Christian Cousellors Association of Australia

PACFA & ARCAP


CCAA is a member association of PACFA

 

 

PACFA News

FAQ

What is PACFA?

  • PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counsellors Association of Australia) is the national peak umbrella organisation uniting over 40 counselling associations in professional standards, accountability and self-regulation.
  • Individuals cannot join PACFA. Individuals can only join associations, which in turn become member associations under PACFA.

What is the PACFA Register?

The PACFA Register

  • is an authoritative list of Psychotherapists and Counsellors for the Australian community. Employers, government and non-government bodies increasingly use the PACFA Register as a criterion for appointments alongside registered psychologists and social workers.
  • is the highest form of recognition for counsellors in Australia and requires rigorous verification of qualifications, training, supervised experience and professional development.
  • seeks greater recognition at government level, leading eventually to health insurance rebates and GST status.


How has CCAA set its levels of Membership?

CCAA has aligned its Membership levels with those of PACFA:

  • Graduate Member requirements match the PACFA Training Standards 2009, which are widely recognised by tertiary institutions in Australia as a benchmark for training in professional counselling.
  • Clinical Member requirements match the PACFA Register

Developing News

Dear Member Associations,

The Mental Health Council of Australia held a meeting today at Parliament
House calling for reshaping of mental health services in Australia. The
attached letter was given to Senator Claire Moore who was acclaimed by the
CEO of the Mental Health Council David Crosbie as a tireless advocate for
mental health and people suffering disadvantage. PACFA was one of 47
associations, including the AMA and AASW, who were signatories. Ione Lewis
attended the meeting as PACFA's representative.

Professor Mc Gorry, Australian of the Year, addressed the meeting and spoke
of the need for a widespread restructure of the mental health system and the
difficult relationship between the government and the mental health sector
following the COAG meeting and the Federal Budget. Professor Mc Gorry called
for a commitment to equity between physical health which receives 13% of the
Federal budget and mental health which receives 6%. He said the imbalance in
funding was due to stigma and discrimination and that there is a need for
immediate investment in Headspace, Early Intervention in Psychosis and
Suicide Intervention and Prevention.

Although a further meeting was arranged with Kevin Rudd and the Health
Minister Nicola Roxon, the resignation of the Prime Minister this morning
made this impracticable. David Crosbie said there would be a short terms
strategy to lobby government in the lead up to the election and a longer
terms strategy. Julia Gillard the incoming Prime Minister has been Shadow
Minister for Health and is well aware of the gaps in services.

A photo of the meeting delegates is also attached.

Ione Lewis

Vice President PACFA

Letter

NSW Code of Conduct

1 Aug 2008 - Certain unregistered practitioners are required to display the Code of Conduct and the Notice to display on their premises.

 

A Concession from WorkCover NSW

FYI re a concession for counsellors in tier 1 of the [new] ARCAP Register (equivalent to Clinical membership of PACFA).

A quote from page 4:

APPROVAL OF SUITABLE PRACTIONERS
Payment will only be made for services provided by WorkCover approved service providers. A service provider must have a WorkCover approval number prior to delivery of any psychological or counselling service to an injured worker. WorkCover will approve the following services providers:

  1. Psychologists registered in the Australian state or territory where the service is delivered and who also meet the WorkCover approval criteria
  2. Counsellors - who meet the requirements for Tier-A1 of the Australian Register of
    Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ARCAP) and also meet the WorkCover approval criteria

and page 11:

DESCRIPTOR FEE
Counsellor
Initial Consultation $134 per session
Standard Consultation $120 per session

A Concession from Workcover NSW

Victorian Department of Health letter to PACFA

Dear Member Associations,

You will all be pleased to know that we have now been advised that the Victorian Government , and indirectly the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has accepted the Australian Register of Counellors and Psychotherapists (ARCAP) as the approved single national credentialling system for the professions. This follows on from the survey undertaken by PACFA funded by Victorian Department of Human Services on the self regulation of professions. This is great news and the first step in our continuing effort to gain recognition of Psychotherapists and Counsellors across Australia.

Kind Regards

Tim Johnson Newell

President PACFA

Victoria Department of Health Letter to PACFA .pdf

NB: there is an error in the link quoted in the letter. The correct link seems to be http://www.health.vic.gov.au/pracreg/hp-review/psychotherapy

 

PACFA Response to KPMG’s Evaluation of the Better Access Initiative

Here's a snippet from the Response:

"A survey of over 300 Christian Counsellors [from CCAA] across Australian found that only 31% had found no decline in their consulting hours, 29% a reduction less than 25% of hours, and 32% a reduction in excess of 25%. One in five of these practitioners are considering closing their practice as a result of the introduction of the BAI [Better Access Initiative]. This has to an extent been offset by the 38% engagement of the services of these Counsellors by clients who have been dissatisfied with services provided under the BAI."

PACFA - Response to KPMG Evaluation of Better Access Initiative

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