The History of PACFA

The Standing Conference of Educators and Trainers in Counselling and Psychotherapy was convened at Armidale in April 1996 to consider issues arising from the lack of agreed standards for training and education of Psychotherapists and Counsellors in Australia. Thirty key educators and trainers were invited to the initial search conference, and an additional 30 were invited to attend subsequent conferences in April 1997 and April 1998. Those 60 people represented almost all the Australian Universities offering Psychotherapy or Counselling courses at graduate diploma or Master's level; major 'private providers' of training in the field; and major professional associations offering training programs. They also represented a wide range of practice modalities within the field of Psychotherapy and Counselling.

It soon became apparent that despite the profession's enormous vitality, there was no channel for it to be cohesive. Concerns about the absence of co-ordination and agreed standards and the possibility that aspects of the profession would then need to be regulated de facto by governments or other bodies with no specialist knowledge of the field, caused the Standing Conference to consider whether a national association was needed in line with those established in the UK, the USA and Europe.

Working parties considered issues such as definitions for "Psychotherapy " and "Counselling", a uniform ethics statement, minimum standards for education, training and competency, and possible organisational structures for a national body. Copies of the discussion papers so produced were circulated and feedback from key contacts sought and considered in detail at the two Conferences in 1997 and 1998.

The Standing Conference was committed to operating in a collaborative manner and to debating issues until agreement was reached, rather than deciding them by majority vote. In view of the diversity of traditions represented, this process engendered a sense of collaboration, fairness and mutual respect, and contributed significantly to the success of the Standing Conference in achieving its aims.

It was decided to set up a national "association of associations", which would allow the associations that were already setting standards and promoting the professional practice for their fields of practice to work together and set common standards.

In September 1998, the Standing Conference of Educators and Trainers arranged meetings in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for the committee members of professional associations in Psychotherapy and Counselling to inform them about the proposed new association and test their responses.

In the light of the enthusiastic response to the proposals and working documents, the inaugural meeting of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia was held at St Hilda's College at the University of Melbourne in November 1998.

A Constitution was adopted, office holders and committee members elected, and approval given to seek incorporation in the ACT. It was agreed that associations desiring affiliation would become "Provisional Members" until their ethical codes and membership training standards could be audited against PACFA's standards.