errors, defamation and health and safety failure.
What is not insured?
- Public and products liability insurance claims brought in US or Canadian courts are excluded.
- Professional indemnity insurance claims brought in US or Canadian courts are excluded. The policy can be extended to include US/Canada jurisdiction – price and options are subject to terms and conditions.
Get psychotherapy insurance cover now
Buy online today using our quick and easy online solution – our experts are always on hand to support you.
Why choose us for your protection?
As a psychotherapist, we know you're focused on supporting and guiding your clients through challenging times. However, giving this support also presents risks to you and your business. It's essential to have the right insurance policy in place that offers the necessary protection.
Our cover aims to give you peace of mind, for you and your business, including:
- Protection: Our professional liability insurance protects you so you can focus on supporting your clients.
- Professional advice and support: Throughout the life of your policy, we'll be on hand to help you with any queries, problems or issues you may have. We're here to support you should you need to make a claim.
- Saving you time: It's quick to get a quote and buy your insurance online. If you'd prefer to speak to a member of our experienced team, we're here to give you the help you need, whenever and however you need it.
What people like you, say about us
*How we work out example prices. Customers will pay £93.42 a year for professional indemnity of £1.5m if they are also a member of one of the recognised professional bodies that receive 20% discount from us. £1.79 per week is based on a monthly cost when paying for the policy in one annual payment. Paying monthly is usually more expensive as you'll pay interest. This is the prices from amount as customers have the option of increasing their level of cover and therefore may pay more than this.
Students or trainees will pay £70.99 a year for professional indemnity of £1.5m. £1.36 per week is based on a monthly cost when paying for the policy in one annual payment. Paying monthly is usually more expensive as you'll pay interest. This is the prices from amount as customers have the option of increasing their level of cover and therefore may pay more than this.
**No excess applies to the core therapists insurance (public liability, professional indemnity, employers liability, directors and officers), however for any additional insurance taken certain excess may apply. Please contact us for details.
Psychotherapy insurance FAQs
Psychotherapists require insurance to protect them against the risks they face whilst delivering their services. Insurance can cover the cost of defending claims of poor advice, malpractice, negligence, injury or property damage in relation to services provided to clients during their sessions. Psychotherapists may require certain insurance policies to meet the membership requirements of their professional body or other contractual agreements with businesses they work with.
Just as important as the policy cover is the knowledge you will be supported by experienced insurance claims professionals.
Our dedicated in-house claims team will be by your side, fighting your corner, from start to finish. We promise to be there when it matters most.
Our client service portal provides 24/7 access to your account and policy documents. The portal enables us to be more environmentally friendly as we reduce the amount of printed policies and adopt a digital approach.
We provide discounts for members of the following professional bodies:
- ABP – The Association for Business Psychology
- AC – The Association for Coaching
- ACC – The Association of Christian Counsellors
- ACP – The Association of Child Psychotherapists
- APHP – The Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy
- Barefoot Coaching
- BACP – British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
- BABCP - British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
- BPC – British Psychoanalytic Council
- BPS – British Psychological Society
- CPD – Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
- CMC – Civil Mediation Council
- CNHC – Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council
- CoM – College of Mediators
- COSCA – Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland
- CORST – College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists
- EMCC – European Mentoring and Coaching Council
- FMA – The Family Mediators Association
- GHR – General Hypnotherapy Register
- HCPC – Health & Care Professions Council
- ICF – International Coach Federation
- NCH – The National Council for Hypnotherapy
- NCS – The National Counselling Society
- PTUK – Play Therapy United Kingdom
- UKATA – The Association for Transactional Analysis
- UKCP – The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy.
Yes, professional indemnity (PI) insurance is essential for psychotherapists as this directly covers the advice they provide to clients in sessions. PI insurance will be a requirement of a psychotherapist’s professional body membership and any other contractual agreements they might have in place with businesses they work with.
- Psychology
- Counselling
- Psychotherapy
- Hypnotherapy
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Stress management
- Life coaching
- Some alternative therapies
- Coaching
- Mentoring
- Business executive coaching
- Mediation
- HR consultancy
- Education consultancy and school inspectors
- Management consultancy and complaints investigation.
You should have employers liability cover in place from the day your practice starts employing staff. Whether paid or not, you are at risk of legal action from the moment you have any person for whom you are responsible.
