Are professional counsellors and psychotherapists prepared to make a greater contribution to the Australian mental health workforce? A comparison of training content and mental health standards

Abstract

Objective: Professional counsellors and psychotherapists present a potential workforce to contribute to the alleviation of Australia’s mental health crisis. However, a major hurdle for the endorsement of these professions to received public health rebates has been the question whether their training programs meet required standards. Method: This discussion paper presents a synthesis of the mental health practice standards of cognate professions receiving rebates for focussed psychological strategies (counselling psychology, mental health accredited social workers, mental health occupational therapy). Secondly, this paper presents a desk review of accredited counselling and psychotherapy training courses and compares these programs with these standards. Results: The comparison showed that current content of counselling and psychotherapy training is preparing graduates for practice that is consistent with many mental health standards, including: competence in working with mental health conditions; attending to quality improvement; awareness and responsiveness to diversity; and, working within a client-centred and recovery focused framework. The level of preparation for two standards (knowing and complying with mental health systems and standards; enhancing care through collaboration, service integration and teamwork) is less clear. Discussion: These results suggest that according to several indicators, counsellor and psychotherapist training already prepares professionals to work according to current standards. For other standards, recommendations for updates to training programs and credentialling pathways are discussed.