PACAWA - Pychotherapists and Counsellors Association of Western Australia

MEMBERSHIP

Professional Indemnity Insurance

Professional indemnity insurance is a requirement of PACAWA membership. This may be provided through your workplace, or if you work in private practice, independently. As a member of PACAWA, you are eligible to take advantage of either of the group insurance schemes which PACFA has negotiated with AON Insurance and Rowland House Insurance Brokers(Aust) Pty Ltd.

Indemnity cover for Trainee Members is conditional. It is a requirement of the insurer that such members need to be receiving supervision if engaged in clinical practice as a trainee counsellor or psychotherapist. PACAWA requests that all Trainee Members who wish to apply for professional indemnity insurance be in possession of a letter from their training body endorsing their current level of training and their readiness to commence clinical experience under supervision.

Group Advertising

PACAWA has put in place certain marketing strategies to assist Clinical Members in promoting their services to the public. One of these strategies has been to subscribe annually to a Yellow Pages group advertisement which lists practising Clinical Members who wish to be included.

The group advertisement is entered in the Yellow Pages Directory under 'Counsellors' with a smaller cross-referencedlisting under 'Psychotherapy', as it is understood that the former is the more common reference point for members of the public wishing to access a practitioner.

Apart from the obvious benefits to Members, such listing will also provide a vital service to potential clients in need of quality counselling or psychotherapy in their local area. Through using Yellow Pages Directory, members of PACAWA are accessible to the Perth and metropolitan community for over 12 months.

Group advertising allows for an inexpensive and prestigious presence in the Yellow Pages for Clinical Members of PACAWA. Additionally, it affords PACAWA the prominence, professional profile and unity that make for a strong and effective Association.

Click here to apply to PACAWA for the Yellow Pages application form (usually available April to June each year)

Listing On The PACFA National Register

Clinical and Provisional members of PACAWA are eligible for listing on the PACFA Register and strongly encouraged to do so. The PACFA register is your pathway to the new Australian Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ARCAP) that indicates you are a ‘Registered’ counsellor /psychotherapist. The word ARCAP becomes synonymous with Registered.

Fees: Currently, there is only a one-off application or joining fee of $99 to have your application processed. Your Member Association (PACAWA) supports the remainder through a per capita levy arrangement with PACFA.

Click here to download an application form for listing on the PACFA National Register.

New Clinical and Provisional members who wish to list are encouraged to make three copies of your application for membership; one copy for PACAWA processing of your application; one copy for PACAWA to forward to PACFA for listing on the Register (together with the completed application form and $99) and one copy for your own records.

For further information about PACFA go to www.pacfa.org.au.

PACFA Professional Guidelines

The PACFA Professional Guidelines provide a comprehensive view of the guiding principles and policies of PACFA.

Please be advised that PACFA is currently updating the Professional Guidelines document and the updated version will be available shortly, please contact the PACFA office in the interim if you require any information.