Anyone Can Call Themselves a Counsellor. Here's Why I Went Back to Study.
It's been a little quiet on here, and there's a good reason for it.
Here's something many people don't know. In Australia, the title "counsellor" is not protected. Psychologists must be registered with a national board. Counsellors don't. In practice, that means anyone can call themselves a counsellor, whatever their training.
Most counsellors I know are well trained and take their work seriously. But the people who come to us are often at their most vulnerable, and they deserve to know what they're getting.
That is starting to change. In October 2025, the Australian Government released the first National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists. They cover training, supervision, ethics, professional development and how counsellors conduct themselves. How they will be put into practice is still being worked out, and the change is expected to take a few years.
I wanted to be ready for that. But it was only part of the reason I went back to study.
The other half of the whole
I bring around forty years of lived and professional experience to this work. It taught me a great deal. How to listen. How to read a room. How to sit with someone through something hard without rushing them out of it.
What experience didn't always give me was the why. Why one approach lands and another doesn't. Why time outside settles a busy mind. Why some people need to talk, and others need to walk first.
Study gave me that. It put names and evidence to things I had seen work for years, from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to the research on how time in nature restores tired attention. Sometimes it confirmed what I already knew. Sometimes it changed my mind. Either way, the two now sit together, and each makes sense of the other.
Experience gave me the what. Study gave me the why. Together, they feel like the whole.
And I loved it, every bit of it. I gave it my full focus, the same way I give it to the people I work with.
If you're looking for a counsellor
It's fair to ask any counsellor a few questions before you book. Ask what training they have. Ask whether they belong to a professional body, such as the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) or PACFA. These bodies have codes of ethics and a way to raise a complaint. And ask whether they have regular clinical supervision, where an experienced practitioner reviews their work. A good counsellor will be glad you asked.
For the record, I'm a member of the Australian Counselling Association, and I have regular clinical supervision.
If you'd like to ask me anything else, or simply see whether working together might help, you're welcome to book a free Discovery Call.
Thank you for sticking around while I did the work. It's good to be back. ❤️
With Stability, Comes Ability.
Source: National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists: Summary Report, Department of Health, Disability and Aged Care (October 2025).
This post is for educational purposes only. It does not replace individual counselling, clinical advice or medical care. If you need urgent support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency.
