FAQs
There are several levels of membership, and three practicing levels of membership.
To become a Certificate Member you need to have completed at least 50 hours of training in one or more approved modality.
To become a Full Member you need to have completed at least 250 hours of training in one or more approved modality.
This means you can do one course in the field of holistic healing that makes up the required hours, or you can collect up hours from a number of shorter courses.
To become an Approved Trainer you need to have completed at least 250 hours training and also have a government approved teaching qualification (e.g. Dip Ed, Cert IV in Training & Assessment, etc) and have done first aid training.
Just forward a certificate of completion to the Administrator.
Membership is where you are accepted into a professional association based on your training and qualifications. Insurance covers the risk of running your practice, so that if you are sued you would not have to pay damages out of your own pocket. Insurance companies like you to have membership with a professional association as members have to adhere to codes of ethics that regulate their behaviour in practice, and because associations have processes and procedures to address client grievances.
AHHCA does not offer insurance, however Insurance companies like you to have membership with a professional association before they will insure you. We do not have an agreement with any company but many of our members use Arthur J Gallagher, AON or Insurance House.
It really depends on the qualification. We have an Education Committee who reviews all qualifications and will determine if they are acceptable for membership.
See above.
Your qualification may still be acceptable for membership. Please apply and the Education Committee will review the qualification and will determine if it is acceptable for membership. Often it will be.
It really depends. If you want to practice it will depend on your qualifications and number of hours studied. If you are still studying you should join as a Student Member. If you are just interested in Holistic Healing and Counselling you may want to join as an Associate Member. If you run a healing centre or are an organisation involved in the healing industry you may want to join as an Affiliated Organisation Member.
All practicing members are required to do 30 hours of professional development (PD) per year,and there are some guidelines about that, but an hour of your time spent equals an hour of PD.
Not really. However reading the AHHCA Informer every month can count towards your PD hours and we often have a PD event in Queensland each year.
Professional development (PD) hours are time spent developing yourself as a practitioner. It can include things like learning new skills and keeping up to date with the latest in the holistic healing and counselling field. You can read our PD guidelines here.
As a practicing member of the AHHCA you are expected to do 30 hours of professional development (PD) each year. You can read our PD guidelines here.
We have a process where your application is reviewed by our Committee then ratified via email vote, then you are notified of the outcome.
It usually takes about 7 business days from us receiving your application to you receiving your welcome letter, assuming all documents are in order.
If you need your application approved quickly for a particular reason please let the Administrator know.
Whilst we recommend first aid training for all practicing members (and the training can go towards your professional development hours) it is only compulsory for Clinical Members and Approved Trainers.
The only exception to this is if you are ONLY working (seeing clients or training, respectively) online, ie not in person.
No. The AHHCA’s membership year runs from 1 July to 30 June and all members renew at the same time. If you join part way through a year you may only pay a pro rata amount of the full membership fee – it decreases each quarter.
You can renew via the website and you will be sent reminders by the Administrator.
Yes. You will be sent renewal reminders by the Administrator.
No. Membership fees relate to the level of membership.
Renewals are paid annually, but if you are experiencing financial difficulties you can apply for a payment plan. Please contact the Administrator to discuss.
No. If you want to change anything about your listing please contact the Administrator.
If you are already a practicing member you can apply to upgrade to become an Approved Trainer if you meet the additional requirements. The fee to upgrade is $50. You can also apply to become an Approved Trainer via this link.
Not really. If you have an issue with a client, or a client with you, we may be able to support you through a grievance process. You would need to contact the Administrator with details of the situation and we would assess it on a case by case basis.
We recommend that you renew as a Non-Practicing Member for the duration of your maternity leave, then upgrade back to full membership once you return to work.
Yes. You can put the logo on things like business cards and say that you are a (your membership level) member of the AHHCA.
Logo Use Guide
Full Members can use the AHHCA logo on professional letterheads for correspondence, business cards or advertisements for their practice along with the words “Full Member of the AHHCA”.
Certificate Members can use the AHHCA logo on promotional materials for their practice along with the words “Certificate Member of the AHHCA”.
Approved Trainers can insert the words ‘AHHCA Approved Trainer’ or ‘AHHCA Approved Trainer of (modality)’, along with the AHHCA logo, to certificates of attendance and promotional materials.
Education Providers can insert the words ‘Provider of AHHCA Accredited Courses’,along with the AHHCA logo, to certificates of attendance and other promotional materials. They must clearly indicate in their materials which courses are accredited by the AHHCA and specify any they are offering that are not.
Affiliated Organisations can insert the words ‘AHHCA Affiliated Organisation’ and the logo on promotional material for the organisation, but may not imply that individuals associated with the organisation are part of the association unless those individuals are members in their own right.
Associate Members, Student Members, Non-Practicing Members and members “on Hold” may not use the AHCHA logo for promotional materials.
Use of the AHHCA logo inappropriately can lead to disciplinary action for members and legal action for non members.
If a Full or Certificate or Non-Practicing member or Approved Trainer is going through a period of difficulty (series illness of self or immediate family member), is on an overseas posting, or is on long term leave, but wishes to remain a member of the AHHCA without full voting rights they can request to have their membership put on hold for a maximum of 3 years. From this level of membership they can re-activate to a practicing level of membership by paying the additional fee and providing proof of professional development and current professional indemnity insurance.
Education Providers cannot downgrade their membership without their courses losing accreditation.