Consultation Open - Share Your Thoughts
The Australian Counselling Association (ACA) is pleased to announce the release of the draft National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists, an important milestone in advancing recognition and support for our profession.
Funded in the 2023/2024 Federal Budget and driven by a recommendation from the Select Committee into Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in November 2021, the standards aim to establish a unified framework for counselling and psychotherapy across several areas such as education, accreditation, complaints, professional development, supervision, credentialing, pathways and more.
ACA has been a key contributor in developing these standards, proudly advocating for the diversity, inclusivity, and recognition of our members at every stage of this project.
As Australia’s largest peak body for counselling and psychotherapy, ACA represents over 18,000 registered counsellors, psychotherapists, and students. We are committed to ensuring that the standards reflect the needs and strengths of our community.
We are pleased to see the draft standards align closely with our existing registration structure, recognising a range of qualifications from Diploma through to Masters degree, and supporting counsellors across varied roles and settings.
A message from CEO, Jodie McKenzie
Public Consultation
The draft standards are now open for public consultation. It is important to note that these are draft standards only. Decisions about their implementation, including timing and processes, will come in a later phase, which has yet to be scheduled.
Consultants Allen and Clarke are seeking your input across several key areas. ACA will be preparing a formal response, in which you can contribute to.
Following this, Allen and Clarke will gather all feedback and finalise the document, with proposed standards expected to go to the Minister for approval in early 2025.
How You Can Participate
There are several ways to provide feedback on the draft standards:
- Direct Submission: Submit your feedback directly to the Department of Health and Aged Care’s Consultation Hub.
- ACA Survey: Complete our survey, which will consolidate feedback into a collective formal response.
- Online Consultation Sessions: Join one of our ten upcoming online (Zoom) focus group sessions, where we’ll discuss the six key questions outlined in the draft standards consultation document. Please note spots are limited for each session and ask you to register to attend only one timeslot.
Wednesday, 13 November
Thursday, 14 November
Tuesday, 19 November
Wednesday, 20 November
Thursday, 21 November
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Your participation is invaluable, and we thank you for helping us advocate for to strengthen our profession. Together, we’re shaping the future of counselling in Australia.
