PACFA Training Standards
PACFA Training Standards January 2009
Reminder Notice
These come into effect as of 1st January 2009
Points of clarification to bear in mind:
1. PACFA 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
2. There are 37 Member Associations incorporating a wide range of modalities within the fields of counselling and psychotherapy. PACFA Member Associations have all been audited assessed by the PACFA Executive Committee and have met the minimum requirements in three different and distinct areas – structure, ethics and training. **As an individual you can only be listed on the PACFA National Register by having full membership with a Member Association.
3. The PACFA Training Standards are different to the PACFA National Register. **As an individual you can only be listed on the PACFA National Register by having full membership with a Member Association.
If you have queries about training standards the following steps are suggested:
Step 1 Choose the Member Association you want to join or are already a member of and find out more about their training standard required by them especially as some MA s require that you meet training standards over and above PACFA minimum standards.
Step 2 Visit the PACFA website, view the 2009 Training Standards and cross check these with the training requiredments of the Member Association in order to be a member of the association.
Step 3 Clarify with the Member Association any queries you may have as it is the responsibility of the Member Association to make decisions about their membership requirements – PACFA does not do this.
Step 4 Any final clarification may be made by e-mailing the PACFA office.
** The new Training Standards to be introduced in 2009 only apply to new applicants to Member Associations and existing members do not need to meet these standards.
It is recommended that you read through the entire document PACFA Training Standards January 2009 listed on this website by clicking on Resources for Practitioners. In summary these standards are at least Bachelor degree or equivalent in terms of level and depth of training, as defined by the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF – www.aqf.edu.au).
PACFA 2009 Training Standards:
Members must have completed a Postgraduate Equivalent qualification over a minimum of two years, 200 hours of person-to-person psychotherapy and/or counselling training and 50 hours of supervision relating to 200 hours of client contact. A minimum of 10 hours of supervision relating to 40 client contact hours must have been taken place within the training program (These 10 hours are part of the 50 hours of supervision).
OR
An Undergraduate Equivalent qualification of 350 hours person-to-person training in counselling and or psychotherapy and 50 hours of supervision relating to 200 hours of client contact. This must be over a minimum of three years. A minimum of 10 hours of supervision relating to 40 client contact hours must have taken place within the training program These 10 hours are part of the 50 hours of supervision).
The important point to note is these are equivalent undergraduate and post-graduate qualifications. It does not mean training needs to be completed at a university.
Check out the Training Standards Frequently Asked Questions listed under PACFA FAQ’s.
For information on the development of these standards and an overview of the criteria please click below
