Each month in eNews, our friendly membership staff cover a topic of frequent interest to members.
This month we are covering CPD, including what counts as CPD and what the different categories mean.
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What counts as CPD, and what is the difference between Category A and B?
PACFA runs frequent, engaging, and high quality CPD to help you grow as a practitioner and meet your annual requirements. In July, we made all our webinar recordings free for members, meaning it’s now even easier to meet your CPD requirements. For a full list of PACFA events, and endorsed events run by external organisations, visit our events search.
PACFA’s CPD requirements are designed to maintain high standards and professionalism in the industry.
Quick quiz: Are the following activities Category A or B?
1. Reading a book and making a reflective journal
2. Presenting a PD, either in person or in a webinar
3. Watching a webinar recording with no opportunity for participation
4. Watching a webinar recording with the opportunity for participation (a quiz, a forum, email exchange with the host etc.)
5. Attending a live in-person or online event
6. Supervision hours above and beyond your annual requirement
Answers: Q1: B Q2: B Q3: B Q4: A. Q5: A. Q6: B.
CPD FAQs
How many hours of CPD do I have to do?
The requirement is for 20 hours per year. Of this 20 hours, at least 10 have to come from Category A, but you can do all 20 hours in Category A if you like.
A maximum of 10 hours per year can come from Category B, but if you meet the 20 hours from Category A activities, there is no need to complete Category B.
What counts for Category A and what counts for Category B?
Category A is ‘active learning’ - activities where you are a participant, and there is a chance to engage with the host/facilitator/presenter. Examples are a live webinar, attending an event in person, or following an online course that is recorded but includes a forum to chat with the host and other participants, or has a learning component such as a quiz.
Category B CPD is ‘passive learning’ such as reading a book or journal article relevant to your practice; or watching a recorded lecture or Ted Talk.
Category B CPD can also be participating in a peer study group relevant to your practice, giving a formal lecture or presentation on your area of expertise, or attending supervision hours above your annual requirement.
Does the CPD activity need to be endorsed by PACFA to count?
No, it doesn’t need to be endorsed or run by PACFA for it to count, however the CPD needs to be relevant to your practice and meet our CPD requirements. We recommended choosing a PACFA run CPD or an endorsed CPD to ensure that the CPD you complete meets our CPD policy.
How do I know if the CPD I am interested in meets PACFA requirements?
If this CPD is directly related to counselling and psychotherapy, is evidence-based, and concerns your therapeutic clinical work, then this will likely meet our standards. To be extra sure please check our CPD Policy.
I thought an activity I did counted towards CPD, but I’ve now realised it won’t. What do I do?
If you accidentally completed a course that does not meet our standards, do not worry. When you complete your audit (once every 3 years), we will notify you of this, and you will likely have to make up the missing hours in that membership year.
Do I have to do CPD if I’m not currently seeing any clients?
Yes – if you’re an active member of PACFA, at renewal time we will expect you to have completed all 20 hours, regardless of how much client contact you’ve had. However, if you’re not seeing any clients and aren’t planning on doing so in the near future, because you’re taking a break, you can go on leave. Members on leave don’t have to complete CPD for their leave period and don’t need to submit a renewal.
Do I have to do more CPD if I have more client hours?
No, the 20 hours is independent of your client hours.
What if I do more CPD hours in a year than required, can they roll over?
No, you can’t roll your CPD over into the next year.
Do I log my CPD hours as points?
No – simply input the number of hours, to the closest 15 minutes.
Examples:
One hour and fifteen minutes = 1.25
One hour and thirty minutes = 1.5
One hour and forty-five minutes = 1.75
If you attended a CPD event that was forty minutes, you would round this up to forty-five, meaning you would input 0.75 into your logs.
How do I keep track of my CPD?
We recommend adding your CPD to your PACFA logs as you go, so that you don’t have to upload it all at once during your renewal. If you attended an event run by PACFA, this will automatically appear in your logs, however PACFA endorsed CPD and any CPD run by external organisations will not be automatically added, so make sure you add them in.
Make sure you keep a record of any non-PACFA events – things such as participation certificates, course completion letters, or payment receipts. It’s important you have these, as you may be audited on your CPD.
How do I log my CPD on the portal?
We’ve created a step-by-step video to walk you through that.
Do I need to send PACFA a copy of my certificate for any CPD I complete?
No, you don’t need to send it to us when you complete CPD. However, make sure you keep a record of any non-PACFA events –such as participation certificates, reflective journals, confirmation emails, or payment receipts. It’s important you have these, as you may be audited on your CPD (once every three years) and at this time we will ask to see a copy of these documents to verify your CPD hours are correct.