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.:. How to choose a counsellor

Counselling in Australia is a self-regulating profession. This means that professional standards for counsellors are not set out in any State or Federal legislation. Instead, it is up to professional Associations to establish standards that apply to their members.

Within Australia there are two national organisations set up to establish professional standards for the counselling profession - the Australian Counselling Association , ACA and the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia, PACFA.

The VAHTC has chosen to align its professional standards with the ACA. This means that:

• The standard of training required for membership of the VAHTC also meets ACA standards.
• The Code of Practice adopted by VAHTC members is the ACA Code of Practice.
• The required standard of ongoing professional development for Practicing members of the VAHTC is closely aligned with ACA guidelines.

Membership of an accredited professional association is generally a prerequisite for counsellors to obtain professional indemnity and public liability insurance. Members of the VAHTC qualify for professional insurance provided through Australia’s principle provider of insurance to the complementary health profession.

As a potential client, you are entitled to fully satisfy yourself that you wish to enter into an ongoing client-counsellor relationship with any particular counsellor, and most counselling therapists will offer you a free period of consultation so that you can each assess each other for suitability. You can use that time to make a number of enquiries and make a number of assessments. These relate to:

• The professional standing of the counsellor, and
• The quality of the relationship you think you may be able to develop with the counsellor.

.:. Professional Standing
You should ask the counsellor to provide:

  1. Evidence of their professional indemnity and public liability insurance.
This is the single most important evidence of the counsellor’s professional standing. It affirms that the counsellor has completed recognised vocational training, and is a member of a recognised professional association with a code of practice approved by the Insurer.

  2. Their Code of Practice.
You might then use that to discuss aspects of the client-counsellor relationship that you want clarified; e.g. emergency access to the counsellor, therapeutic techniques.

If the counsellor does not carry professional indemnity insurance, you should then ask for:

  3. Evidence of their membership of a professional association.
  4. Evidence that their counselling qualifications are recognised by a professional counselling organisation in Australia.
  5. Evidence that they have completed their training.
Practicing counsellors and psychologists need to ensure that their own health and wellbeing is maintained in order that they are able to maintain the appropriate psychological separation from their clients. This is achieved by a process known as “professional supervision”. As a potential client, you are entitled to ask the counsellor:
  6. Do you receive regular professional supervision?

.:. Relational quality
Many counsellors, including all members of the VAHTC, have been trained according to a theory and practice of counselling that considers the quality of the interpersonal relationship between client and counsellor to be of critical importance to a successful healing outcome.

In an introductory session, and throughout the client-counsellor relationship, you should ask yourself:

• Do you perceive the counsellor as just someone fulfilling a counselling role, or do you sense the complete person that transcends their professional performance?
• Do you feel accepted and listened to attentively? Is power shared? Or do you feel judged, dominated, dismissed and insignificant?
• Do you feel that the counsellor is able and willing to see the world through your eyes, walk in your shoes, or are you conscious of a gulf between you.
• Is the counsellor able to intuitively sense what you’re feeling and thinking?

Within a counselling session, many counsellors will use a range of therapeutic techniques in addition to ‘talk therapy’, and some will hope or expect that you are able to do constructive therapeutic exercises outside of scheduled counselling hours, e.g. writing or drawing tasks. As part of agreeing to a client-counsellor relationship, you should:

• Clarify what techniques the counsellor might wish to use, and assure yourself that you agree to that.
• Determine what, if any, home exercises might be expected of you, and agree what is a realistic time commitment for you.

©VAHTC 2007