Recent Review of Creative Therapies in the NDIS - Public Response from PACFA CCET LG

The College of Creative and Experiential Therapies (CCET) within the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) welcomes the release of the Independent Review into Art and Music Therapy in the NDIS led by Dr Stephen Duckett.

We note Dr Duckett’s acknowledgement of PACFA CCET as a key association representing providers of art and music therapy. He responded to our call for recognition of PACFA-registered creative and experiential therapists via his recommendation that the NDIS establish a regular review system to determine who may provide art and music therapy. We also welcome his proposal for a new pricing framework that recognises levels of qualifications and experience. This aligns with the forthcoming National Standards for the counselling and psychotherapy workforce, and reinforces PACFA’s longstanding commitment to tertiary level AQF7+ training benchmarks and professional regulation.

Dr Duckett’s recommendations to equalise pricing across therapy provision will have significant implications for the sector, and we recognise that they also open the way to a fairer, more consistent system that prioritises participant choice and quality of care. CCET is committed to ensuring that creative and experiential therapists regulated by PACFA are fully recognised within NDIS pricing structures.

We look forward to constructive engagement with the NDIS to ensure the implementation of these recommendations supports both participants and practitioners, and that the contribution of creative and experiential therapies is clearly reflected in the system going forward.

Regarding the provision of services within the NDIS, PACFA’s CCET members can continue to use the ‘counsellor’ rate in the NDIS price guide.