These guidelines incorporate the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) Training Standards (2009). They are the minimum Training Standards that must be met for Professional and Clinical Membership of the Counselling Association of South Australia (CASA)

 

Course Structure

The minimum training qualification must be either:

Client contact may include direct client contact, observation and co therapy. There must be no dual relationship between client and trainee. Client contact hours comprise live contact with the client only. Case presentations, supervision, note taking and role plays are not deemed client contact hours.

Course Content

The training program must have had a substantial focus on psychotherapy and/or counselling.

The training program must have included the following subjects or their equivalent:

Experiential Learning

At least 100 hours of the course must be experiential. The training program must have provided the opportunity for practice, reflection, experimenting and feedback to assist in the development of sound clinical abilities and skills.

The class based teaching should have involved methods such as lectures, (live or video), written notes, set readings, seminars, group discussions and role-plays. Since psychotherapy/counselling is a practical art, theoretical components should have been taught in ways which relate to practical situations.

Clinical Practice

For acceptance as a Professional Member of CASA the applicant must have completed a total of 50 hours of supervision and 200 hours of client contact. This includes the supervision and client contact hours included in the training program.

For acceptance as a Clinical Member of CASA the applicant must have completed an additional 75 hours of supervision and 750 hours of client contact. This is in addition to the supervision and client contact hours used to gain Professional Membership.

Self Development

Applicants must have completed a minimum of 20 hours of self awareness training as part of the training program. This may include group or individual therapy, self- awareness experiences or family therapy.

An understanding of how one may use one's self in the therapeutic relationship should be integrated within the training program. Students are encouraged to have experiences as a client in a modality compatible to the one in which they are training.

Distance Education

Distance education programs must meet all the above requirements. Refer to the PACFA Training Standards (2009) for ways in which distance education programs can achieve this.

Given the special circumstances of distance education, each program needs to show how its particular sequence of training meets the standards of this document, including the 350 hours of person-to-person contact for undergraduate training
programs and the 200 hours of face to face contact for postgraduate training programs. For instance, a specific distance education training program might link in with an accredited program in the area where the student lives or an additional well
supervised placement in the student's locality could partially fulfil this requirement.

Assessment

Assessments must have allowed a student to demonstrate not only knowledge of the theory but the ability to put this theory into practice. Assessment may include:

Clinical Supervision

Supervision is a formal, collaborative process between supervisor and supervisee which monitors, develops and supports supervisees in their clinical role. Supervision must be an essential component of any training program.

Methods of supervision include live interviews, use of audio/video tapes and process/ case notes. Supervision may be conducted one-to-one or in small group settings of no more than six participants.

Supervisor Credentials

In order to provide supervision a Psychotherapist or Counsellor must be able to demonstrate that they:

Trainer Credentials

Directors of training should have qualifications in psychotherapy and/or counselling at least at the level of the training being provided by them. They should have at least 5 years experience as a psychotherapist or counsellor and should be eligible
for membership of the professional body relevant to their qualification. They should be competent in training delivery and adult learning methods and ensure that other trainers in the program meet competent and adequate standards.

 

CASA does not formally endorse or accredit any training programs. PACFA has only recently begun the process of accrediting psychotherapy and counselling programs but those that they have accredited can be found on the PACFA website at www.pacfa.org.au. Visit the links page of this website for links to training providers that provide training in psychotherapy/counselling that may meet the above standards. The onus is on the individual to determine if a training program meets the above requirements.