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Psychotherapy and Counselling Qualifications

The Psychotherapy and Counselling Qualifications Assessment can support your application for membership of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).

What does the assessment involve?

The Qualifications Assessment compares the educational level of your overseas qualifications with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) educational levels. To be eligible for PACFA membership you are required to hold a qualification equivalent of an AQF Bachelor degree or higher (AQF levels 7-9) in Psychotherapy or Counselling.

Psychotherapy and Counselling - What does the assessment involve

What does the assessment involve?

The assessment of the level of your qualification(s) is dependent on many factors, including, but not limited to, the recognition and/or accreditation status of the awarding institution, underpinning studies, structure of the program, length and mode of study, level of academic achievement, and the course entry requirements.

Assessment against the PACFA Training Standards requires qualifications to meet the minimum training and supervised practice requirements in terms of a) the content of learning and b) the volume of learning.

Learning content is assessed against the Core Curriculum outlined in the PACFA Training Standards (2022). The minimum volume of learning must be 400 hours of instruction and should include at least 200 hours of direct person-to-person instruction. Of these, 140 hours must be taught face-to-face. 200 hours of instruction may be conducted via online asynchronous training for theory-based studies.

Within the course, there must be a placement with a minimum of 40 hours of client contact, and 10 hours of supervision attached to this client contact. Of these 10 hours of supervision, 5 hours must be individual, one-on-one supervision. The remainder may be via small group supervision (no more than 6 trainees) 

Please note 

  • A qualification that lacks official recognition by the relevant educational authorities in the country of the award does not lend itself to comparison to a qualification on the Australian Qualifications Framework.
  • Employment experience cannot compensate for the lack of a relevant formal qualification.
  • The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) may have additional requirements for membership. This qualification assessment does not guarantee a successful membership application.

Important Note:

Please note this is not an assessment for the purpose of migration to Australia. If you require a Skills Assessment for migration to Australia and VETASSESS is the designated assessing authority, please refer to Skills Assessment for Migration. If you have previously had a Skills Assessment with VETASSESS for the purpose of migration to Australia, please contact us at migrate@vetassess.com.au before lodging an application.

Who can apply?

You should only apply for this assessment if you have been referred to us for a qualifications assessment by PACFA and you hold a qualification in Psychotherapy or Counselling.

There are two types of assessment. Before you apply, please confirm with PACFA which one is required in your particular situation.

Psychotherapy and Counselling - Who can apply

There are 2 types of Assessments

Qualifications assessment against AQF

Assessment of the comparative educational level of your qualification(s) in Psychotherapy or Counselling against the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)

Qualifications assessment against AQF and PACFA training standards

Assessment of the comparative educational level of your qualification(s) in Psychotherapy or Counselling against the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and PACFA Training Standards

Important Note:

  • If any required documentation is missing, it may delay the processing of your application.
  • A qualification that lacks official recognition by the relevant educational authorities in the country of the award does not lend itself to comparison to a qualification on the Australian Qualifications Framework.
  • Employment experience cannot compensate for the lack of a relevant formal qualification.
  • The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) may have additional 
    requirements for membership. This qualification assessment does not guarantee a successful membership application.
  • We will contact you if we need additional documentation. Forged, altered or falsified documents will not be assessed and no refund will be provided.

Application Fees

Assessment typeApplying from within Australia (includes GST)Applying from outside Australia (excludes GST)
Qualifications assessment against AQFAUD $295.90 (incl GST)AUD $269.00 (excl GST)
Qualifications assessment against AQF and PACFA Training StandardsAUD $413.60 (incl GST)AUD $376.00 (excl GST)

*Refer to the Australian Taxation Office website for more information regarding GST.

Please note that all completed applications receive a signed electronic outcome letter. 

Required Documents

Which documents will I need to submit?

In this section, you will find a list of documents required to submit your application.

All identification and qualification documents must be high-quality colour scans of the originals. These documents must also be certified as true copies by an authorised person in your country of residence. If your documents are not in English, you must submit certified copies of the original as well as the English translations made by a registered translation service.

Please note:

  • if any required documentation is missing, the processing may be delayed 
  • we will contact you for additional documentation, if necessary
  • any documents supplied will not be returned
  • forged, altered or falsified documents will not be assessed and no refund will be provided.
Non Migration

Gather the documents you'll need

Application fee 

Pay the correct fee at the time of submitting your application. Refer to Application Fee for Application Pricing List. Application fees include GST if you (the applicant) is an Australian resident for tax purposes. Please refer to the Australian Taxation Office website for information regarding tax residency.

Identity documents 
  • Passport page showing your name, photo and date of birth – certified copy
  • Change of name evidence (if applicable) – certified copy 
  • One recent passport size photograph
Qualification documents 

For each qualification that you provide for assessment:

  • Certified copy of your qualification award certificate in the original language
  • Certified copy of your full academic transcript showing subjects studied and marks/grades awarded in the original language

If you are applying for assessment against PACFA Training Standards (2022), you must also provide the following:

Note: Additional requirements apply for qualifications obtained from the following regions and countries: Europe, Pakistan, Nigeria, Philippines, and the People’s Republic of China.

Additional requirements

Europe 

Applicants with European qualifications should supply Diploma Supplements if available. Generally, these are only issued by educational institutions from countries participating in the Bologna Process. A Diploma Supplement can be accepted in lieu of an award certificate and transcript.

Philippines

Please supply evidence of passing the Professional Regulation Commission's Licensure Examinations if available.

Lebanon 

Most qualifications awarded by University Colleges and Institutes in Lebanon require evidence of approval by the Equivalence Committee of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Please supply this evidence confirming equivalency to a qualification awarded by a Lebanese university.

People's Republic of China 

Qualifications that have been awarded by educational institutions in China must be verified by the Qualification Verification service at VETASSESS. You can read more about the Chinese Qualifications Verification process here. 

Application Form

Ensure you understand the assessment process and have all required documents before submitting your application.

Priority Processing

Review of assessment outcome

There is no review option available for PACFA. However, if you disagree with the outcome of your assessment, you can submit another application. If you already have an application lodged with us, the new application will be assigned to a different assessment team.

full skills assessment

How long will it take to process my application?

The approximate time is 4 to 6 weeks once we have received all documents required for the assessment.

Please allow an additional 8 to 10 weeks if you have to apply for verification of your Chinese qualifications through VETASSESS.

Apply, provide evidence and pay Stage 1 fee

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