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.:. AAHTC Community PD Program

To augment the formal Professional Development program, an alternative community-based model for professional development has been developed. The essence of this model is to facilitate amongst the AAHTC membership a not-for-profit sharing of their rich diversity of skills and experience. This could include small groups meeting locally for 2-3 hours as well as larger centrally located workshops.

As a matter of policy, the Executive has affirmed that from the holistic & transpersonal perspective, 'professional' development cannot be separated from 'personal' development, and has therefore determined that PD points ay be accrued for a much wider range of activities that just therapist skills training. The range potentially runs from dream groups, various forms of meditation groups, writing or drawing groups, music and dance, mens and womens circles, to the more energy-based Group TAT, EFT 'borrowing benefits' and Reiki circles. Or groups might simply be a regular locally-based meeting with a theme that varies week by week.

There are two lines of thinking in support of this policy position:

• AAHTC members who have worked experientially with their own personal material will readily recognise how their personal development was an essential step in their becoming a competent therapist. It follows naturally that ongoing 'personal' development is an important element in maintaining and improving their competence as a practitioner.
• There is little doubt that the rare examples of counsellors causing harm to their clients are more often a result of imperfect personal development than inadequate skills training. Since the association exists within a self-regulatory framework whose primary purpose is the protection of the public, the continuing personal development of members is recognised as highly relevant.

.:. Administrative Arrangements

Events that are approved within the AAHTC Community PD program will accrue one PD point per contact hour for presenters, co-ordinators and attendees.

For an event to qualify for PD points it must:

• have a nominated co-ordinator who takes responsibility for managing the event
• be notified to the AAHTC enabling it to be advertised to the membership
• be free of charge to AAHTC members (a very small fee could apply to cover any cost of materials or refreshments)
• be open to any AAHTC member, unless the theme is gender specific

Event co-ordinators are entitled to invite non-members to attend their events and, entirely at their discretion, charge those members of the public a fee for professional service.

Events that cater for a minimum 100 contact hours will be regarded as 'major' events and attract a benefit for the event co-ordinator in the form of free annual membership in the following year. For example an event in the format of a full day (6 hr contact time) workshop catering for about 17 people (including the presenter) would qualify as a 'major' event [ 6 x 17 =102]. Or a series of 8 evening sessions, each of 2.5 hrs catering for a total of 5 people would also qualify as a 'major' event [8 x 2.5 x 5 =100].

.:. Nomination of an Event

To nominate an event for inclusion in the AAHTC Community PD Program please supply brief details in the form below. Even if your event is fully booked you need to provide details for it to be included as approved professional development.

©AAHTC 2008