Get involved - Review draft national standards for counsellors and psychotherapists

Closed 13 Dec 2024

Opened 11 Nov 2024

Contact

mhworkforce@health.gov.au

Feedback updated 13 Oct 2025

We asked

Between November and December 2024, we invited feedback on draft national standards for counsellors and psychotherapists—covering expected experience, skills, and behaviours.

You said

We heard from counsellors, psychotherapists, peak bodies, educators, service providers, and others.

From 19 interviews and 593 written submissions, key themes included:

  • Strong support for national standards, along with interest in ongoing consultation.
  • Endorsement of a domain-led approach, with constructive suggestions to refine and strengthen the proposed domains.
  • Support for aligning with AQF education levels, accompanied by recommendations to assess their suitability across different career stages.
  • Suggestions for minor updates to improve workability, particularly in areas such as supervision, professional development, and disciplinary requirements.

We did

We refined the national standards based on your feedback.

You can view the updated standards on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

Further consultation to guide implementation will begin in late 2025. Details will be shared on the Consultation Hub.

Overview

You are invited to participate in consultation to test the draft national standards for counsellors and psychotherapists.

Allen + Clarke has been engaged by the Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department) to undertake background research and engage with key stakeholders to develop national standards for counsellors and psychotherapists.

Information and insights gathered during the initial research and consultation phases informed the development of a set of draft national standards. A copy of the draft national standards can be found below.

Your browser does not support inline PDF viewing. Please download the PDF.

The Department wants to hear from you with feedback and reflections on the draft national standards.

Online Survey

  • Access the online survey using the link in the 'Give us your views' section below
  • The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete
  • Responses are due by COB Friday 13 December 2024.

Audiences

  • Anyone from any background

Interests

  • Mental health