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What makes a Peak Body Successful? |
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Written by Giulia Tassone
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Page 1 of 3  Philip Armstrong
The CCH invited Philip Armstrong, CEO of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) to share his experience, knowledge and advice. The following are excerpts from his very interesting and thought provoking presentation.
Philip’s presentation covered questions or issues regarding:
• Registration vs Representation – or both, and
• What makes a Peak Body successful?
First he presented the Mission Statement of the ACA:
To be recognised by the profession, public and government as the peak association for practising counsellors in Australia.
He then shared with us the following aims and objectives of the ACA which are to:
• Monitor, maintain, set and improve professional standards in counsellor education and practice
• Provide an industry-based association for persons engaged in counsellor education and practice
• Be a self-regulatory body to provide for registration of counsellors in Australia
• Liaise with Government for the benefit of members and the public
• Provide a single unified voice for the counselling industry
• Provide a consistent Code of Conduct and set of Practitioner Standards
• Promote the professional development and growth of practising counsellors
• Provide a National Complaints Tribunal
• Assess, review and recognise counsellor education courses
• Maintain a register of qualified practicing counsellors
• Identify counsellors who meet nationally approved standards of practice to consumers
• Help the public at large to become more aware of the counselling profession and the availability of reputable counsellors
• Raise awareness of Australian counsellors internationally
• Provide a vehicle to promote research in the counselling profession
• Help create employment for counsellors
• Provide a quality control mechanism for the public that also enables the consumer to access a formal complaints procedure
Philip stated that “We knew what we were about, what we stood for, we had no conflicts within ourselves, or our membership, or the training of our members, or what the Association was about. The problem is, if you want to go out there as a professional body or organisation you have to go beyond, and prove, especially to Government bodies and other professional bodies, that you are what you claim to be. They will measure you against their criteria, not yours.”
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