What are the CPD requirements?
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.
What is the difference between Category A and B 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.
I don't have many client hours. Does this mean that I can do less supervision hours?
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 2022, a pro-rata exemption for your supervision and CPD hours has automatically been applied to your renewal form.
Why can't I see my CPD/Client/Supervision logs on my 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 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.
I joined PACFA part-way through the membership year (after 1 August 2022). Am I eligible for pro-rata CPD and Supervision hours?
If you joined PACFA on or after 1 August 2022, 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.
Month joined |
CPD exemption (hours) |
Supervision exemption (hours) |
August |
2 |
1 |
September |
3 |
2 |
October |
5 |
3 |
November |
7 |
3 |
December |
8 |
4 |
January |
10 |
5 |
February |
12 |
6 |
March |
13 |
7 |
April |
15 |
8 |
May |
17 |
8 |
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.
I had a grace period applied to my logs last year. How do I renew this year?
If you had a grace period applied to your logs in the previous membership year (1 July 2021 - 30 June 2022) you are required to complete those hours in the following membership year (1 July 2022 - 30 June 2023).
For example, if you were granted a grace period of 6 CPD hours in June 2022, you are required to completed 26 CPD hours this membership year to be eligible to renew (20 hours minimum requirement + 6 hours of grace CPD from the previous year).
Does my supervisor need to be PACFA accredited or a PACFA member?
No, however this is strongly recommended. PACFA-accredited supervisors are clinical members who have completed extensive training in supervision. As well as being knowledgeable practitioners, they have a deep understanding of PACFA's policies and can help you with your annual requirements.
Your supervisor can come from a related discipline such as psychology, social work, or psychiatry. Whoever your supervisor is, they must be more senior than you and have specialist knowledge of your practice modalities.
Why can't I see my CPD/Client/Supervision log within the Renewal Form?
The logs will only appear in your renewal form if you have not met the minimum requirements.
If you have met the minimum requirements, you will move straight from the "Document Upload" tab to the "Declaration" tab.
If you have met the minimum requirements, however would like to log additional hours to your logs, you can do so via the membership portal.