PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Addiction Professionals membership
What John Wilkinson’s Advanced Practitioner membership means, and what to check when choosing support for drug or alcohol use.
ABOUT THE ORGANISATION
What is Addiction Professionals?
John Wilkinson is an Advanced Practitioner member of Addiction Professionals (registration number 3133), and has been a member since 2022. Addiction Professionals is a professional membership body and voluntary register for people working in the addictions field. Its members come from a wide range of backgrounds, including GPs, psychiatrists, counsellors, keyworkers, pharmacists, psychologists, social workers, nurses and peer mentors.
It offers voluntary registration and accreditation, continuing professional development, news, networking and education, and aims to raise and uphold standards in the addictions workforce. The post-nominal letters AP APM stand for Advanced Practitioner, Addiction Professionals Member.
ACCOUNTABILITY
What membership means
Members are accountable to the Addiction Professionals Standards of Conduct and Ethics and its Complaints and Disciplinary Procedures, and are expected to complete regular continuing professional development.
Addiction Professionals is a professional body, not a statutory regulator. Addiction counselling is not currently a regulated profession in the UK, so membership of a professional body is one way to check that a practitioner is accountable for how they work.
Please note: John Wilkinson is an individual member of Addiction Professionals. This membership does not extend to Cheshire Sobriety Clinic as a service or to Dr Shyra Raj.
CHOOSING SUPPORT
What to check when choosing a practitioner
When choosing someone to help with problematic drug or alcohol use, it’s worth asking about:
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the approach they use, and why
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their relevant qualifications and training
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their experience of drug and alcohol work
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professional indemnity insurance
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a current Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
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membership of a professional body, and how complaints are handled
A good practitioner should be happy to answer these questions openly. If you have any questions about our approach or credentials, please email john@cheshiresobrietyclinic.co.uk.
