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The VAHTC regards professional indemnity insurance for practitioners as a vital element in self-regulation of the counselling profession. All practicing members of the Association are therefore encouraged to take out professional insurance that covers the modalities they use.

In general, professional indemnity insurance is only available to practitioners who are members of a professional association that is accredited with an insurance provider. The VAHTC is an accredited Association with OAMPS/Vero, the principal insurance agent/provider in Australia for complementary health providers, and is accredited for both 'Counselling' and 'Art Therapy'.

OAMPS provides a "Combined Liability Insurance Scheme" designed to cover Alternative/Complementary Medicine, Natural Therapies and Massage. In 2007, OAMPS completed a re-negotiation with the Insurer and as a result the annual premium for counselling and other psychotherapies was reduced by over 30%.

There are three distinct sections of the combined policy that cover different ‘risks’ associated with your practice:

1. Professional Risks covers your legal liability to pay compensation for personal injury to third parties or damage to their property, and financial loss arising out of any act, error or omission:

• in the provision of professional advice;
• in the provision of professional treatment; and
• in the provision of any other professional service which may be rendered in the course of the business and for which you are properly qualified.

This type of cover may also be known as Professional Indemnity, Errors and Omissions, or Malpractice.

2. Products Liability covers your legal liability to pay compensation for personal injury to third parties or damage to their property, and financial loss arising out of any “product” once they have passed out of the control of the practitioner. A very important aspect of this section for practitioners is that it is not restricted to simply covering goods sold or supplied. It also provides coverage for liability arising out of products manufactured, grown, extracted, produced, processed, assembled, constructed, erected, installed, repaired, serviced, treated, sold, supplied, resupplied or distributed.

3. General Public Liability covers your general legal liability attaching as a result of carrying on the business. Examples of the type of liability include matters such as:

• defective furniture, such as a table or chair collapsing and causing injury;
• a threadbare carpet causing someone to slip on the stairs; or
• fire damage to leased premises for which the Practitioner may be responsible under the Lease or at Common Law.

©VAHTC 2007