Reform tracker · Australia
Counselling and psychotherapy: a regulatory model under review
Counsellors and psychotherapists remain self-regulated with unprotected titles. National standards were published in 2025 and a consultancy is recommending a model.
Status note: Nous Group was engaged in January 2026 to recommend a regulatory model. We have found no decision.
The stated rationale
Public protection, and a possible larger role for counsellors in publicly funded mental health care.
Where things stand
Anyone in Australia can call themselves a counsellor or psychotherapist. The two main professional bodies, PACFA and the ACA, run a joint register (ARCAP), and national standards were published in October 2025. A consultancy was engaged in January 2026 to recommend how the sector should be regulated.
Why it matters
This is the right-touch question in its purest form: what level of assurance does the risk justify? It runs in the opposite direction to most reforms on this site, toward more regulation, and is worth watching for that reason.
Who supports it
- PACFA
Who has raised concerns
Not yet documented.