01 September 2022
PACFA is proud to announce that we have successfully applied for full membership of Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA). The AHPA Board approved our application on 24 August 2022.
Full membership of AHPA is an important step in PACFA’s strategic roadmap to greater recognition and standing for our member counsellors and psychotherapists, as PACFA CEO Johanna de Wever and President Dr Di Stow outlined in our April Member Forum.
Full membership of AHPA opens advocacy doors for PACFA; importantly, it also sets a national minimum standard for counsellors and psychotherapists to be recognised nationally as allied health professionals.
Official recognition of counsellors and psychotherapists as allied health professionals will have policy and practice rewards for our profession. This recognition is limited to PACFA members, as it relates only to counsellors and psychotherapists who meet certain training requirements and belong to an organisation holding AHPA ordinary (full) membership.
As PACFA CEO Johanna de Wever told members at our April forum, standing alongside other allied health professionals, with the added strength of AHPA’s advocacy, would support PACFA’s capacity to achieve key member objectives such as Medicare rebate access and removing the need for counsellors and psychotherapists to pay GST.
PACFA will stand alongside other allied health profession peak bodies in AHPA-led policy statements and campaigns. Full AHPA membership also amplifies the counselling and psychotherapy voice in government reviews of mental health policy.
PACFA thanks members for their support in applying for full membership of Allied Health Professions Australia as we continue to work for the greater good of our membership and the profession.