About the Australian Holistic Healers & Counsellors Association

The Australian Holistic Healers and Counsellors Association (AHHCA) is a not-for-profit organisation, founded by a small group of practitioners in central Victoria, in the 1990s. The dedication of these early members saw the Association continue to grow, to the present time, where our new members, with much energy and vision, are ready to take it to the next stage.

Our Vision is to ensure that there are good quality multi-modality training organisations and practitioners providing holistic health and wellbeing choices to the community.

It is our mission to educate and empower the holistic healing community to be responsible and transparent in providing health and wellbeing services that facilitate informed choices.

We aim to do this by;

  • Providing professional support, advice, products, and services to our membership.
  • Acting as an accrediting body for training providers of holistic modalities.
  • Ensuring best practice standards and professional ethics for practising Healers and education providers of holistic healing.
  • Engaging in information gathering, consultation, and advocacy related to current trends in holistic healing.
  • Making sure the Association maintains a good financial standing at all times.

Read our Code of Ethics and Statement of Purpose.

President’s Message

Welcome to our Australian Holistic Healers and Counsellors Association website. You may be here looking for a practitioner, be a budding practitioner searching for an association that will best meet your needs or be an established practitioner looking for professional membership and access to insurance. You are all in the right place. 

The AHHCA is run for members by members. We are passionate about highly trained professional holistic healers and counsellors who provide a service that considers the whole person. Being a multi-modality association we support and acknowledge the diverse and individual approaches used to achieve emotional, physical, mental and spiritual wellness for ourselves and our clients. Knowing that life and knowledge is constantly changing and evolving we unapologetically have high expectations of our members to stretch and grow through on-going professional development. Striving for excellence through accrediting courses to train the next generation of modern, confident, holistic therapists and counsellors furthers our mission to empower and inform the wellness community.

Committee

Theresa-jones

Theresa Jones – President

The modalities I use in my Intuitive Counselling practice are:

  • Holistic Counselling (Certificate of Wholistic Counselling, The Essence of Healing)
  • Flower Essences, Australian Bush and Bach Flower (Certificate in Wholistic Flower Essence Therapy, The Essence of Healing)
  • Emotional Freedom Technique (Certificate in Energy Healing: Emotional Freedom Technique, The Essence of Healing)
  • Reiki (I, II and Master, Om Reiki Centre)

I also hold the following qualifications:

  • Cert IV (Alcohol and Other Drug Work, East Gippsland TAFE)
  • Grad Dip Arts (Social Welfare, Monash University)
  • PhD (African Traditional Medicine, Monash University)

I have enjoyed being a general and Online Presence sub-Committee member since 2016.

I joined the AHHCA in 2008.

I joined to gain professional membership and to be part of a like-minded community of practitioners.

karen-howard

Karen Howard – Administrator & Vice President

I am an:

  • Access Bars Facilitator
  • Access Body Process Facilitator
  • NLP Master Practitioner, Holistic Counsellor
  • Energy Worker,
  • Expert in Holistic Stress Management
  • Accessible Yoga Teacher

I am the AHHCA’s Administrator, Vice President and also part of the Online Presence Sub Committee.

I joined the AHHCA in 2008.

I was encouraged to join the AHHCA by the principal of Alpha Omega College where I studied.

Kerry Clayton

Kerrie Clayton

My modalities are:

  • Reiki
  • Aromatherapy
  • Colour Therapy
  • Nutrition
  • Mindfulness

I joined as a Student member in 2011 and became a full member the year after.

I joined the AHHCA as it offered the opportunity to be part of a community of like-minded healers and practitioners. I was attracted to the association as it offers membership across a range of healing modalities and encourages excellence across these different approaches to health and wellbeing. Being part of the AHHCA committee is a way for me to give back to the organisation, utilising my many years of practice in holistic health, as well as my previous background as a public policy writer and adviser.

Caroll Sims

My modalities are:

  • Holistic Therapy ISET
  • Life Coaching
  • Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
  • Timeline Practitioner
  • Reiki

I have been Treasurer of the AHHCA since October 2019.

I first joined in 1994 as a student of Holistic Centre Located in Glen Waverley. Then changing paths, living between Greece and Australia.

AHHCA was also recommended to me by Joy Nicholson from the ISET Institute.

The Institute was handed to me from Joy and their courses were already accredited by the AHHCA. My thought was; why change something that is working, so I rejoined as an Approved Trainer in 2019.

Chris Little

I am a mother of three adult children and proud grandmother of 7 grandchildren. I began a journey into counselling at age 37 years when I enrolled to study a B.A in Social Welfare, minoring in Australian Aboriginal Studies. Over 10 years I completed the following qualifications:

  • Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Science. Completed 2007. Melbourne University.
  • Diploma of Business (Community Services and Health Management) and
  • Certificate IV in Community Services (Common Core Competencies). Graduated 2003. University of Ballarat.
  • Bachelor of Social Welfare. Graduated March 2003. Monash University.
  • Certificate IV in Hypnotherapy. Academy of Hypnotherapy Science Pty Ltd.  2011.
  • Child Inclusive Mediator. This qualification is one unit of the Voc Grad Dip Family Dispute Resolution. Family Mediation Centre. 2013.

I have worked in many fields with people from diverse backgrounds and studied the brain extensively over my 25-year career as a counsellor.

Enza Magro – Secretary

I have been a member of AHHCA since 2009, after completing my Diploma of Holistic Counselling at Alpha Omega College.  After completing my diploma and hours of practicum at Alpha Omega College, I was recommended by Andonnia Gotsi, who was my counselling teacher and mentor.

I am currently a non-practicing member as I am studying to upgrade my qualifications.

Myree Morsi

Modalities/specialties:
– Counselling
– Energy Healing
– Spiritual Healing
– Spiritual Coaching
– Life Coaching
– Process Oriented Psychology
– Awakening Support

I joined the AHHCA in June 2021 because I value being a member of an accredited professional association.

Definition of a Healer

Holistic Healer refers to a person who satisfies guidelines and qualifications set by the AHHCA (Australian Holistic Healers Association). The accredited Holistic Health Professional must hold a current AHHCA registration to practice the art of Holistic Healing in observance with the AHHCA ‘Code of Ethics’.

The title Holistic Healer does not infer a practitioner’s ability to heal or cure, rather its aim to facilitate best practice to aid the body’s ability to self-heal in accordance to its nature.

Holistic Healing recognises the contribution of the traditional healing arts as well as methods and techniques currently being developed.

The focus of Holistic Healing is in the treatment of the whole person – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Vision

To ensure there are good quality multi-modality training organisations and practitioners providing health and wellbeing choices to the community

Mission

To provide a high quality multi-modality association that educates and empowers the holistic healing community to be responsible and transparent in providing health services that facilitate informed choices and wellness

Targets/Aims

1. To provide professional support, advice, products, and services to our membership

2. To act as an accrediting body for training providers of holistic modalities

3. To ensure best practice standards and professional ethics for practising Healers and education providers of holistic healing

4. To engage in information gathering, consultation, and advocacy related to current trends in holistic healing

5. To ensure the Association maintains good financial standing

Statement of Purpose

  1. To advance the formal and professional recognition of Holistic Healers and set minimal educational standards for Holistic Healers.
  2. To represent the interests of and become an ongoing contact for Holistic Healers.  To provide professional advice and an opportunity for social interaction.
  3. To organise workshops and seminars for post-graduates as well as the general public.
  4. To set Professional Standards and a Code of Ethics for practising Healers.
  5. To seek affiliation and where possible, accreditation with like-minded groups and associations, both in Australia and overseas.
  6. To become a point of reference to the general public and others working in health-related areas, for information and resources concerning Holistic Healers and Holistic Healing.
  7. To be a forum for discussion about the changing nature of Healers and healing, their public perception and recognition.
  8. To encourage the teaching of Holistic Healing principles through community groups, educational, medical and paramedical institutions, so that more people will be able to appreciate the role that Holistic Healing has in the broader field of health care.
  9. To assist members to obtain professional indemnity insurance.
  10. To produce a monthly newsletter.

Code of Ethics

  1. Treat all client information as confidential.
  2. The Practitioner will never offer a medical diagnoses or a prognosis.  This is the role of a Medical Doctor, or suitably qualified specialist or practitioner.
  3. To ensure that clients realise that any recommendations or advice offered is for their consideration only, and that clients should in no way feel compelled to act upon them.
  4. To use healing methods or techniques that are gentle, natural and that will do no harm to the client.
  5. To ensure that clients are advised to seek medical opinion whenever any of the ‘red light’ symptoms appear.
  6. To encourage clients to seek out a Medical Practitioner who most closely meets their personal needs, and to seek the advice and help of their Doctor whenever appropriate.
  7. To present oneself in a professional manner reflected in standards of dress, cleanliness, speech, etc.
  8. Maintain a high level of professional competence, seeking always to improve one’s standards and skills.
  9. Serve those in need irrespective of nationality, sex, age, marital status, race, culture, creed, political views or social standing.
  10. Respect the rights and dignity of the individual.
  11. Not to discredit the Association by words or actions.
  12. Not to puncture the skin, unless appropriately qualified.
  13. To be sympathetic to client’s needs, expressing a genuine concern and a sensitive, caring attitude.
  14. To encourage clients to take greater responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.
  15. To ensure that advertisements clearly state one’s qualifications (eg. Holistic Healer, Holistic Health Practitioner, not Medical Doctor), and not make claims to be able to cure diseases. Appropriate wording (e.g. “may also assist in the treatment of …”).
  16. The Practitioner does not enter into any contracts or pre-conditions of treatment.

Sign up to our monthly email newsletter