There are two common reasons you may not be able to submit your renewal form: 

1. If you have not met all your CPD and Supervision requirements in your "Logs" tab.  If you have updated your logs, please refresh the page and try again. 

2. If you are returning to your renewal form for the second time, the form will not appear if you have your renewal fees in your shopping cart.  To check for items in your shopping cart, click on the "cart" icon on the top right had corner of your screen and finalise your payment to complete your renewal*.

*If there are documents you need to upload as part of your renewal (e.g. National Police Check, Insurance policy) you can upload them directly to your membership portal via the "My Documents" tab. 

The CPD/Client/Supervision logs will only appear within your renewal form if you have not met the minimum CPD and supervision requirements to be eligible to renew.  If you have met the minimum requirements, but would like to add additional hours to your logs for the 2022/2023 membership year, you can do so after you have completed your renewal form simply by logging onto your member portal, and adding the records to the "Logs" tab. 

All Clinical, Certified Practising and Academic PACFA members must complete at least 20 CPD hours each membership year (1 July - 30 June) of which at least 10 CPD hours must be Category A CPD.

Category A CPD are activities that require you to actively participate and share information, either during the event or after. You might be required to do an assessment at the end of the course to demonstrate your knowledge. Examples include an in-person course, or conference, an online webinar where you can interact with the presenter/facilitator either during a live session, or via an online platform. 

Category B CPD is a more passive style of learning, such as reading or listening, where you do not actively engage with a facilitator. Examples include: watching a recorded lecture, such as a TED talk, reading a book or a peer-reviewed journal article, conducting a presentation or teaching in an area you specialise in or participating in a peer learning group.

A reflective journal should be used to record any notes on journal articles, books, or recordings that you do, to reflect on the learning activity and how it relates to and enhances your professional practice.

All CPD must be relevant to practice in counselling and psychotherapy and/or the research evidence base for counselling and psychotherapy.

No. Regardless of the number of client hours you have, you must have at least 10 hours of supervision hours logged. This is because supervision is central to your growth and practice as a counsellor and/or psychotherapist, and is a way to receive guidance and stay in touch with current best practice in your profession.

If cost is a barrier to receiving supervision, please visit out Low-cost Supervisor Directory for information on how to join group supervision at a capped price. 

If you became PACFA registered after 1 August 2023, a pro-rata exemption for your supervision and CPD hours has automatically been applied to your renewal form. 

The CPD/Client/Supervision logs will only appear within your renewal form if you have not met the minimum CPD and supervision requirements to be eligible to renew.  If you have met the minimum requirements, but would like to add additional hours to your logs for the 2023/2024 membership year, you can do so after you have completed your renewal form simply by logging onto your member portal, and adding the records to the "Logs" tab. 

If you joined PACFA on or after 1 August 2023, you are eligible for a pro-rata exemption. The pro-rata exemption has automatically been applied to your Renewal Form. To be eligible to renew, you only need to meet your specific CPD and Supervision hours requirements. 

If your logs are not appearing on your Renewal Form, it is because you have already met the minimum requirements to be eligible to renew your PACFA registration. If you wish to record additional hours above your minimum requirements, you can do so via your Member Portal. 

The PACFA membership year is the same as the financial year, so every PACFA membership expires of 30 June. Your PACFA membership expires on 30 June 2023.

If you complete your PACFA renewal after 31 July 2023, you will incur a late fee of $60.

If you do not renew by the 30 September 2023, your membership will expire and you will no longer be eligible for renewal. You will need to reapply to join PACFA. To renew your PACFA membership, visit: pacfa.org.au/renewnow

If you faced challenges during the 2022/2023 membership year, please review our Hardship Policy.

If you were not practising for all or part of the 2022/2023 membership year, you may be eligible for retroactive leave. You can apply using the Leave of Absence Form.

If you were practising for the whole membership year and did not complete the minimum CPD and supervision hours, unfortunately you are not eligible to renew your membership and your membership will be cancelled*. If you wish to rejoin PACFA, you will need to reapply as a new member.

*Please note: All private health funds, EAPs and injured worker authorities require counselling providers to be a current member of a professional association and to hold professional insurances.

If you don't renew your membership by 30 September 2023, your PACFA membership will automatically be cancelled and you will no longer be eligible for renewal.

You will need to reapply to join PACFA. To renew your PACFA membership, visit: pacfa.org.au/renewnow

If you are not practising or need to stop work for personal reasons, you can apply to go on leave for a period of up to two years. You can apply using the Leave of Absence Form. 

If you are on an approved Leave of Absence, you do not need to renew, and you do not need to complete the annual CPD and supervision renewal requirements for the period you are on leave.

However, if your membership was active for some of the membership year before you went on leave and you have not completed the required CPD and supervision hours for the period your membership was active, you will need to complete those CPD and supervision hours when you return. 

No. You must renew your membership before you apply for an upgrade.

In fact, it is better to upgrade after renewals because renewals are a peak period at PACFA, and you will risk your upgrade application being significantly delayed. Additionally, there is no membership fee difference between Certified Practising (previously Provisional) and Clinical membership fees, so there is no benefit to upgrading prior to your renewal.

We recommend waiting until August to submit an upgrade application to ensure timely processing.