The following information is provided by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), the peak professional organisation for counsellors and psychotherapists in Australia.
Counselling and Psychotherapy
Counselling and psychotherapy are professional services that support people to develop better understanding of themselves and others, address life difficulties and make the changes they want in their lives.
Counsellors and psychotherapists draw on a wide range of therapy interventions and are highly skilled in working across the spectrum of life difficulties.
Counsellors and the psychotherapists work with current problems, crises, and longer term difficulties. They provide both short and long-term services according to people's needs. Counsellors and psychotherapists work with individuals, couples, families and groups, according to their training."
Professional counsellors and psychotherapists work within clearly contracted, ethical relationships to support people to explore and resolve life difficulties...Counsellors and psychotherapists work with respect for their clients, their values, their beliefs, their uniqueness and their right to self-determination.
Training and Qualifications
Counsellors and psychotherapists have in-depth training over several years. Training is provided by universities and private training institutes. PACFA sets a high level of training standards and accredits counselling and psychotherapy training programs.
Reproduced with permission from PACFA.