Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia

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National Register

PACFA National Register of Psychotherapists and Counsellors

The PACFA Register is designed to provide a comprehensive list of Psychotherapists and Counsellors for the Australian community. These Psychotherapists and Counsellor have been assessed against Register Eligibility Criteria agreed to by Member Associations of PACFA, and have demonstrated an approved level of professional training, competence and ethics.

People enter the field of Psychotherapy and Counselling (click here for definition) through many diverse routes. PACFA and its Register aim to preserve the rich diversity which characterises this field, while at the same time setting baseline standards which ensure that we include only the names of those Psychotherapists and Counsellors whose qualifications demonstrate that they would be able to function autonomously within the community. The Register Eligibility Criteria are designed to ensure that any person who is listed on the Register is qualified and has in place the supportive professional infrastructure which would facilitate responsible work with clients.

The PACFA National Register of Psychotherapists and Counsellors is updated weekly. View Disclaimer.

If you are a member of one of the PACFA Member Associations, and have the required training, supervision and experience to meet the register criteria, you can apply to be listed on the Register via your member association.  Please contact your Member Association for further information.

PACFA position on Directories of Counselling and Psychotherapy practitioners in relation to the PACFA Register

The PACFA Register provides an authoritative guide to the qualifications and standards of training of practitioners in counselling and psychotherapy. All members listed on the Register have undergone a rigorous application process in which their qualifications, relevant training and supervised experience have been verified as meeting PACFA-defined standards. It also confirms that they meet the PACFA requirements for on-going supervision and professional development, and that they belong to a PACFA-recognised professional association. PACFA encourages practitioners to become members of the Register as a statement about standards and qualifications, and to contribute towards the increasing self-regulation of the profession.

This focus on standards and verification of qualifications distinguishes the PACFA Register from most other Directories. Directories of practitioners typically serve a different purpose related more to promoting awareness of and marketing of practitioner services. Generally, directories have not undertaken a rigorous process of verifying qualifications and claims about practice and competence, and do not serve a regulatory function such as providing a mechanism for investigating complaints. PACFA therefore sees the two as independent and serving different but potentially complementary purposes.
 

Making a Complaint

If you would like information on making a complaint against a PACFA Member Association or a therapist listed on the PACFA National Register, please click here.