Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia
Encyclopedia
The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) is the umbrella professional body that plays a self-regulating role in the psychotherapy and counselling industry. It represents the interests of more than 3000 practitioners of various forms of psychotherapy and counselling in Australia. It cooperates with 40 related associations to set and meet standards in all states and territories of Australia.
Goals
- PACFA's vision is to lead the effort to make counselling and psychotherapy widely recognised as a profession.
- PACFA's mission is to be the leading professional body for counselling and psychotherapy and an automatic reference point for anyone seeking information on counselling and psychotherapy in the AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
- PACFA's objectives are:
- to promote and provide education and training for counsellors and/or psychotherapists working in either professional or voluntary settings, whether full or part time with a view to raising the standards of counselling and/or psychotherapy for the benefit of the community and in particular for those who are the recipients of counselling and/or psychotherapy.
- to advance the education of the public in the part that counselling and/or psychotherapy can play generally and in particular to meet the needs of those members of society where development and participation in society is impaired by mental, physical or social handicap or disabilityDisabilityA disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
.
Government accreditation
The counselling profession in Australia is currently not government regulated so clients are faced with the task of evaluating qualifications of various counsellors and psychotherapists. PACFA is one of two industry associations that is campaigning for government accreditation of counselling in Australia.See also
- Australian Psychological SocietyAustralian Psychological SocietyThe Australian Psychological Society is a professional association established to represent psychologists in Australia. The APS has more than 18,500 members, making it the largest professional body representing psychologists in Australia...
- Australian Counselling AssociationAustralian Counselling AssociationThe Australian Counselling Association is a non-profit, professional organisation that is dedicated to the counselling profession. ACA represents professional counsellors in Australia.- Mission :...
- United Kingdom Council for PsychotherapyUnited Kingdom Council for PsychotherapyThe United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy exists to promote and maintain high standards in the practice of psychotherapy for the benefit of the public throughout the United Kingdom...