Landmark national standards to build public confidence and strengthen quality mental health workforce

PACFA welcomes endorsement of National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists

• After two years of development, national standards represent a landmark commitment to improving mental health care quality, ensuring equity and appropriate recognition for counsellors and psychotherapists
• Standards originated from Select Committee Inquiry recommendations, which PACFA was the only counselling organisation to support at the time.
• Clear national expectations for education, supervision, ethics and practice will build public confidence and align counsellors with other parts of the allied and mental health workforce.
• PACFA supports swift, consultative implementation so consumers and services can better utilise counsellors across primary care, schools and communities, improving access and reducing wait times.

Melbourne, 13 October 2025: The Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) today welcomed the Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Mark Butler MP’s endorsement of National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists, calling it a landmark step forward for mental health care quality and equity across Australia.

The standards, which have been in development for two years following recommendations from a Select Committee Inquiry into Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, represent a major advancement in addressing the challenges facing Australia's mental health care system. PACFA was the only counselling organisation to support the national standards recommendation when it was first proposed.

PACFA President Nigel Polak said the standards are a milestone, marking a significant commitment to improving client safety, service quality and workforce capacity, “This is a landmark document that PACFA has worked toward for two years, with strong support from our members. Minister Butler and the Australian Government deserve recognition for bringing national clarity to education, clinical supervision, ethics and professional practice standards. This represents a huge step forward for ensuring equity and appropriate recognition for counsellors and psychotherapists as allied health professionals, while directly addressing the challenges in our mental health care system. Clear, graduated national standards give the public confidence and help services integrate counsellors alongside other allied health professionals.”

The Summary Report outlines a framework covering education and training, professional practice, ethics, competency, diversity and inclusion, and quality assurance with requirements calibrated to career stages. This provides a consistent foundation across the self-regulated counselling and psychotherapy service provider landscape. PACFA notes the broad stakeholder interest recorded through two national consultation rounds, and the expectation that compliance with national standards should be mandatory - points PACFA has long advocated for in its policy work.

PACFA’s response to the Productivity Commission’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement Review highlighted how clearer standards and credentialing would enable counsellors and psychotherapists to be better utilised across primary care, schools, PHNs and regional services by improving access, reducing wait times and strengthening a stepped system of care. Today’s announcement aligns with those recommendations.

PACFA also supports the Department undertaking scoping work to guide implementation, including further consultation with the sector on regulatory options, impacts and timing.

Next steps

PACFA looks forward to contributing to the Department’s implementation scoping, particularly on regulatory models, scope of practice delineation, supervision requirements, and transition arrangements to ensure the national standards are implemented smoothly and support service delivery across metropolitan, regional and remote communities.