About the College
The College of Psychotherapy is a national College, dedicated to supporting psychotherapists and advancing the practice of psychotherapy in Australia.
A Leadership Group has been established to lead the College and to plan activities for College members. The College has also established its Terms of Reference.
Activities may include:
- Providing continuing professional development
- Providing opportunities for networking and peer support
- Building a vibrant community of practitioners who are trained in psychotherapy
- Providing resources to the community about psychotherapy modalities and accessing psychotherapy services
- Developing and promoting practice standards and guidelines
- Sponsoring and fostering psychotherapy research
- Providing opportunities for psychotherapists in regional and rural areas to participate
Information on College-related updates, activities, networking opportunities, Community CPD and more is included in PACFA's e-news.
To contact the College of Psychotherapy Leadership Group, email [email protected]
How do I join?
You can join the College as a Clinical member, which includes use of the Registered Clinical Psychotherapist (RCP) title.
Please note Student, Affiliate members and Certified Practising Members are not eligible to join the College of Psychotherapy. For more information, please read the update for affiliate members.
The College Leadership Group has been working on improving the membership application pathway and supporting documentation. To support the implementation of the new pathway, the College has temporarily paused the acceptance of new applications. The LG will continue to assess applications submitted prior to June 2024 in this interim period. Resources to support applicants in applying via the updated pathway will be made available in mid-July and the pathway is expected to re-open in early August 2024. Keep an eye on the e-news for updates.
New resources will include:
- Application Journey
- FAQ's
- Updated application guide
- Updated application form
The existing RCP application guide and College of Psychotherapy Training Standards can be viewed to help prepare your documentation in the lead up to the new resources being made available.
Our specialist Colleges offer advanced training opportunities to registrants who meet the Colleges’ entry requirements. Annual membership of the College of Psychotherapy is available to eligible registrants (application and membership fees will apply).
Members of PACFA Member Associations who are listed on the PACFA Register may also join the College of Psychotherapy. There is an annual fee payable as detailed in the Schedule of Fees.
College of Psychotherapy Members also receive and are encouraged to use an exclusive digital badge denoting their status as a Registered Clinical Psychotherapist.
Check Your Eligibility
Becoming a Registered Clinical Psychotherapist requires a demanding but rewarding process, beginning with meeting PACFA’s registration requirements, and then followed by over 450 hours of Advanced Specialist Training in modality-specific psychotherapy. This comprehensive training incorporates extensive psychotherapy theory, practical clinical skills, clinical supervision, experiential learning, human development, and human diversity. A solid grounding in current research in psychotherapy and a commitment to rigorous ethical standards are fundamental aspects of this professional training.
Additionally, psychotherapists undergo personal therapy as part of their training to ground and integrate their modality, deepen their emotional capacity and self-awareness, ensuring they are well-prepared to navigate the complexities of psychotherapeutic relationships (including working with transference) and client needs. A Registered Clinical Psychotherapist continues supervision, professional development, and involvement in a community of psychotherapists throughout their professional life.
The College Leadership Group has created an Eligibility Checklist for applicants to review prior to submitting an application. Please refer to this resource, and if you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
- INSERT ELIGIBILITY RESOURCE (with thumbnail of checklist)
Application Documents
The College’s Leadership Group has been working on improving the College membership application pathway and supporting documentation, and the updated membership application pathway will re-open on 1st August 2024.
Resources to support applicants in applying via the updated pathway are now available:
- Insert Application Journey
- Insert Eligibility Criteria checklist
- Insert FAQs
- Insert Recognised Modalities resource
- Insert Personal Psychotherapy Verification Form
The updated College of Psychotherapy Application Form will be made available on this page, when the pathway re-opens on 1st August 2024.
If you have any questions in regard to the new College of Psychotherapy membership application pathway, please contact [email protected].
Meet the Leadership Group
Ernst Meyer (Convenor)
Ernst Meyer is originally from Bavaria in the south of Germany, and migrated to Australia in 1995. As a contemporary somatic psychotherapist in private practice he is working with adults, couples and teenage children. Ernst joined the leadership group of the PACFA’s Somatic Psychotherapy modality in 2017, and has been an educator in somatic psychotherapy since 2021.
Psychotherapy is a valid and powerful clinical alternative to psychology and psychiatry. When practiced as a non-medical talk therapy it differs significantly from medical and natural-scientific approaches to so-called mental health. As the Convenor of the College of Psychotherapy his aim is to strengthen psychotherapy’s standing both within PACFA as well as in the wider community.
Jodie Gale (Deputy Convenor)
Jodie Gale has been a been a depth psychotherapist in private practice for over 20 years. She is the founder of The Psychosynthesis Centre, Trauma Warriors, Jodie Gale Soul-Centred Therapy for Women, Opening the Door on Private Practice Facebook Group and The Soul Sessions with Jodie Gale Podcast. She is a Clinical Supervisor, Private Practice Business Coach, Trainer and Facilitator. Jodie is passionate about the field of psychotherapy, and the deep, personal and spiritual work that is required to do this work. Throughout the pandemic, Jodie turned to nature as she grappled with an existential crisis and dark night of the soul – this led her to her year-long training in eco-psychotherapy – a field that is growing and necessary, more now than ever before. Jodie works tirelessly to promote the benefits of psychotherapy to those who have experienced trauma and deep suffering. Psychotherapy is both an art and a science, and the deep relationship that IS psychotherapy, changes lives from the inside out.
Lindy Spanger
Lindy Spanger is a Clinical Soul Centred Psychotherapist with a B.Ed. Lindy has been working in private practice for over 15 years and has recently completed teaching the three year in depth training in Soul Centred Psychotherapy. Lindy is currently completing her training with the Wheel of Supervision to become a supervisor.
Ermanno Bergami
Ermanno Bergami was born in Italy and has been practising as a clinical body-psychotherapist for the last 43 years. He is also an accredited supervisor. In London in 1980, he finished his first psychotherapy training in Bioenergetics. Ermanno has worked as a psychotherapist in the UK, Holland, Germany and Italy. 20 years ago, he moved to Australia, where he currently works in private practice with individual, couples and as a supervisor. In 2016 he completed additional training in Functional Analysis, a contemporary psychosomatic psychotherapy approach. Ermanno has devoted many years of his professional life working with complex traumas and personality disorders and in particular the relationship between trauma and addiction. Together with other colleagues, he has contributed to the development of a new approach in Group Supervision, called “Intervision”. Ermanno is also the director of, and an educator for, The Australian Institute of Functional Analysis.
Martha Calhoun
Martha Calhoun is a Transpersonal and Experiential Psychotherapist with 30+years experience in private practice working with adults and children in individual and group settings. She is a trainer in this modality of psychotherapy and an accredited supervisor. Martha has also undertaken study in social sciences and psychology and more recently in forest therapy. She is keen to support the presence of psychotherapy as a profession in Australia and to further understanding of the meaningful and effective contribution psychotherapy can make in the mental health space.
Lana Sciberras
Lana Sciberras, Clinical Psychotherapist & Mindfulness therapist, is a Gestalt psychotherapist with a deepening of this model from extensive training in Process-oriented psychology. She works compassionately and empathically with clients, carefully following and unfolding their process, to allow for what’s trying to emerge at a deeper level that will assist with growth and meaning. She combines psychotherapy with mindfulness and compassion focused therapies. Lana is a long term meditation practitioner, which supports her ability to be present with clients, and informs facilitation of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) groups for relapse prevention for depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders including addiction. She has educated professionals at Southern Synergy, Monash University in facilitating MBCT, and worked for many years in a psychiatric hospital in Melbourne facilitating outpatient and inpatient therapy, mindfulness, compassion and addiction groups. Currently, Lana is involved in two research studies as a therapist using psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and Treatment resistant depression.