Time out Sabbatical Policy

This policy needs to be read in conjunction with the Individual Members’ Policy.

The Purpose of the Policy

The purpose of this policy is to highlight the distinction between taking time out i.e. a sabbatical, and not renewing membership when it is due and to explain the procedures in each case.

Failure to renew membership

This refers to those occasions when members do not renew their membership, for a variety of reasons, and do not contact the office to agree to take time out. We deem that their membership therefore has lapsed.

Request for Reinstatement of Membership

If a lapsed member wishes to reinstate their UKATA membership they will need to contact the UKATA Administration office for a re-join form, there is a £20 administration charge to process re-join applications.

If the applicant wishes to backdate their membership, then there is an additional £25 late payment fee as well as the membership fee.

Time out/Sabbatical

UKATA appreciates that life happens and that there are times when a member will need to have a break in his/her practice for example due to family issues or illness or have an enforced break due for example due to a disciplinary matter, or wish to take a break in their studies.

Recognising the uniqueness of the individual means that each application will be considered on an individual basis. It is the responsibility of the member to inform the UKATA Administrator at the start of the break, at the start of each subsequent year if more time out is required and, when the member wishes to return, to contact the UKATA Administrator for a re-joining form.

Please note that membership is on a yearly basis lasting from October 1 to September 30 and that, irrespective of the time when the member returns, a full year’s membership fee will be payable.

Please refer to the UKATA Membership policy that details the policy and procedures for membership. All members need to be aware of the potential impact on themselves and the clients or supervisees if they decide to take a sabbatical.

Psychotherapy or Psychotherapeutic Counselling Students or Trainees

Should a psychotherapy or psychotherapeutic counselling student or trainee wish to take time out from training, they would be required to retain their membership of UKATA if they wished to count any hours of psychotherapy or psychotherapeutic counselling practice, they might accumulate during that time to count toward any eventual UKATA qualification or UKCP registration.

If a student or trainee should choose not to remain a member of UKATA during any such break they will not be able to count any training, supervision and clinical hours accrued during that time towards any UKATA qualification or UKCP registration, although their hours would still count towards CTA through EATA or ITAA.

Contractual Trainees

If any student or trainee is a contractual trainee in any field and pay their EATA fees via UKATA if their membership of UKATA lapses, they are no longer a member of an EATA affiliated organisation and therefore their contract will become invalid unless they choose to pay their EATA fees via another national affiliated organisation or are a contractual trainee member of the ITAA.

Please note if membership of UKATA, and thereby EATA, lapses any CTA contract will become invalid unless the contract holder remains a contractual trainee member of EATA via another national organisation or is a contractual trainee member of the ITAA.

CTA Trainers (P)TSTA

If membership of UKATA, and thereby EATA, lapses any CTA contracts the member may hold for other UKATA or EATA national affiliated organisation members will also become invalid, unless they remain a CTA Trainer member of EATA via another national affiliation of ITAA. If membership of UKATA, and thereby EATA, lapses the member’s PTSTA contract (if applicable) and any PTSTA or CTA contracts the member may hold for other UKATA or national affiliate organisation members will also become invalid unless they remain a P/TSTA/STA/TTA member of an EATA national affiliated organisation or a P/TSTA/STA/TTA member of the ITAA.

Registered Training Establishment

Guidelines for Returning to Practice

The following is intended to support the member on his/her return to practice and recognise that the process and procedures may be determined by the length of time the member has not practiced, and the rationale behind the decision. We invite members to engage in the process before commencing seeing clients and recognise that there may be practical and personal considerations.

• TASC suggests that the decision to return to practice is discussed initially with the supervisor who will be in a position to offer support to the member, to offer clarification in terms of any new regulation, to provide an opportunity for the individual to reacquaint his/herself with the regulations and to discuss concerns and considerations.

• A return to personal therapy to support the individual and to invite reflections and, if applicable, learning gained from taking time out.