Thank you for your support at AGM 2017 held on 23 June 2017. We are pleased to announce the below 6 motions were passed successfully. Below are the motions passed with changes in ref and specific effective dates.
Motion 1
Criteria for Fellow under General Membership
Moved that taking effect from 1st January 2018, candidates for Fellows will be “those who have a Doctoral or Master Degree in Counselling or a related field and have at least 15 years of full-time experiences in counselling work (practice / research / training), and have been recommended and invited by the Council of the Association.”
Background : Recently, we have come across individuals who have got a Doctoral degree but not Master Degree in Counselling or related field, thus being unable to meet the existing criteria. On the other hand, it is timely to raise the entry requirements on the length of practice experiences of the candidates in this category of membership, so as to promote their status and image in the general public.
Motion 1: proposed by Dr. Man, seconded by Dr. Wat
Motion 2
Criteria for Associate Fellow under General Membership
Moved that taking effect from 1st January 2018, applicants for Associate Fellows will be “those who have a Doctoral or Master Degree in Counselling or a related field and have at least 10 years of full-time experience in counselling work (practice / research / training).
Background : Recently, we have come cross individuals who have got a Doctoral degree but not Master Degree in Counselling or related field, thus being unable to meet the existing criteria in applying for Associate Fellow. On the other hand, it is timely to raise the entry requirements on the length of practice experiences of the applicants for this category of membership, so to promote their status and image in the general public.
Motion 2: proposed by Dr. Pat Fung, seconded by Dr Ella Chan
Motion 3
Criteria for Certified Counsellor under Professional Membership
Moved that taking effect from the academic year of 2018/19 and subsequent admission cohorts, applicants for Certified Counsellors should have completed an Accredited Counselling Program in which there are “3 other required domains (at least 3 of the 5 domains): Human growth and development, Social and cultural foundation, Research methods and evaluation, Psychopathology and assessment, and Group work” as part of the requirements.
Background : After having consulted the Program Leaders of existing Counselling Programs offered by various training institutes, it is proposed to update the existing other required domains, viz. to replace “Program evaluation” by “Research methods and evaluation”, as well as “Measurement and appraisal” by “Psychopathology and assessment”.
Motion 3: proposed by Dr Chui, seconded by Mr. Jeffrey IP
Motion 4
Criteria for Approved Counselling Supervisor under Professional Membership
Moved that taking effect from 1st April 2017, applicants for HKPCA Approved Supervisors will be those who :
- “Possess a Doctoral or Master’s Degree in counseling (or its equivalent); and
- Have 20 or more years of experience in providing counseling or 10 years post-Doctoral or post-Master Degree experience in counselling; and
- Have at least 5 years of full time (equivalent to 1,000 hours) post-Master experience in providing counselling supervision, in which at least 50% of time providing direct supervision to counselling practice excluding practicum; and
- Must be a HKPCA Certified Counsellor as a pre-condition.”
Background : Applications for Approved Supervisors are evaluated based on the applicant’s academic credential, counselling practice experience, and counselling supervision experience. It is deemed necessary to raise and specify the entry requirements on the applicants’ experiences in counselling practice as well as in counselling supervision, so to ensure their professional competency.
Motion 4: proposed by Dr Rainbow Cheung, seconded by Dr Ann Mok
Motion 5
Adjustment of fee on first-time application for Certified Counsellor
Moved that taking effect from 1st January 2018, the fee on first-time application for Certified Counsellor will be increased to HK$700, in which HK$200 is an one-off administrative fee on first-time application and HK$500 is the annual membership fee; while the annual membership fee for Certified Counsellor will be increased to HK$500.
Background: Presently, the fee on first-time application for Certified Counsellor is HK$500, in which HK$200 is an one-off administrative fee on first-time application and HK$300 is the annual membership fee. It is timely to increase the annual membership fee from HK$300 to HK$500 in view of the rising administrative cost. Nonetheless, the administrative fee of HK$200 for the first-time application will remain unchanged.
Motion 5: proposed by Ms. Cindy Wong, seconded by Dr Petrus Ng
Motion 6
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for renewal of Professional Membership
Moved that taking effective from 1st January 2019 for one-year trial run, every HKPCA Certified Counsellor and Approved Counselling Supervisor applying for membership renewal will have to declare, on voluntary basis, the CPD points they have accumulated over the past year. For membership renewal in 2019, at least 10 points have to be attained.
Background: As helping professionals, Counsellors have to be equipped with updated knowledge, skills, requirements and resources in order to render quality of services to their service recipients. It is deemed necessary to introduce Continuous Professional Development which has been a requirement in other helping profession. For the scheme of attaining CPD points, please refer to below:
Motion 6: proposed by Ms. Shirley Ng, seconded by Ms. Cindy Wong
Scheme of Awarding CPD Points
(Source: Hong Kong Social Work Registration Board)
| Mode of CPD Activities | Description of Weighing | CPD Points to be Awarded | Remarks |
| Education, Training & Practice | |||
| 1. Attending courses leading to formal academic award | 1 hour of course attended | 1 | First professional counselling work training is excluded. |
| 2. Providing professional supervision under employing agency’s approval | 1 hour of supervision given | 2 | Remunerated jobs are excluded. |
| 3. Attending conference, seminars, workshops, etc. | 1 hours of event attended | 1 | — |
| 4. Undergoing formal on-line studies with study hours recognized by other accreditation bodies | 1 hour of study completed | 1 | Each hour of study is equivalent to 1 hour of course attended under the course requirement of the institution which provides the course. |
| 5. Giving lectures | 1 hour of presentation conducted | 2 | Remunerated jobs are excluded. |
| 6. Speaking at conference and seminars | 1 presentation conducted | 2 | Remunerated jobs are excluded. |
| 7. Undergoing self-study: reading journals, reports, books, etc. | 1 hour of study completed | 1 | A maximum of 5 CPD points will be recognized in a one-year cycle. Solid proof such as self-reflection, or literature reports/summary will be required. |
| 8. Clinical practice | 1 hour of direct practice completed | 2 | It refers to the practice that is regarded as external assistance rendered to the cases/clients outside the practitioner’s employing agency. Remunerated jobs are excluded. |
| Mode of CPD Activities | Description of Weighing | CPD Points to be Awarded | Remarks |
| Visit | |||
| 1. Short professional visit | 1 session | 1 | A maximum of 5 CPD points will be recognized in a one-year cycle. |
| 2. Study tour (excluding sight-seeing and other leisure programmes) | 1 session | 1 | |
| Publication | |||
| 1. Refereed article/book chapter | principal author | 8 | Publications required by employing institutions or agencies as part of job duties are excluded. |
| co-author | 4 | ||
| 2. Non-refereed article/book chapter | principal author | 6 | |
| co-author | 3 | ||
| 3. Other types of article/book chapter | principal author | 4 | |
| co-author | 2 | ||
| 4. Book |
to be individually assessed |
Up to a specified maximum |
The specified maximum refers to the proposed benchmark of 24 CPD points in a one-year cycle. |
| 5. Non-print publications (e.g. video, VCD, web-edition, etc.) | |||
| 6. Others | |||
| Community Service | |||
| 1. Voluntary professional consultancy service
|
1 hour of service provided
|
1 | A maximum of 5 CPD points will be recognized in a one-year cycle. |
| 2. Participation in committee(s) of the government, professional organizations, NGOs, and/or groups at community levels
|
1 session of service provided
|
1 | |
Download: 6-motions-final-23-June-2017.pdf