A registered counsellor or psychotherapist is a member of a professional organisation such as the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) or the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).

If you are outside Australia, it might be worth researching and finding the equivalent for your area.

For registration, we are required to have completed professional qualifications in counselling and or psychotherapy. We must receive ongoing professional development, including supervision of our practice to maintain membership.

We are also to abide by the ethical guidelines of the profession. These high standards ensure that practitioners are well qualified to work with you and provides members of the public with an accountability process to ensure best practice.

In Australia, the industry is not regulated meaning that you don’t need any special qualifications or training to be a counsellor, although most do have qualifications and training.

It is a good idea to check that any counsellor you want to see is registered with a professional body like the Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists, also known as ARCAP. ARCAP is an independent, national Register of qualified Counsellors and Psychotherapists established by the ACA & PACFA.

If you would like to know about counselling, you can get in contact by clicking here.