APL and APEL

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Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) and
Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)

There are circumstances in which individuals may wish to have past training and experience recognised by ACAT as equivalent to its current standards and to count towards an award. Guidelines exist outlining procedures for this route.

There are two routes whereby applicants may wish to have training or experience recognised.

Firstly, APL as part contribution to CAT training. All courses may consider instances where an applicant wishes to have past attainments recognised rather than following through all the components that the course offers. This is at the discretion of the course. An example would be the acceptance of CAT therapies conducted prior to formal training. If a trainee has been supervised in CAT by an ACAT accredited supervisor before the start of the course they may be able to ‘count’- in discussion with and at the discretion of the practitioner training supervisor/course - a maximum of two cases towards the eight training cases. This is agreed on an individual basis during the CAT Practitioner training related to whether a trainee is on track in terms of their learning and development on the course.

The second route, arises where an applicant can make a case that the extent of their training and experience is such that it would be superfluous for them to complete one of the formal trainings offered by ACAT. The APL route should not be seen as an alternative to a recognised training, but as a route for use under particular circumstances. Applicants for the APL route need to provide good evidence for why they are not undertaking a recognised ACAT training. Examples include:

An applicant may have completed a substantial part of a CAT Practitioner course but have been unable to complete for personal reasons such as moving out of the area, maternity leave.
An applicant may have successfully completed a CAT Practitioner course and a UKCP accredited psychotherapy training in another therapeutic framework.

Applicants should consult the appropriate guidelines for the specific requirements.

APL Guidelines

Revised February 2017

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