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Counselling Connections Across Australia

Theological Requirements

for CCAA Members

time to apply themselves to the Integration Professional
NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR THEOLOGICAL Development pathway provided by CCAA.
INTEGRATION OF FAITH
• For Clinical Membership application ‘Theological Preparation’
is renamed ‘Theological Integration’. This section contains the
One of the barriers of entry for those wishing to apply to become a following requirements:
member of CCAA has been our theological integration requirements.
This core value and distinctive of our Association is its emphasis • > Attendance of at least 6 hours CCAA PD workshop that
is focused on theological integration, attendance certificate
on fostering and promoting the integration of theology and a Christian required
worldview into counselling practice. The ethical integration of these
two disciplines has previously been taught in Christian Counselling • > At least 4 supervision sessions of the required supervision
training colleges. The trend in recent years has seen this progressively for Clinical Membership to be undertaken with a CCAA
disappearing from such colleges. Therefore, finding a pathway Integration supervisor who possesses a bachelor’s or post
forward for members to still be trained in Integration has become graduate degree in theology or ministry, or equivalent, where
a matter of professional development that needed to be addressed. the focus of that supervision is developing the counsellor’s
For some applicants, integration is a new unexplored field. Therefore, own integration of Christian faith and theology with
the opportunity for CCAA to continue the work of helping Christian professional practice;
counsellors do the important work of integration is one that continues
to evolve within the everchanging counselling industry while giving • > Form to be submitted by the supervisor commenting on
assurance to clients and employees looking for a Christian counsellor. the supervisee’s competency in these areas of integration of
Christian faith and theology with professional practice.
This change was developed since the National Council March meeting
in 2017 and new policies have been adopted.
SUBCATEGORIES OF CLINICAL MEMBERSHIP

REGISTERED MEMBER APPLICATION – ONE DAY One way of reflecting upon and recognizing the value that CCAA
WORKSHOP ON THEOLOGICAL INTEGRATION is placing upon complementary training in ministry or theology
as having an important contribution to developing professional
practice as a Christian Counsellor is by making modifications to the
Clinical level member application form reflects the Integration Clinical Membership category:
requirement by giving members a choice of one of two pathways.
Three subcategories of Clinical Membership have been developed
1. Theological Integration unit of study.
• An Accredited Supervisor subcategory of membership be
2. Theological Integration 6 hour PD and 4 hours of Supervision with recognized with postnominal CMCCAA (Sup.). A member
an Integration Supervisor. needs to satisfy the CCAA requirements for an Accredited
Supervisor to have these postnominals.
** The requirements of Pathway 2 can be completed within the normal
requirements of PD and supervision for annual renewal. • A Theological Integration Supervisor sub category of
Membership is recognised with the postnominals CMCCAA
The option of doing a 1-day workshop is a welcome option that satisfies (Sup.Theol.).
the Clinical member requirements. This opens the way for theological
workshops around Australia that satisfy this requirement. • A theologically qualified Clinical Membership category is
recognized with the postnominals CMCCAA (Theol.).
THEOLOGICAL REQUIREMENT IS NO LONGER AN
ENTRY REQUIREMENT

Requirements for theological integration of faith and practice have
now become a qualification requirement for clinical membership
rather than entry level membership and the requirements have been
modified in the following ways:
• The Theological Integration requirements are no longer a
requirement for entry level application. Rather, a new member is
asked to provide a ‘Reference of Christian Standing’ and to affirm
the ‘Faith and Values’ Statement. This allows the new member

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Edition 12 November 2020