14 March 2024
At the recent in-person Board meeting in Melbourne on 24 and 25 February 2024, the PACFA Board approved a new Good Practice Guideline. This resource focuses on key documentation needed by PACFA registrants working in or contemplating working in private practice.
The documents included in this Good Practice Guideline support private practitioners in this endeavour:
- Privacy policy, which clarifies for a client the practitioner’s legal obligation and commitment to the protection of their personal information,
- Intake form, which provides a transparent and consistent mechanism for the practitioner to gather personal and identifying information about a new client and assures the client regarding the practitioner’s commitment to the confidential protection of this information
- Informed consent form, which details for the client the nature and terms of the relationship with the practitioner prior to the commencement of therapy
- Consent for information release/exchange form, which ensures that the client is actively informed and engaged in any disclosure by the practitioner of their personal information that is not legally mandated
The sample documents provided in this Good Practice Guideline are not intended to be exhaustive but provide guidance in supporting registrants in meeting their legal and ethical obligations when working independently as a counsellor, psychotherapist, or Indigenous healing practitioner.
The Professional Standards Committee was established in 2014 by combining two earlier committees, the Training Standards Committee and the Register Committee.The Professional Standards Committee provides strategic oversight of all activities relating to the PACFA’s Training Standards and the PACFA National Register.
For more about the Professional Standards Committee, please click here.