Latest News

  

Mental Health Advocacy day

Posted on 14/09/2023
On Wednesday 13 September, PACFA President Nigel Polak and CEO Johanna de Wever represented members at a day-long event at Parliament House in Canberra hosted by peak body Mental Health Australia.
  

Renewal documents due by 30 September

Posted on 14/09/2023
If you have renewed your registration without providing proof of your National Police Check, PI Insurance and Working with Children Check (if applicable), your registration will show as ‘pending’ and could be suspended.
  

Quality control steps introduced

Posted on 14/09/2023
As part of meeting PACFA's commitment to quality control for registration as outlined in the National Alliance of Self Regulating Health Professions (NASRHP), PACFA will be introducing a new audit policy.
  

PACFA and the CCAA

Posted on 13/09/2023
PACFA and the Christian Counsellors Association of Australia (CCAA) have signed an updated Memorandum of Understanding to work together in achieving positive mental health outcomes for Australians.
  

PACFA lobbying HCF for recognition of Psychotherapy

Posted on 13/09/2023
As a result of PACFA’s advocacy, we are pleased to advise that HCF is currently reviewing their criteria regarding psychotherapy qualifications.
  

A new survey by the College of Psychotherapy

Posted on 13/09/2023
All PACFA psychotherapists are invited to participate in a new survey by the College of Psychotherapy, which aims to support the growing member community.
  

PACFA meets with AMAPP

Posted on 13/09/2023
In a new development for the Psychedelic Assisted Therapy space, PACFA has recently met with the Australian Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Practitioners (AMAPP).
  

PACFA Life Membership nominations open

Posted on 13/09/2023
Do you know someone who has greatly contributed to PACFA, and to the counselling, psychotherapy, and Indigenous Healing Practice spaces? Nominate them for a PACFA Life Membership today!
  

PACFA Board Member joins ‘Directors for the Voice’ campaign

Posted on 12/09/2023
A member of PACFA’s Board was among the original 460 ‘Directors for the Voice,’ a group of leaders from various Australian backgrounds who joined together to endorse 'The Voice to Parliament.'
  

A Day in the Life of Counsellor Nina Curtis

Posted on 11/09/2023
This month we open the door on Counsellor, Family Therapist and Supervisor Nina Curtis
  

Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Council meeting 7 October 2023

Posted on 11/09/2023
PACFA will be holding its Council Meeting and Annual General Meeting on 7 October 2023 from 13:00 – 15:30 and 16:00 – 17:00 AEDT, respectively.
  

Call for nominations: PACFA's Outstanding Graduate Award for Semester 2, 2023

Posted on 11/09/2023
PACFA is delighted to announce that we are now accepting nominations for the PACFA National Awards Scheme for Semester 2, 2023.
  

Aged Care Scholarships for Allied Health Professionals

Posted on 11/09/2023
The Australian College of Nursing (ACN) has opened the latest round of Aged Care Nursing and Allied Health Scholarships to meet the needs of the ageing Australian population.
  

PACFA’s member platform has highest-level data security measures

Posted on 6/09/2023
The platform PACFA uses for our membership database and website, iMIS EMS, has been certified under the International Organisation for Standardisation’s (ISO) global standards for information security management systems.
  

ANZAED Conference: It takes more than a village

Posted on 6/09/2023
The Australia & New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) Conference 2023, held successfully on the Gold Coast in August. The conference's overarching theme was ‘It takes more than a village.'
  

Member profile: Bernadette Milsted

Posted on 5/09/2023
For the Member Profile, we asked Bernadette a few questions about the growing fields of palliative care, dementia and aged care.
  

Powerful documentary addresses Indigenous suicide

Posted on 5/09/2023
Mark Coles Smith, a Nyikina man and actor from Western Australia, has released a documentary called ‘Keeping Hope’ that addresses the alarming Indigenous suicide crisis in Australia.
  

A Day in the Life of Miranda Egan

Posted on 16/08/2023
This month we open the door on PACFA Registered Clinical Counsellor® and Integrative Psychotherapist, Miranda Egan.
  

Free online information session with PACFA President and CEO

Posted on 15/08/2023
PACFA’s President and CEO will be holding an online information session on advancing your career and the role of registration at 19:00 AEST on Tuesday, 22 August 2023.
  

Jobs Board upgrade and new free member service

Posted on 15/08/2023
To improve the services and opportunities available to members, PACFA has increased access to its Jobs Board, and launched its newest webpage: Rooms for Rent.
  

Nghi Robinson, PACFA’s new Head of Education

Posted on 15/08/2023
For this member profile, we sat down with Nghi and asked her a few questions about her career and her role as PACFA’s Head of Education.
  

Australia’s first national wellbeing framework ‘Measuring what Matters.’

Posted on 15/08/2023
The framework has a focus on key aspects like health, education, environment, social connections and community resilience.
  

Revised ZOOM Terms of Service Update

Posted on 15/08/2023
PACFA addresses member concerns regarding Zoom's revised terms of service and how that might affect the confidentiality of clinical interactions.
  

New Board Member and Chair of the Ethics Committee welcomed

Posted on 15/08/2023
PACFA is pleased to announce the appointment of Helen Phelan as the new Chair of the Ethics Committee and PACFA’s newest member of the Board of Directors.
  

Leadership Group Elections: Nominations Open

Posted on 15/08/2023
Nominations are now open for Branch and College Leadership Groups with vacancies; online elections will be held within the next few weeks.
  

College of Supervision: Update on Activities

Posted on 15/08/2023
PACFA checks in with the College of Supervision after three months since its approval at the May 2023 Council meeting.
  

Meet the staff of PACFA

Posted on 15/08/2023
PACFA has updated its staff bio page to help members direct their questions and requests.
  

Navigating the Voice to Parliament

Posted on 15/08/2023
PACFA has compiled a list of resources to assist our members regarding the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum
  

Tender awarded

Posted on 13/07/2023
The University of Southern Queensland has been awarded a successful tender to perform a comparative analysis of evidence relating to the online training of counsellors and psychotherapists for PACFA.
  

PACFA’s registration approach supported by new research

Posted on 13/07/2023
What do employers want from the counselling workforce? A new PACJA research article provides strategic insights into the opportunities and challenges for job seekers, and the sector itself.
  

Sophie Keramidopoulos, PACFA’s new Head of Practice

Posted on 12/07/2023
For this member profile, we sat down with PACFA’s new Head of Practice Sophie Keramidopoulos and asked her a few questions about her career and her multi-faceted role at PACFA.
  

De-stigmatising mental health for young people, one pack of chips at a time

Posted on 12/07/2023
The snack food company Doritos has partnered with youth mental health organisation ReachOut Australia to encourage GenZ’s to take action on mental health.
  

Places available on the Infants, Children and Young People Interest Group

Posted on 12/07/2023
There are still places available for those who wish to volunteer to be a part of the Infants, Children and Young People Interest Group, but applicants are asked to please include your PACFA registration and an outline of your experience in your EOI.
  

C.CET Celebratory Online Gathering a resounding success

Posted on 12/07/2023
On Monday, 3 July 2023, PACFA members interested in joining the new College of Creative and Experiential Therapies (C.CET) attended a celebratory online gathering from 7:00pm - 8:30pm.
  

Share a day in your life for the newly-introduced ‘A Day in the Life’ series

Posted on 12/07/2023
Participate in this exciting series which will shine a light on the day-to-day lives of the remarkable counsellors and psychotherapists who make up the membership of PACFA.
  

HCF joins PACFA’s growing list of private health fund providers

Posted on 11/07/2023
PACFA is delighted to announce its newest Private Health Fund agreement with HCF, Australia’s largest not-for-profit health fund. This agreement will improve access to essential mental health care for Australians.
  

'Pending' registration closes 30 September

Posted on 11/07/2023
Members who are unable to provide evidence of insurance, a National Police Check or a Working with Children's Check (WWCC) can still renew their membership. A “grace period” will be extended for these documents until 30 September.
  

Renew by 31 July to avoid a late fee

Posted on 11/07/2023
PACFA offers a grace period until 31 July 2023 to submit your renewal and pay your membership fees. After 31 July, a late fee of $60 applies.
  

Discounted insurance with PACFA membership

Posted on 11/07/2023
insurance.com.au (formerly Insurance House) provides PACFA members a discounted member rate and have been looking after the insurance needs of PACFA members for over a decade. Follow these simple steps to ensure you receive your discount.
  

ReturnToWork South Australia Launches New Mental Health Fee Schedules

Posted on 3/07/2023
ReturnToWork South Australia has launched a new Counselling Fee Schedule, effective 1 July 2023, to raise awareness of the range of mental health services supported by the ReturnToWork Scheme.
  

PACFA Head of Practice attends National Counselling and Psychotherapy Conference

Posted on 20/06/2023
Sophie Keramidopoulos, PACFA’s new Head of Practice, attended the one-day event in Sydney which covered a variety of topics, including the future of counselling in a post-pandemic world, addictions and workplace mental wellbeing.
  

PACFA Leadership Group elections coming soon

Posted on 16/06/2023
PACFA will soon begin organising elections for any vacant College and Branch Leadership Group positions; elections will be held in July.
  

New organisational documents to improve transparency and understanding of PACFA

Posted on 14/06/2023
PACFA has developed three new documents for members and stakeholders to better understand the PACFA membership journey, as well as how PACFA works, and what we do to serve our members and advance the profession.
  

PACFA Prize presented at Monash University Awards

Posted on 9/06/2023
PACFA’s Head of Education, Nghi Robinson (R) along with Professor Ruth Jeanes (L), presented the 'PACFA Outstanding Graduate Prize' to Christine Ullmann last month at the Monash Education Scholarships and Awards Ceremony.
  

New Board Member and Chair of the Research Committee welcomed

Posted on 9/06/2023
PACFA is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Cathy Bettman as the new Chair of the Research Committee and PACFA’s newest member of the Board of Directors.
  

Complimentary CPD for PACFA leadership volunteers

Posted on 7/06/2023
Effective 1 July 2023, PACFA will offer its Board, Committee and Leadership Group members (PACFA leadership volunteers) complimentary access to PACFA community online CPD events.
  

Year 1 Update, College of Creative and Experiential Therapies (CCET)

Posted on 2/06/2023
It's been one year since the PACFA Board unanimously approved the proposal to form the CCET. As they move toward opening the group for membership, find out what they have done in their first year.
  

College of Supervision endorsed

Posted on 17/05/2023
The PACFA Board has endorsed the new College of Supervision. The College will support the community of supervisors.
  

Allied Health Professionals Australia advocates for GST-exclusion for PACFA members

Posted on 17/05/2023
As a full member of Allied Health Professionals Australia, PACFA has recently been part of a GST exemption campaign aimed at state and territory treasurers leading up to the next Council of Federal Financial Relations (CFFR) meeting in June 2023.
  

National Standards for Counselling and Psychotherapy to be established

Posted on 17/05/2023
PACFA is pleased to be advising the Department of Health on the establishment of national standards for counselling and psychotherapy following the allocation of 300k over two years in the recent federal Budget.