Application Procedure

1. Documentation

I. General membership:

  1. Prepare photocopies of related graduation certificates and/or transcripts.  All of the above support your academic qualifications and related work experiences and post master practicum work.  If the institution granting the academic award is outside Hong Kong, kindly provide programme details, e.g. course descriptions and graduation requirements in softcopy format.

  2. Counselling related work employment letter proof from employer showing years of related counselling work experience.

  3. Complete the online general membership application form (click here)

II.Professional membership (include Certified Counsellor “CCoun” and Approved Counselling Supervisor “ACounS”):

  1. Must have obtained the general membership status such as Fellow, Associate Fellow or Member as precondition.  Must possess a local master’s degree in counseling or in a counseling-related field, with theory and practice components. Otherwise, applicant has to apply for general membership at the same time and follow the steps of general membership application.
  2. Prepare post master practicum supervision contract before supervision starts, full set of supervised contact hours and supervision hours summary tables (applicable to certified counsellor application only) signed / endorsed by HKPCA listed Approved Counselling Supervisor(s).

  3. Useful standard template forms can be downloaded from HKPCA website under Resource–>Download Area–> HKPCA Appendix Files.  Applicants of Certificated Counsellor has to submit at least appendix 3, 7 and 8.  Other template forms can also be used for applicant’s own records.

  4. Fill in the universal application form downloadable for from HKPCA official website (https://www.hkpca.org.hk/membership/how-to-apply/).  For Candidacy of Certificated Counsellor graduated from HKPCA accredited programmes, the online application procedure can be applied.

Note that “supervised practice” has three important aspects:

  1. “Practice” refers to the broad array of remedial, developmental, and preventive intervention performed by counsellors in multiple settings, with identifiable goals and a mechanism (e.g., qualified counselling supervisors) to monitor and evaluate the attainment of goals.
  2. “Supervised practice” refers to an arrangement where the “counsellor-in-training” is accountable to a person in a supervisory role.
  3. Supervision is used primarily as a process to facilitate the professional competence and development of the counselor.

Reminder notes: Applicants are strongly recommended to keep a full set copies at applicants hand for own record before you send all important documents to us. 

2. Application Fees:

  1. For General Membership or membership upgrade, submit an online payment HK$100 application handling charge which is not refundable due to any result of application.

  2. For Approved Counselling Supervisor, Certified Counsellor or Candidacy of Certified Counsellor submit a payment of HK$200 for Professional Membership application fee which is not refundable due to any result of application.  If he/she has not been a general member, please apply for general membership at the same time and pay for HKD 100 application handling fee.

  3. Note that for professional membership renewal, he/she has to be a listed general member as pre-condition.  This implies he/she has to renew and pay for general membership fee every year if he/she wants to continue professional membership.
  4. The renewal will be reminded at the end of fiscal year by email.

  5. Online payment is highly recommended and send the bank slip by email to ([email protected]).  Hang Seng Bank Account: (bank code: 024) 359-066362-001.

  6. All crossed cheque is payable to The Hong Kong Professional Counselling Association Limited or “香港專業輔導協會有限公司”.  Send all to HKPCA by postal mail (detail postal address refers to https://www.hkpca.org.hk/about/contact/) attention to HKPCA executive secretariat.
  7. The membership fiscal year is from 1 January to 31 December. Membership approved on or after 1 July of a year requires only half of the annual membership fee.

Reminder: Please make sure the postage stamp value is sufficient to cover the postage service. HKPCA is not responsible for any mis-posted or time delay in postage due to above condition.

3. Application lead time

An application will be processed only after the application fee and full set supporting documents are fully received.  The processing time of application is at least 10 weeks. Final process time depends on the complication and completion of supporting documents provided by the applicant.  The Association will notify applicant by email once the application is officially approved.  Please note that all general and professional memberships are counted valid only after the current fiscal year membership fee are fully paid.

 

4.  Renewal of membership 

After being a member for no matter how long, he/she has to renew their membership in end of current or in beginning of next fiscal year.

Members will receive invitation by direct mail.  They need to settle their new year membership fee within first quarter of next year so that their names will be listed online.

Professional Membership can only be sustained provided that member has to renew with general membership at the same time.

HKPCA reserves the right of dis-listing members names online if they have not completed full payment of upcoming year membership without further notification.

5. Application of HKPCA member titles and HKPCA logo:

Members are allowed to print their membership title on their personal business cards.  Titles should be those approved by MPSC in normal membership approval procedure.

However, in all circumstances, HKPCA members are NOT permitted to print the HKPCA company logo on their personal business cards or use the logo in any other means of communication for self-introduction.

For general enquiry, please contact our executive secretariat at: (852) 2334 7172 or email at [email protected]

Related link:

FAQs – https://www.hkpca.org.hk/resources-centre/faqs/

General Membership Annual Fees (HKD)
Fellow $450
Associate Fellow $400
Member $300
Associate Member $250
Student Member $100
Affiliate $150
Professional Membership Annual Fees (HKD)
Certified Counsellor $500
Approved  Counselling Supervisor $750

# Certificate admin. fee:$50 per piece (optional)

# Application fee: HKD 100 (General Membership); HKD 200 (Professional Membership)

Online application is available for General Membership and Candidacy of Certificated Counsellor graduated from HKPCA accredited programs.

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