PACFA is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Cathy Bettman as the new Chair of the Research Committee and as PACFA’s newest member of the Board of Directors.
Dr Cathy Bettman is currently Deputy Dean of Counselling and Psychotherapy at The Cairnmillar Institute. With over 20 years of lecturing and counselling in diverse contexts, Dr Cathy Bettman is a champion of evidence-based mental health practices. She supervises students, interns and practitioners in clinical and research settings.
For her PhD, Cathy conducted a qualitative research study in the area of domestic violence. Her thesis was entitled: Patriarchy: The Predominant Discourse and Font of Domestic Violence. This study resulted in her achieving a reputation as a feminist researcher although she prefers her philosophical stance to be understood as more inclusive. Having been trained in humanistic and systemic frameworks, she brings to the role social constructivist, constructionist and dialogical paradigms. Her qualifications also include MSc (Psychotherapy), Master of Couple and Family Therapy, Master of Counselling, Post Graduate Diploma in Conflict Resolution and BA.
The Research Committee itself is brought together as required by the PACFA Board to support PACFA’s mission in building the evidence base for counselling and psychotherapy. The Committee’s Chair is appointed by the Board on the recommendation of the Committee, and must be a PACFA member or a member of a PACFA Member Association, have a Higher Degree Research Qualification, experience in conducting and publishing research, and a demonstrated understanding of ethical issues in the conduct of research.
As Chair, Dr Bettman is responsible for presenting the views and considerations of the committee to the PACFA Board for discussion, and for carrying out decisions made by the Board.
Dr Bettman takes the reins of the Research Committee Chair position from Dr Alexandra Bloch-Atefi, who served as Chair and on the Board of Directors since 2019. PACFA thanks Alexandra for her contributions and commitment to PACFA over the years.