Within Australia there are many Professional Associations and Registration Boards that are relevant to the practice of psychotherapy and counselling. There are also many paths through which an individual can train to become a psychotherapist or counsellor. Health professionals from disciplines such as psychology, social work, psychiatry, medicine and nursing may undertake post-graduate training in psychotherapy and counselling. Others may undertake training in counselling or psychotherapy offered by a tertiary institution, a recognised professional association or private training institutes. Our National Guide to Training Programs in Psychotherapy and Counselling provides an overview of the diversity of training paths to psychotherapy and counselling.

Some of the main health profession bodies are:

In addition to the different professional bodies, the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) was established in November 1998 and is an umbrella association for many of the professional associations that represent various modalities within the disciplines of Psychotherapy and Counselling in the Australian community. The associations listed below are members of PACFA:

Psychologists Registration Boards
The only Australian Government legislation relevant to the practice of psychotherapy and counselling relates to the use of the title ‘psychologist». To work as a psychologist in Australia you are required by law to be ‘registered». The Psychologists Registration Board in each State and Territory conducts this process and determines the requirements for registration. All Boards require the completion of four full-time years of academic study in psychology plus two additional full-time years of either postgraduate training or supervised experience.

PsychOz Publications, Melbourne 1998-06. All rights reserved
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