Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia

History of PACFA
PACFA Structure

PACFA Member Associations

PACFA Board

About Us

What is PACFA?

The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia, Inc. is a peak body for Member Associations which meet the standards developed by consensus as appropriate for professional practitioners within the disciplines of Counselling and Psychotherapy in the Australian community.

You can download the document titled 'PACFA Professional Guidelines' (September 2006) here, which provides information about PACFA, including its background history, mission, goals, and how it operates.

The PACFA Constitution
 

To download the latest version of the PACFA Constitution please click here.

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.

Why is PACFA Necessary?
 

There are essentially three reasons why PACFA is urgently needed.

1. Establishing Recognised Standards of Training

In a social environment in which credentials and qualifications are becoming increasingly important, the question as to what constitutes an acceptable basic "professional" level of training in Psychotherapy and Counselling is one that is frequently asked. There has been no agreed answer up until now. Those who claim to be 'trained', 'qualified' or 'accredited' undertake programs that vary from a few weekend workshops and/or a limited amount of reading through to those who have five or more years of tertiary study in related areas followed by several years of intensive and supervised training through a professional psychotherapy association. Key questions that arise are: "How are academic studies and experiential and skills-focused training courses to be compared and valued in making a good Psychotherapist or Counsellor?" and "What are the core elements that must be included in any training and what elements are 'optional' or 'specific' to a particular tradition?".

The profession needed to consider these questions in a forum that would allow diverse views to be heard and greater clarity, rigour and creativity to emerge over time. It therefore became imperative that a "body corporate", in which professionals consulted, learned together and determined training standards be created.

To address this, associations joining PACFA have agreed to:

• adopt a minimum set of training standards for the professional practice of Psychotherapy and Counselling and review them regularly;

• PACFA will also foster dialogue over the future of Psychotherapy and Counselling and the implications of research for effective practice.

2. Developing Professional Accountability and Public Protection

The contemporary social ethos makes issues of accountability and public protection in clinical services particularly important. People become more vulnerable to influence, abuse and exploitation when trusting a professional. It is therefore essential that agreed values and appropriate procedures be established to ensure that professionals are accountable for their conduct and treatment outcomes, and that those using their services have clear guidelines as to training, competency and ethical practice.

This, in turn, means that the professional bodies must ensure that their members practice according to a code of ethics and that mechanisms for receiving and acting on complaints exist. Although some of the professional associations had appropriate guidelines and procedures, others did not. This made public accountability and dealing with complaints problematic.

To address this, associations joining PACFA have agreed to

• ensure their codes of ethics reflect the Ethical Guidelines document;

• establish complaints and discipline procedures.

3. Regulating Therapeutic Practice

Psychotherapy and Counselling are seen to involve a potential risk, as well as benefit, to the public. There have been several attempts to regulate its practice that have failed. Whilst governments are not at present seeking to extend their role in regulating professions, it is clear that if this profession does not organise itself, others may need to do so. The concern is that such efforts may fail to reflect the expert knowledge and practice wisdom of Psychotherapists and Counsellors themselves. In addition there is a need to identify appropriate criteria for the contracting out of government services, to consider the effect of the GST, and to consider the implications of practice for taxation and insurance.

To address these concerns, PACFA will consult with appropriate government authorities and other professionals to work out guidelines for the profession as the need arises.