Blurred lines and no rules - the dark side of therapy

Blurred lines and no rules - the dark side of therapy Sky News delves into the murky world of therapy - where anyone can set themselves up as a counsellor or psychotherapist without formal training, qualifications, or oversight. Image:'I stopped caring about me,' says Kira Image:Kira's therapist would tell her she loved her Image:Kira's therapist was supposed to help - but became overbearing and made her anxious Image:Anyone can call themself a therapist Image:Ella Janneh was sexually assaulted during therapy Image:Michael Lousada was ordered to pay £217,000 in damages Image:'Slapping therapist' Hongchi Xiao was jailed for 10 years Image:'We need to make sure that people can't be duped,' says the health secretary Image:Demand for therapy is surging Image:Maryam Meddin started The Soke to address the unregulated grey area in the industry Image:Some online services allow users to be matched with therapists within days Image:Kira's therapist still operates and advertises her services online Image:There is no regulation for counsellors and psychotherapists, while only certain types of psychologists are regulated Monday 22 December 2025 04:02, UK Warning: This article contains references to suicide and sexual assault "We spoke every day... whether it was Facetime, messaging, or calling. I stopped caring about me. I had anxiety and my aim was to help her. I was suicidal for sure, and I did express that to her regularly." Kira Mitchell, 35, was assigned a therapist by the NHS after a bereavement in her family. At first, they bonded over shared interests, but it soon became clear that the therapist had blurred professional boundaries. The therapist, who was meant to be helping her, began divulging personal details, leaving Kira feeling more like the therapist than the patient. "I felt anxiety around her, I was so concerned about her wellbeing. She had a family issue, someone passed away, and she told me it should have been her. "That's really distressing anyway... but it was my therapist who is supposed to be looking after me." Kira started to feel that something wasn't right soon after the therapist started calling her and hanging up. She would later say the calls were accidents. "I stopped caring about me," Kira says. "I had anxiety and my aim was to help her." As Kira's mental health deteriorated, she reported the therapist's behaviour and she was dismissed. But that therapist continues to practice privately - there's nothing stopping her from calling herself a therapist in the UK today. She remains on a professional register and advertises her services online, without any public record of what happened. The legal grey zone In the UK, anyone can call themself a therapist - as Kira's story shows. There is no regulation for counsellors and psychotherapists, while only certain types of psychologists are regulated. These titles aren't legally protected, so in practice, anyone can set themselves up as a therapist, without formal training, qualifications, or oversight; even after misconduct. And not many people know this. According to the latest figures from the British Association for Counselling and...

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