Membership Requirements
Associate Professional Counsellor (APC) Membership Requirements
Entrance and Application Requirements: This is an entry level membership for insured practicing counsellors/psychotherapists and is the first step in becoming a Certified member. APC members will have 5 years to complete Certification requirements in order to maintain membership and insurance.
- Degree Requirement: Master’s or Doctorate degree in counselling, psychotherapy, psychology or other related mental health field.
- Accreditation of Institution Requirement: Program of graduate/doctoral study must be fully accredited by Universities Canada , Association of Theological Schools in Canada and the US, or one of the six regional accreditors for secular schools in the US (see Institutional Accreditations | PACCP for full details)
- Academic Requirements: Completion of PACCP Academic requirements either as part of the graduate/doctoral degree or for graduate academic credit in addition to the graduate degree (Transcripts must be provided). Full descriptions of these academic courses can be found at Academic Requirements | PACCP
- REQUIRED COURSES
- Counselling Theory (REQUIRED)
- Professional Orientation and Ethics (REQUIRED)
- Supervised Internship (REQUIRED) – minimum of 100 supervised client contact hours)
- PLUS ANY SIX OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Counselling Theory and Techniques
- Psychological/Theological Integration
- Marriage and Family Theory
- Human Growth and Development
- Group Dynamics and Processing
- Counselling and Abuse
- Crisis Counselling and Intervention Strategies
- Psychopathology/Exploring Problems in Living
- Psychological Assessment
- Research and Evaluation
- Addictions
- Gender Identity
- Administration
- Criminal/Vulnerable Persons Check (must be no more than a year old)
- 3 References (Professional Colleague, Clinical Supervisor, and a Spiritual Leader)
- Resume/C.V.
- Professional Liability Insurance – Proof of insurance is required, if not enrolling in PACCP’s group plan.
- Membership Agreement Confirmation – Agreement with PACCP Statement of Beliefs, Principles of Practice, Code of Ethics, and all other regulations and policies for PACCP members.
Certified Professional Counsellor (CPC) Membership Requirements
Entrance and Application Requirements: In addition to meeting all entry level membership requirements for Associate Professional Counsellor (APC) membership, CPC’s have completed additional post-graduate experience including a minimum of 500 directly client contact hours and 50 hours of Supervision with a qualified supervisor.
- Degree Requirement: Master’s or Doctorate degree in counselling, psychotherapy, psychology or other related mental health field.
- Accreditation of Institution Requirement: Program of graduate/doctoral study must be fully accredited by Universities Canada , Association of Theological Schools in Canada and the US, or one of the six regional accreditors for secular schools in the US (see Institutional Accreditations | PACCP for full details)
- Academic Requirements: Completion of PACCP Academic requirements either as part of the graduate/doctoral degree or for graduate academic credit in addition to the graduate degree (Transcripts must be provided). Full descriptions of these academic courses can be found at Academic Requirements | PACCP
- REQUIRED COURSES
- Counselling Theory (REQUIRED)
- Professional Orientation and Ethics (REQUIRED)
- Supervised Internship (REQUIRED) – minimum of 100 supervised client contact hours)
- PLUS ANY SIX OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Counselling Theory and Techniques
- Psychological/Theological Integration
- Marriage and Family Theory
- Human Growth and Development
- Group Dynamics and Processing
- Counselling and Abuse
- Crisis Counselling and Intervention Strategies
- Psychopathology/Exploring Problems in Living
- Psychological Assessment
- Research and Evaluation
- Addictions
- Gender Identity
- Administration
- Post-Graduate Experience and Supervision – To include 50 hours of Supervision with a **qualified Supervisor + minimum 500 client contact hours. These hours must be completed Post-Graduate.
- Criminal/Vulnerable Person Check (must be no more than a year old)
- 3 References (Professional Colleague, Clinical Supervisor, and a Spiritual Leader)
- Resume/C.V.
- Professional Liability Insurance – Proof of insurance is required, if not enrolling in PACCP’s group plan.
- Membership Agreement Confirmation – Agreement with PACCP Statement of Beliefs, Principles of Practice, Code of Ethics, and all other regulations and policies for PACCP members.
- If you are not currently a PACCP APC member and are strictly a NEW applicant, then you must also submit verification of your directly client contact hours and supervision hours, in the form of a log or signed letter from your Supervisor. Ensure you indicate the dates these hours were accumulated from. If there were more than one supervisor, please submit verification from each. These must be POST-graduate hours. IF you are a current PACCP APC member, you must complete the Certification Forms shared with you on our website. You do not need to fill out this application form.
- Need a letter of verification from Supervisor(s) stating that they have taken a formal course in Supervision Fundamentals, and have had a minimum of 15 hours of Supervision of THEIR Supervision. This passes our “qualified supervisor” test.
**A qualified Supervisor is either a PACCP CPC-Supervisor or CPC-Supervisor-in-Training OR a clinical psychologist, social worker, counsellor/psychotherapist who has completed a formal course in Supervision Fundaments plus has had a minimum of 15 hours of Supervision of their Supervision.
Certified Professional Counsellor Supervisor (CPCS) Membership Requirements
Entrance and Application Requirements: In addition to meeting all entry level membership requirements for Associate Professional Counsellor (APC) membership, CPCS’s have completed additional post-graduate experience including a minimum of 500 directly client contact hours and 50 hours of Supervision with a qualified supervisor. AND have completed a formal course in Supervision Fundamentals (at least 30 hours in length), AND had 15 hours of Supervision of THEIR Supervision with a qualified Supervisor.
- Degree Requirement: Master’s or Doctorate degree in counselling, psychotherapy, psychology or other related mental health field.
- Accreditation of Institution Requirement: Program of graduate/doctoral study must be fully accredited by Universities Canada , Association of Theological Schools in Canada and the US, or one of the six regional accreditors for secular schools in the US (see Institutional Accreditations | PACCP for full details)
- Academic Requirements: Completion of PACCP Academic requirements either as part of the graduate/doctoral degree or for graduate academic credit in addition to the graduate degree (Transcripts must be provided). Full descriptions of these academic courses can be found at Academic Requirements | PACCP
- REQUIRED COURSES
- Counselling Theory (REQUIRED)
- Professional Orientation and Ethics (REQUIRED)
- Supervised Internship (REQUIRED) – minimum of 100 supervised client contact hours)
- PLUS ANY SIX OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Counselling Theory and Techniques
- Psychological/Theological Integration
- Marriage and Family Theory
- Human Growth and Development
- Group Dynamics and Processing
- Counselling and Abuse
- Crisis Counselling and Intervention Strategies
- Psychopathology/Exploring Problems in Living
- Psychological Assessment
- Research and Evaluation
- Addictions
- Gender Identity
- Administration
- Post-Graduate Experience and Supervision – To include 50 hours of Supervision with a **qualified Supervisor + minimum 500 client contact hours. These hours must be completed Post-Graduate.
- Supervision Fundamentals course – A formal course in Supervision Fundamentals of at least 30 hours in length
- Supervision of your Supervision – A minimum of 15 hours of Supervision of your Supervision with a qualified Supervisor. Up to half of these hours can be group supervision and the other half should be individual.
- Criminal Check (must be no more than a year old)
- 3 References (Professional Colleague, Clinical Supervisor, and a Spiritual Leader)
- Resume/C.V.
- Professional Liability Insurance – Proof of insurance is required, if not enrolling in PACCP’s group plan.
- Membership Agreement Confirmation – Agreement with PACCP Statement of Beliefs, Principles of Practice, Code of Ethics, and all other regulations and policies for PACCP members.
- REQUIRED COURSES
Student Membership Requirements
Entrance and Application Requirements: There are two categories of Student membership including Insured and Uninsured. All Student seeking professional liability insurance through PACCP MUST have completed 90% of counselling related coursework including Counselling Ethics, Counselling Theory, and Practicum hours.
- Degree Requirement: Enrolled in a Master’s or Doctorate degree program in counselling, psychotherapy, psychology or other related mental health field.
- Accreditation of Institution Requirement: Program of graduate/doctoral study must fully accredited by Universities Canada , Association of Theological Schools in Canada and the US, or one of the six regional accreditors for secular schools in the US (see Institutional Accreditations | PACCP for full details)
- Academic Requirements: Actively pursing degree requirements that will meet all of PACCP Academic requirements for Associate Professional Counsellor (APC) membership. (Transcripts must be provided). Full descriptions of these academic courses can be found at Academic Requirements | PACCP
- Criminal Check (must be no more than a year old)
- 3 References (Professional Colleague, Internship Supervisor, and a Spiritual Leader)
- Resume/C.V.
- Membership Agreement Confirmation – Agreement with PACCP Statement of Beliefs, Principles of Practice, Code of Ethics, and all other regulations and policies for PACCP members.
- Be enrolled in a university or seminary that possesses accreditation, with such accreditation being to the satisfaction of the Board, and working toward the completion of a graduate degree in counselling, psychology or other recognized mental health, social work, or related discipline.
- Those students applying for insurance through PACCC’s liability insurance policy must have completed a minimum of a 2-year degree program with all required courses. For programs of study that are longer than 2 years, students must have completed a minimum of 90% of the required coursework in that program. Those student members who are completing their required internship hours for Associate membership are required to submit a plan to complete the required student supervision hours with a MA degree (or comparable) supervisor, who must be approved by PACCC.
- Those applying for insured student status, who have completed the course requirements but are short of the required 100 hours of supervision to gain Associate Status, may request an extension of student status for up to one year. The request should be in writing to the PACCC administration office and should identify a qualified supervisor and plan for completing the required hours of supervision.
- The following letters of reference are also required:
- A letter of reference from a counselling instructor.
- A letter of reference from their pastor attesting to their participation in a church community and their continuing growth in Christian maturity.
- A letter of reference from a supervisor/someone familiar with the applicants’ clinical work (must be different from the counselling instructor).
Allied Professional Membership Requirements
2. Resume/C.V.
3. Criminal/Vulnerable Persons Check (no more than 1 year old)
4. Proof of active membership in another association which has a continuing education equivalent equal to or great than PACCP’s; if it doesn’t, you may choose to participate in PACCP’s continuing education program to fulfill this requirement.
5. Have your references complete the online reference forms or submit by email to [email protected]
Affiliate Membership Requirements
There are two classes of Affiliate Membership:
- Affiliate-Individual– Individuals who share an interest in the goals, role, function and objectives of PACCP but do not qualify for Association or Certified membership.
- Affiliate-Association-Any church, agency or organization not necessarily actively involved in counselling or a related field, but having an interest in the well-being, role and function of PACCP.
Both classes must agree with PACCP’s Statement of Beliefs.