Frequently Asked Questions

How do I join PACFA?

Individuals cannot join PACFA - it is an "association of associations". You need to join a PACFA Member Association in order to show that you meet the professional standards now required in the field. You will need to approach a PACFA Member Association and go through their normal membership procedures - you will have to prove that you meet their training standards, their supervision and experience requirements, and commit yourself to their ethical standards. All of these will have been ratified as sufficient by PACFA.

The benefits of joining a member association listed with PACFA are mainly for credibility in the profession because you have met the PACFA Professional Training Standards. If you are then eligible to list on the PACFA Register, you will be published on the PACFA website as an individual therapist. Listing on the PACFA Register will hold you in high regard by members of the public because you have met stringent standards of training, ethics and accountability.

Your course would also need to have met our Professional Training Standards. The new Training Standards only apply to new applicants of Member Associations. Existing members do not need to meet these standards.

For more information on the PACFA National Register and its eligibility requirements, click here.


What are the benefits of joining a PACFA Member Association and listing on the PACFA Register?

In the long term, membership of a PACFA Member Association will mean the widest public recognition of your professional credibility. The PACFA National Register of Psychotherapists and Counsellors is available to the general public who are seeking information about Psychotherapy and Counselling. The Register, unlike a membership list, includes names of individual Psychotherapists and Counsellors who have been accredited through the National Register application process. Having your name listed on the Register, under that of your PACFA Member Association, will confirm that your level of training, your expertise and your commitment to a high standard of ethical and professional practice have been verified.

PACFA Benefits:

• PACFA provides a forum for professional counsellors and psychotherapists to gain recognition of members of a united professional association and management of queries concerning adherence with ethical educational training and compliance requirements for professional practitioners;
• Listing on the PACFA Register is a pre-condition for potential acceptance under the private health insurance (accreditation) rules 2008;
• Listing on the PACFA Register is a pre-requisite for entry into one of the ten special sections for professional modalities of psychotherapists and counsellors that are consulted on registration and recognition in those modalities;
• Key stakeholders including service organisation, employers and government departments check with the PACFA Register to confirm professional standing;
• On-going professional development and staffing requirements by organisations seeking confirmation of continuing education requirements are confirmed only for PACFA Registrants as other queries are referred directly to Member Associations;
• Evidence of requisite knowledge, skills and experience for listing on the Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ARCAP) depends on holding prior standing on the national register of either PACFA or ACA;
• As PACFA and ACA are negotiating to gain a quality of treatment with Allied Health Professions, it is essential to maintain an up-to-date register of clinical and professional counsellors and psychotherapists as there are more than 10,000 self-identified and uncredentialled claimants to this status (see Senate Committee Report 6.123);
• The PACFA Register is accepted as being endorsed by the 37 current Member Associations as proof of professional standing and peer acceptance for the provision of relevant information on qualified practitioners to the community and to government agencies through a National Register of psychotherapists and counsellors;
• Members on the PACFA Register are able to contribute to and develop policy and research proposals with respect to the efficacy of counselling and psychotherapy, skills development, theory and knowledge building, and promote these by the use of the PACFA logo as a seal of standing and post nominal in gaining employment and public standing; and
• Participation on the Register contributes to the provision of a united professional identity of the science relating to the art and practice of psychotherapy and counselling, including providing support, public accountability and representation of the professions where there is conflict over the standing of psychotherapy and counselling as legitimate Allied Health Professions.

What are the conditions for practice hours required for the Register?

Practice Experience Hours: Hours spent by the Applicant conducting actual psychotherapy or counselling work with clients or patients. Practice hours must include:

• Direct face-to-face counselling or psychotherapy with individuals, couples or families; and/or
• Counselling or psychotherapy group work.

Please note: Counselling or psychotherapy group work is acceptable where the applicant has a primary leadership or equal co-leadership role and the group purpose is primarily of a counselling or psychotherapeutic nature. This would be understood in relation to the definition of counselling or psychotherapy. Teaching of educational groups or facilitation of self-help groups would not fit this definition.

Up to 25% of the 750 post-training practice hours can be delivered via telephone or internet. To be counted as Practice Experience Hours, the work must:

• Have been interspersed with the regular, professional or post-training supervision or peer review of the applicant satisfying the conditions outlined above. Practice experience hours do not count unless they are matched in time and content with post-training supervisors' reports (or peer review reports); and
• All supervision (and thus the practice experience to which it related used to make up the hours required for your training route) must have taken place after completing all the training components including that of the 50 hours of training supervision.
• If your supervised experience exceeds that which is required by your application, it is necessary to mention in your application only that which is sufficient to meet the requirements.
• If two supervision experiences overlapped in time, make sure that you do not count the related practice experience hours twice for that period.

What is the difference between clinical and provisional registrants?

Provisional registrants have met the PACFA Professional Training Standards, however they have not yet completed the post-training supervision requirements to be listed as clinical. Clinical registrants have met both the PACFA Professional Training Standards and the post-training supervision requirements for PACFA Registration.


What are the PACFA Professional Training Standards?

The PACFA Professional Training Standards, developed in conjunction with our Member Associations, detail the minimum level of training required for an individual wishing to list on the PACFA National Register. To view the PACFA Professional Training Standards, click here.


Which version of the PACFA Professional Training Standards applies to me?

If your course commenced after January 2009, the 2009 PACFA Professional Training Standards apply to you. For any courses commenced prior to January 2009, the 2007 PACFA Professional Training Standards apply.


What is deemed supervision for the purposes of PACFA Registration?

Professional or Post-Training Supervision: Supervision is a formal, collaborative process in which case material from the supervisee's own practice experience is reflected upon. In supervision, a senior colleague takes responsibility for supervising the work of a supervisee, who seeks the help of the supervisor because this person is understood to have some superior knowledge. Supervision may, for the purpose of the PACFA Register application process, take the form of individual or small group meetings (of up to six supervisees and a supervisor). It is not the same as administrative or management supervision, nor is it the same as psychotherapy or counselling of the supervisee.

Peer Supervision, or Peer Review: Peer review or peer supervision is distinct from the supervision described above in that peers review each others work in these arrangements. These arrangements do not require the presence of a designated supervisor. Hours of peer review or peer supervision can be counted, for the purposes of register applications, for up to half of the supervision hours required. Peer review sessions can be counted if they took place at least five years after the applicant had completed the required training, and as long as those five years were spent in supervised practice. The peer review may have been 1:1 or in a group of up to six peers. In the case of peer review, the supervisor's comments and signature are provided by a member of the peer review group, or "Peer Review Referee".

For more information on the supervision requirements, please refer to the PACFA Professional Training Standards.


Does my supervisor need to be PACFA accredited?

PACFA cannot currently endorse supervisors, however your supervisor will need to be approved by the training body, and in some cases by the Member Association, you wish to become a member of. You will need to check this with the Member Association.


My supervisor is now deceased/has moved/cannot be contacted. Is there any other documentation/supporting evidence I can submit to support my supervision hours?

In this case, we would request that you use signed forms from other supervisors to cover the required hours. If the hours are recent, then a colleague can verify that the supervision took place, the length of supervision, and how regularly you attended. We would also request the contact details of the practitioner vouching for the supervision hours.


Does PACFA allocate Professional Development (PD) points for courses and conferences?

The assessment of courses/conferences etc. suitable for PD points varies somewhat amongst our Member Associations, particularly as some represent quite specific modalities/philosophies. You will need to refer to the PD guidelines of the Member Association through which you became a registrant of PACFA.


Where can I find information about available jobs for counsellors and psychotherapists?

www.jobs4alliedhealth.com.au
www.counsellorjobs.com.au
www.hacjobs.com.au
www.seek.com.au
www.mycareer.com.au
www.careerone.com.au
www.naturaltherapypages.com.au

The following link is to a community based organisation offering volunteer positions:
www.volunteer.infoxchange.net.au


Does PACFA offer a discount for professional indemnity insurance?

If you are a member of a PACFA Member Association and listed on the PACFA National Register, then you qualify for the following rates:

Limit $1,000,000 - Total Payable $150
Limit $2,000,000 - Total Payable $170
Limit $5,000,000 - Total Payable $210
Limit $10,000,000 - Total Payable $250
Limit $20,000,000 - Total Payable $300

(The above figures are an indication only and will vary depending on policy period and relevant State stamp duty charges)

Alternatively, please contact Rowland House on 1800 642 747 if you need any insurance advice or assistance.

Does PACFA have any guidelines for working with children?

PACFA do not have any guidelines specific to working with children. We can, however, refer you to one of our Member Associations: Victorian Association of Family Therapy (VAFT). VAFT have a very good code of ethics that offers some simple and clear guidelines for working with children.
Their contact details are:
Phone: 03 9486 7240
Email: admin@vaft.asn.au
Web: www.vaft.asn.au


Can Counsellors or Psychotherapists offer the Medicare rebate to their clients?

Unfortunately, counsellors and psychotherapists have not been included in the current Medicare rebate scheme. Individuals can only obtain a Medicare rebate through seeing Psychologists, Occupational Therapists or Social Workers by referral from a GP. PACFA has been lobbying the government extensively for inclusion of counsellors and psychotherapists in the new Medicare scheme. Updates on this progress are available by subscribing to the PACFA eNews.


How do I choose a Counsellor/Psychotherapist?

The PACFA National Register of Psychotherapists and Counsellors is available to members of the general public who are seeking a psychotherapist or counsellor. The Register, unlike a membership list, includes names of individual psychotherapists and counsellors who have been accredited through their Member Association and the National Register application process. Therefore we would recommend choosing a therapist from the PACFA Register because they have obtained a significant level of training, expertise and commitment to a high standard of ethical and professional practice. It is then best to choose a therapist from under the appropriate sections listed on the PACFA website, depending on the style and modality of counselling that you think is most appropriate for you. Click here to see the PACFA Sections.

If you are in doubt, it is always best to either contact the Member Association that represents the style or modality you require, or contact the counsellor/psychotherapist directly for further information on what they offer.


What can I expect when seeing a Counsellor/Psychotherapist?

It is always best to contact the Counsellor or therapist before making an appointment. Discuss your requirements so they can indicate whether they will be able to assist you, and if not, suggest a more appropriate therapist for you.

Feel free to ask questions about their training, experience, expertise, style of work, and some estimate of how many sessions are likely to be required. Also ask about costs of missed sessions or cancellations. Please note that the number of sessions is difficult to predict and some clients opt for an open-ended contract. Some practitioners work on a short term intensive basis so they can be clearer about how many sessions will be required.

Costs vary greatly and range from $60 to $150 a session, although some practitioners charge outside this range. Some practitioners will also negotiate the fees on capacity to pay basis and some will not. In the end it has a lot to do with your personal choice and comfort with the person you are seeing. If you are in any doubt, seek more information or change therapists if necessary.


What is the difference between Counselling and Psychotherapy?

Definition of Counselling and Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy and Counselling are professional activities that utilise an interpersonal relationship to enable people to develop self understanding and to make changes in their lives. Professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists work within a clearly contracted, principled relationship that enables individuals to obtain assistance in exploring and resolving issues of an interpersonal, intrapsychic, or personal nature.

Professional Psychotherapy/Counselling:

• Utilises Counselling, psychotherapeutic, and psychological theories, and a set of advanced interpersonal skills which emphasise processes of facilitation. Such processes are based on an ethos of respect for clients, their values, their beliefs, their uniqueness and the right to self-determination.

• Requires an in-depth training process to develop understanding and knowledge about human behaviour, therapeutic capacities, and ethical and professional boundaries. Because it is explicitly contracted and requires in-depth training to utilise a range of therapeutic interventions, professional Counselling should be differentiated from the use of Counselling skills by other professionals.

• Takes account of the cultural and socio-political context in which the client lives and how these factors affect the presenting problem. This includes an awareness and assessment of cultural influences such as age, development, disability, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, indigenous identity, nationality, gender. Professional Psychotherapists and Counsellors value such differences and avoid discrimination on the basis of such factors.

• May involve work with current problems, immediate crisis, or long-term difficulties. Depending on the nature of the difficulties, the work may be short-term or long-term, and may involve working with an individual, a couple, a family or a group, and may occur in a variety of organisational contexts in the public or private sectors.

• Regards the processes of self-monitoring, self-examination, self-awareness, self-development, professional development and on-going clinical supervision as central to effective practice. Such practices lead to enhanced capacity to utilise oneself in the therapeutic endeavour.

Although Counselling and Psychotherapy overlap considerably, there are also recognised differences in terms of aims, approaches and training. While the work with clients may be of considerable depth in both modalities, the focus of counselling is more likely to be on specific problems or changes in life adjustment. Psychotherapy is more concerned with the restructuring of the personality or self. At advanced levels of training, Counselling has a greater overlap with Psychotherapy than at foundation levels.

Further distinctions regarding Psychotherapy and Counselling are offered in the Register Sections of the PACFA National Register: http://www.pacfa.org.au/memberassoc/cid/3/parent/0/pid/3/t/memberassoc/title/pacfa-sections

What do I do if I want to make a complaint against a counsellor or psychotherapist?

Click here for more information on making a complaint.


I want to do training in the profession. What counselling/psychotherapy course should I do?

PACFA is currently in the process of accrediting counselling and psychotherapy programs. At this stage we only have a short list of accredited courses. (Click here for a list of these). If the course you are interested in undertaking is not listed, check with the course provider to see if it meets the PACFA Professional Training Standards.

At this time, the counselling industry in Australia is unregulated by the Australian Government, therefore there are no government regulations pertaining to counselling courses. As such, PACFA was established as a peak body of the industry and our role includes regulating therapeutic practice, establishing recognised standards of training, developing professional accountability, and ensuring public protection, and currently fulfils the role of self-regulation within the profession. Educators and trainers have started looking at the Professional Training Standards documents produced by PACFA with a view to their graduates being accepted for membership of PACFA Member Associations and PACFA Registration in their fields.

If you are looking for a suitable course, we suggest that you:

• Ask any training course coordinators whether they are taking active steps to ensure their course at least meets PACFA's 2009 Professional Training Standards.
• Request a copy of their curriculum, the hours of face-to-face teaching, philosophy, etc., and compare them with the PACFA Training Standards documents yourself.
• Talk to any PACFA Member Association in the area in which you wish to train and ask them about the status of the course you plan to do and if it will be acceptable training for membership of their Association.

If you then wish to join PACFA as an individual and be listed on the PACFA Register of Counsellors, you would be eligible to do so. For more information on joining the Register, click here. If you wish to do a further search of training courses, you can do so through the National Training Guide on the PsychOz website. These courses, however, will not necessarily meet the PACFA Professional Training Standards, so you will need to ask the training body if they do.

We also recommend that you seek the advice of a professional careers counsellor if you are unsure of whether the counselling path is the correct one for you, or to compare it against other professions. PACFA staff are unable to provide careers counselling service or advise you which course to undertake.


Can I fast track my course so I finish earlier?

While your training course may offer the option for you to complete your course in less than the ordinary time, you will not be eligible to list on the PACFA Register unless the course meets the relevant Professional Training Standards.

For more information on the PACFA National Register and its eligibility requirements, click here.


What is considered 'client contact'?

Client contact is direct client contact, face-to-face or person-to-person work. Group work, psychoeducational groups and co-therapy will be counted as client contact hours as long as the student has primary therapeutic responsibility for the client/s. Case management, counselling research, telephone counselling and informal work with individuals, children and families is not considered client contact.


What is the process for training bodies to become accredited with PACFA?

For information on the process for course accreditation, click here.


I am studying/I have studied overseas. Does my course meet the PACFA Professional Training Standards? Do I need to be an Australian Citizen to practice in Australia?

At this time, the counselling industry in Australia is unregulated by the Australian Government and therefore there are no government regulations in place regarding overseas counselling qualifications. As such, PACFA was established as a peak body of the industry and our role includes regulating therapeutic practice, establishing recognised standards of training, and developing professional accountability and public protection. Most employers would require professional membership with a recognised association and professional indemnity insurance, and we would recommend the same if you were to establish a private practice.

PACFA recognises qualifications attained overseas provided that they meet our Professional Training Standards. PACFA has developed these Training Standards in conjunction with our Member Associations, which detail the minimum level of training required for an individual who wishes to list on the PACFA National Register. For more information on the PACFA National Register, click here.

You will also need to:

• Check to see if the Member Association you wish to become a member of would recognise the qualifications you have attained overseas; and
• Check with the Member Association you wish to join if Australian citizenship is a requirement for membership.

Australian citizenship is relevant to living and working in Australia and therefore you also need to check your responsibilities with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship as well as any prospective employers.

The Australian Government also offers advice on how Australian and overseas qualifications compare to help overseas qualified people study and work in Australia. For more information, click here.