This article presents a synthesised clinical and theoretical exploration of using touch-based somatic psychotherapy to address the embodied imprints of developmental trauma in adult clients. Specifically, it investigates the subtle, pervasive impact of early emotional neglect characterised by rejection, relinquishment, and abandonment. While overt abuse often commands clinical focus, this paper investigates the unique psychobiological survival strategies and symptoms arising from relational absence. It draws on three sessions with an adult female client, Monica (a pseudonym). Three critical axes of therapeutic focus emerged: the deepening awareness developed around long-standing, body-based protective patterns as she was introduced to the concept of yielding; the progressive integration between her interoceptive experience and psychological insight; and the encounter with a unique psychobiological phenomenon she referred to as a “black hole”. With her written consent, I draw on Monica’s lived experience, the therapeutic processes we engaged in and her responses to treatment—with deep appreciation for her courage and willingness to explore something new. The underlying framework of this synthesis is explicitly reparative in nature and primarily leverages around NeuroAffective Touch®. Ultimately, this paper argues that intentional, attuned physical touch is an essential catalyst for navigating the void of early developmental omission and in supporting the integration of fragmented, preverbal trauma narratives.
Research consistently indicates that personal qualities play a critical role in counselling efficacy. This underscores the need for counsellor education programs to develop robust methods for identifying suitable applicants and supporting students’ personal development. However, despite substantial research into therapist effects, little consensus exists on the key personal qualities required of counselling practitioners. This qualitative investigation addresses this gap by identifying the core attributes prioritised by Australian educators. Drawing on a multi-site, grounded theory study within a critical realist framework, this study utilised grounded theory analysis of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 30 personnel across 10 Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) accredited programs. The analysis revealed consensus on seven key personal qualities: self-awareness, openness, interpersonal skills, emotional stability, professionalism, cognitive complexity, and personal maturity. These findings highlight a widespread emphasis on qualities essential for ethical gatekeeping and navigating academic requirements—attributes that, in some cases, contrast with those empirically associated primarily with client therapeutic outcomes. The article provides detailed conceptualisations of these attributes, discusses their complex interrelationships, and proposes recommendations for enhancing conceptual clarity in standards and curriculum design within Australian and international counsellor education.
Volume 14 (1) of the _Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia_ (PACJA) features outstanding, original research on psychotherapy and counselling. Its publication coincides with PACJA achieving APA PsycInfo® listing, an important milestone that will boost the journal’s global visibility and usage. Creative and experiential therapies are explored in case studies on posttraumatic growth in suicide bereavement and childhood sexual abuse (Sands & Ridge, 2026). Another case study is used to examine equine-assisted narrative therapy (O'Sullivan, 2026). Core values of the Australian counselling and psychotherapy profession are identified by Beel et al. (2026), while Avetisoff et al. (2026) explores how Australian clinical supervisors navigate boundary tensions. Hope and flow are found to predict greater wellbeing in 248 school staff participating in a strengths-based intervention (Ignjatovic et al., 2026). Beaumont and Haase (2026) argue that walk and talk therapy may decrease counsellor work stress and burnout, albeit raising ethical and practical considerations. Two articles focus on employment counselling. Smith and Pavlidis (2026) explore the emerging role of employment counsellors in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), while Smith (2026) examines the psychologically informed employment counselling framework in Customised Employment practice. A timely review (Hsi, 2026)—given the forthcoming submission to the Federal Government of a report on a recommended regulatory model for counsellors and psychotherapists—looks at an open-access textbook (O'Hara, 2025) which clarifies the profession's unique contribution within a complex mental health landscape.
In the aftermath of traumatic events, such as the loss of a loved one to suicide, or childhood sexual abuse, the devastating consequences can wash over years, leaving those affected struggling to re-engage meaningfully in life. Posttraumatic growth (PTG) theory affirms people’s capacity to learn and grow from extremely adverse events that perturb their assumptive world and sense of self. Growth after trauma involves complex ongoing psychological integration processes to restore the sense of self and construct an adaptive, evolving life narrative. Two case studies addressed these concerns, providing clinical practice qualitative data insights to inform the evolvement of long term PTG counselling support. Both case studies provide insight into using creative experiential therapeutic processes in clinical practice to facilitate PTG. Current research substantiates the benefits of employing verbal and non-verbal, sensory, embodied creative experiential processes to support post-trauma narrative reconstruction. The group case study was developed for those bereaved by suicide post two years and is structured around a creative experiential process termed the object poem. The individual case study used a range of creative psychodrama interventions to support restoration of self, many years after childhood sexual abuse. Although different in aetiology, suicide bereavement and childhood sexual abuse share similar themes of grief; loss; trauma; and disruption to life, sense of self, and relationships with others. Clinical practice data findings illustrate the positive benefits of creative experiential therapy in facilitating PTG themes; however, further research is recommended given case study limitations.
This review examines _The Practice of Counselling and Psychotherapy_ (O'Hara et al., 2025), an open-access introductory text developed by educators from The University of Queensland's Master of Counselling program. The book presents counselling and psychotherapy as fundamentally relational practices, integrating philosophical, theoretical, neurobiological, systemic, and professional perspectives within a coherent framework. Particular strengths of this book include its treatment of common factors research, the role of hope in therapeutic change, neurobiological literacy for practitioners, integrative case formulation, and strong pedagogical design. The text successfully balances accessibility with conceptual depth, rendering it especially suitable for students and early-career practitioners. While a more sustained discussion of contemporary professional and regulatory issues within the Australian context would further strengthen its relevance for practising counsellors and psychotherapists, the volume nevertheless represents a significant contribution to counselling and psychotherapy education.
This study explores how Australian clinical supervisors navigate power dynamics, boundary tensions, and relational challenges. We thematically analysed semi-structured interviews with Australian accredited supervisors. Findings revealed five key themes: power, prevention, personal–professional boundaries, supervisory relationships, and supervision approaches. Supervisors reported struggling with dual roles, ethical dilemmas, and boundary setting. Findings from the study highlight the need for improved training and standardised education to support ethical practice and enhance supervisory competence within the Australian counselling context.
Since the 1990s, practitioners have increasingly engaged in walk and talk therapy (WATT), a therapeutic modality that integrates physical activity in nature with therapy. Practitioners have reported benefits for their clients, including increased physical activity, reduced stress symptoms, improved physical and mental health, and enhanced overall wellbeing. However, the literature has not yet explored how using WATT interventions with clients benefits counsellors’ wellbeing and self-care. This article interrogates whether it is appropriate—or even preferable—to offer a therapeutic intervention that is intentionally designed to benefit both client and counsellor. The word mutualism is used here to describe this collaborative encounter. This scoping review employed the PRISMA approach and searched five electronic sources (Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Southern Cross University library, The University of Queensland library, and Christian Heritage College library), followed by a thematic analysis of the scoping review’s findings. The search and scoping review identified a range of potential benefits to counsellors who use WATT in their practice, categorised under five themes: wellbeing, physical health, mental health, the benefits of being in nature for the counsellor, and benefits to the counsellor’s professional skills. This scoping review suggests that a deeper understanding of how counsellors who engage with WATT view and experience mutualism is needed to evaluate the modality adequately. WATT sessions may benefit counsellors by improving their wellbeing, positively affecting longevity by reducing occupational stress and the risk of burnout, while also raising ethical and practical considerations.
The Psychologically Informed Employment Counselling Framework (PIE-CF) integrates counselling, trauma-informed care, and vocational rehabilitation within Customised Employment (CE) practice. Centred on three interdependent relational domains—presence, inquiry, and engagement—the PIE-CF provides a structured approach to fostering trust, enhancing vocational identity, and sustaining job engagement. Drawing on competencies set by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA, 2025), the PIE-CF is situated within the literature on psychologically informed environments and vocational counselling. The framework emerged through a practice-based development methodology combining literature synthesis, competency mapping, and iterative application in service delivery. Each domain is underpinned by a robust evidence base linking relational safety and attuned practice to improved employment retention and participant satisfaction. In this paper, we examine implications of the PIE-CF for multidisciplinary teams, identify systemic barriers within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and CE quality frameworks, and consider policy reforms to embed relational fidelity in employment services. We illustrate the PIE-CF’s application through two anonymised case vignettes: Ella, a young woman with autism, and Mark, a man with psychosocial disability. We propose the PIE-CF as both a relational scaffold for CE techniques and a policy-relevant blueprint for integrating psychological safety into disability employment practice, offering practitioners a clear, evidence-based model for achieving sustainable and person-centred employment outcomes.
Traditional models of employment support in Australia have long prioritised job placement metrics over personal meaning, psychological safety, and sustainable engagement. In this paper, we examine the evolving role of employment counsellors within the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), distinguishing their contributions from those of conventional career and rehabilitation counselling. Grounded in the Psychologically Informed Employment Counselling Framework (PIE-CF), this role integrates trauma-informed care, neurodiversity-affirming approaches, and relational practice into the Customised Employment (CE) process. Drawing from counselling psychology, disability studies, and systems design, the PIE-CF maps relational micro-skills to vocational outcomes, aligning directly with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia’s (PACFA’s) Certified Practising Counsellor competencies (2025). Employment counsellors, equipped with the PIE-CF and embedded within NDIS-supported CE services, constitute a distinct emerging profession. We outline the framework, competency mapping, implementation insights, and implications for recognition, fidelity, and long-term reform.
This study explored the core values held by members of the Australian counselling and psychotherapy profession. Between March and June 2024, we surveyed registered practitioners to identify common values that underpin practitioners’ professional identity and differentiate them from members of other helping professions. Three key themes emerged from the data: prioritisation of the client, prioritisation of the therapist–client relationship, and professionalism, which includes a commitment to both professional and personal development. These findings highlight the humanistic values central to the profession. Our article concludes by recommending the development of a unified set of core values to enhance the profession’s identity and recognition.
Carl Rogers (1980), a founding figure in humanistic psychology, concluded his seminal work _A Way of Being_ with a future-oriented chapter titled “The World of Tomorrow, and the Person of Tomorrow”. Written during a period of significant global change and an American-led counterculture, Rogers set forth a hope-filled yet grounded picture of the social, psychological, and existential world he envisioned. In contrast, and in a parallel universe far, far away, I was beginning my life as a child of the 1970s in regional New South Wales, Australia. The idea that people my age and younger might be his “tomorrow’s people” resonates deeply with me. The following reflective essay considers the philosophical underpinnings of Rogers’ vision of tomorrow’s people and wonders out loud—or at least on the page—about its implications for contemporary society and its alignment with current counselling and psychotherapy praxis in Australia.
Two Australian Government-commissioned reports look set to elevate the counselling and psychotherapy professions in Australia. At this watershed moment, the nation’s leading research journal for these professions is experiencing a surge in high-quality submissions, reaffirming its role as a platform for original, evidence-informed contributions shaping theory, policy, and practice. Volume 13(2) of the _Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia_ (PACJA) contains the most distinctive and diverse set of research topics ever published in the journal. From adult clergy sexual exploitation to songlines; the impacts of self-compassion on women with ADHD to climate anxiety; and voluntary assisted dying to the relevance of Carl Rogers’ “person of tomorrow”, the broad range of articles will appeal to an equally broad range of counsellors, psychotherapists, and Indigenous healing practitioners.
**Introduction** Interoception—the process of sensing, interpreting, and integrating internal bodily signals—plays a critical role in emotional regulation, behaviour, and wellbeing. In counselling and psychotherapy contexts, impaired interoception is increasingly recognised as associated with how clients experience and respond to stress, trauma, and mental illness. This scoping review aimed to explore the relationship between interoception and these psychological conditions and to determine whether they are associated with heightened (hyper) or reduced (hypo) interoceptive sensitivity. **Method** A scoping review methodology was used, involving a comprehensive search of four major databases—MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycINFO (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), and CINAHL (EBSCO)—for peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and October 2024. The screening process included title and abstract screening followed by full text review. Data were synthesised narratively. **Results** A total of 48 studies were included, covering trauma (*n* = 17), mental health conditions (*n* = 14), eating disorders (*n* = 10), and stress-related physical health issues (*n* = 7). Most studies reported impaired interoception across these conditions. Reduced awareness and interpretation of bodily signals (hypo-sensitivity) were more commonly reported than heightened sensitivity, although variability existed across conditions. **Conclusion** Findings support the relevance of interoception and its relationship to wellbeing in counselling and psychotherapy. In particular, findings suggest that trauma, especially interpersonal trauma, may be associated with clients’ tendencies to avoid bodily awareness, potentially as a protective strategy, and this may co-occur with increased external vigilance. These insights underscore the value of trauma-informed and body-oriented therapeutic approaches. Supporting clients in safely reconnecting with their bodily experiences may enhance emotional regulation and facilitate psychological healing in counselling and psychotherapy settings.
The collection of essays in _Climate, Psychology, and Change: Reimagining Psychotherapy in an Era of Global Disruption and Climate Anxiety_ (2024) invites us to examine our culture and its impact on humanity, each other, and our Earth. The book illustrates the degree to which psychotherapy is embedded within destructive cultural forces. It addresses the effects of liquid modernity, individualism, and anthropocentrism on the state of our world and critiques the reductionist medical view of mental health that locates illness within the individual rather than society. Finally, it proposes a profound cultural shift that supports a connection with the more-than-human world.
This article examines the multifaceted impacts of sexual exploitation perpetrated by clergy on adult congregation members within evangelical and Pentecostal Christian faith communities in Australia. Drawing on responses from 33 participants, the findings illustrate extensive spiritual, psychological, emotional, relational, physical, and financial injuries. A central theme to emerge was compliance and entrapment, reflecting the cumulative effects of systemic grooming, institutional complicity, and post-abuse control tactics. Several participants identified counselling as a critical factor in their healing journey, thereby reinforcing the need for practitioners to understand the unique dynamics of clergy-perpetrated sexual exploitation and its complex trauma impacts. The findings emphasise the necessity to reconceptualise clergy sexual misconduct not as consensual relationships but rather as sexual exploitation, which is a form of gender-based violence with impacts that parallel those experienced by victim-survivors of domestic violence.
This paper presents a case study of anxiety within the framework of hermeneutic-existential-phenomenological therapy (HEPT), grounded in Martin Heidegger’s early philosophy. Through the therapeutic journey of a young man caught in a self-perpetuating spiral of anxiety and control, the paper explores how, in Heideggerian terms, mood worlds the client and how the shift from reflexive management to existential description opens new possibilities for presence, freedom, and relational attunement. The paper offers therapists an alternative lens for engaging with anxiety—not as pathology but as a mooded disclosure of being. For practitioners, this case offers a reminder that the work of existential therapy lies in staying-with, rather than in solving. It invites practitioners to help clients find language not about moods but from within the moods—where a different kind of agency can begin to stir.
This collaboration between an Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australian scholar explores a simple but important contention: that human memory is not stored in the brain alone but shaped through ongoing relationship with land. Aboriginal Australian traditions demonstrate that memory is carried and passed through natural systems, with the aid of story, song, and sacred sites. We explore how such place-based cultural memory practices integrate locatedness, relatedness, embodiment, orality, narrative, and imagery. Through these means, the practices give rise to songlines—narrative pathways that do not merely store information but activate knowledges, forming a living map that connects people, place, and understanding. We also explore parallels and distinctions with the classical method of loci or memory palace, which uses spatial orientation as a mnemonic aid. While long assumed to originate in ancient Greece, we show that place-based memory practices in Aboriginal Australia precede this by at least 50,000 years. This exploration contributes to understanding Indigenous knowledge transmission and offers insight into how human memory is held, embodied, and shared.
This study developed a brief measure of the psychosocial impact of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and explored relationships between mentalisation, self-compassion, and the psychosocial impact of ADHD in adult women. The study hypothesised that lower mentalisation would correspond to higher psychosocial impact and that self-compassion would act as a mediator of this relationship. In Phase 1, a new measure, the ADHD Impact on Psychosocial Functioning (AIPF), was administered to a sample of women with a diagnosis of ADHD (N = 388), and a preliminary investigation of its psychometric properties was undertaken. Psychometric analyses provided preliminary support for the internal consistency and construct validity of a two-factor structure of the AIPF, and it was therefore retained for Phase 2. In Phase 2, the Mentalisation Scale, the Self-Compassion Scale—Short Form, and the AIPF were administered to an additional sample of women with ADHD (N = 89). Analyses revealed that self-mentalisation was significantly lower than other dimensions of mentalisation. As hypothesised, low self-mentalisation was associated with high psychosocial impact of ADHD, and this was fully mediated by self-compassion. These findings highlight the unique role of self-mentalisation as a predictor of negative psychosocial outcomes in women with ADHD and provide additional evidence of the protective role of self-compassion. Together, these findings suggest the potential benefits of therapeutic interventions focusing on the augmentation of self-mentalisation and self-compassion in women with ADHD. Limitations of the current study and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Research over the past 30-plus years has demonstrated that psychotherapy is highly effective. Evidence from common factors and specific factors research highlights that there are essential change mechanisms and that these mechanisms can be facilitated in a range of ways. The integration movement has also highlighted the benefits of drawing on or combining different theoretical approaches in the service of specific client needs. One of the common factors of therapeutic change which has received much research is hope and expectancy. However, while it is agreed that hope is a key change mechanism, hope of itself is a mercurial quality, and one for which it is not always obvious how it is activated or facilitated. This paper outlines an approach to therapy that is founded on the view that hope is an essential principle within the therapeutic enterprise and that it acts as a barometer of therapeutic change. The following discussion provides an outline of an integrative approach to psychotherapy—hope-focused therapy.
This non-systematic exploratory review examined the literature regarding spiritual care in the voluntary assisted dying (VAD) environment, ultimately establishing a holistic theoretical framework for care. Drawing on previously established conceptualisations of spirituality, two dimensions of VAD care were identified: internal spiritual concerns and relational spiritual concerns. Care for internal spiritual issues in the VAD environment involves establishing internal congruence within a patient and exploring the existential meaning the VAD experience holds for them. Family members can be a crucial psychosocial–spiritual support, which often leads to their involvement in treatment, thereby creating potential relational spiritual concerns; however, VAD itself can create interpersonal challenges that diminish familial support. A patient’s philosophical, religious or spiritual community and relevant spiritual leaders also provide highly beneficial significant patient relationships that can be challenged by the VAD environment. Therefore, spiritual care practitioners must support these significant relationships of family and community to optimise patient wellbeing by managing relational spiritual concerns while also addressing patients’ internal spiritual concerns. This places the spiritual care practitioner in a nexus of patient relationships, internal concerns, and community systems.
