Claiming CPD Hours

Check your professional association

No association-specific acceptance of Institute courses has been verified. Use the official policies below to check your proposed activity before relying on it for mandatory CPD.

Australian Counselling Association (ACA) — conditional OPD eligibility

ACA lists relevant non-ACA-approved online training, but its online-training category requires assessment and a completion/attendance certificate, with a minimum duration. Points are allocated by duration band, not one point per hour. Non-assessed Institute journeys do not meet those stated online-training requirements; short activities may not meet the duration threshold. Check each assessed course and do not describe it as ACA-approved.

Official ACA activity categories and point allocation (opens a new tab)

PACFA — conditional CPD eligibility

Learning must be directly relevant to counselling/psychotherapy clinical practice or its research evidence base. PACFA distinguishes active Category A learning from passive Category B learning. Its guidance includes recorded courses with an assessment or facilitator interaction among active-learning examples; reading and recorded viewing may fall under Category B. Category B is capped and requires PACFA’s Reflective Review Template. Do not assume every Institute course is Category A: confirm the actual format and category with PACFA.

PACFA current CPD requirements and standard (opens a new tab) · Category examples (2024 guidance; check against the current standard)

Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) — conditional external-provider eligibility

AASW explicitly allows CPD from external providers when the member ensures relevance and consistency with its CPD categories. An Institute course may be considered for Skills and Knowledge learning, but the appropriate category, evidence and any credential-specific requirements must be checked against AASW’s current policy. This is not AASW endorsement of the Institute.

AASW CPD overview, policy and evidence guidance (opens a new tab)

Australian Psychological Society (APS) / Psychology Board of Australia — check regulator requirements

APS approval is a separate provider quality process; Institute courses have no verified APS approval. Registered psychologists must meet the Psychology Board’s CPD standard, using a learning plan, activity log and reflection. Independent online learning needs to fit professional competence and scope of practice. A self-paced Institute course does not substitute for required peer consultation. Check eligibility with the Board rather than assuming an APS approval badge or guaranteed acceptance.

APS standards and approval (opens a new tab) · Psychology Board CPD requirements (opens a new tab)

Institute course learning hours

These are the Institute’s listed learning hours, not association-approved points. Record your actual eligible learning time and apply your association’s rules. Other courses, including Restoration of Internal Authority™, have no assigned CPD hours in this guide.

• Reflective Safeguarding Practitioner™ TrainingPublished · Certificate where requirements are met40 hours
• Introduction to Reflective Safeguarding™Published · Certificate where requirements are met3 hours
• Building Healthy Organisations™Published · Certificate where requirements are met3 hours
• The Architecture of Belonging™Published · Certificate where requirements are met3 hours
• Recognising Coercive Control — ExpressPublished · Certificate where requirements are metapproximately 20 minutes (0.33 hours)
• Recognising Coercive Control in Personal RelationshipsPublished · Certificate where requirements are met3 hours
• Recognising Coercive Control in the Workplace and ChurchPublished · Certificate where requirements are met3 hours
• Psychosocial Risk, Authority and Organisational AccountabilityPublished · Certificate where requirements are met1.5 hours
• Sexual Harassment Beyond Physical ContactPublished · Certificate where requirements are met1.5 hours
• The Responsible Use of Organisational AuthorityPublished · Certificate where requirements are met2 hours (approximately 2–2.5 hours of learning)
• After Difficult WorkPublished · No certificate1.5 hours

Make your claim in five steps

1. Check your association’s current policy, your membership category and reporting period. Ask whether this particular non-accredited online activity qualifies, and whether provider approval is required.
2. Choose learning relevant to your practice or learning plan. Do not assume a spiritual or personal healing activity meets professional CPD criteria.
3. Record the date, course title, provider, learning objectives, actual time spent and eligible category. Do not count breaks or claim the same activity twice.
4. Keep the course outline, enrolment record and your own learning notes. Where a certificate is offered and earned, keep it and its verification number. Non-assessed courses do not gain a certificate simply because you want to claim CPD.
5. Explain what you learned and how it informs your work, without identifying clients or sharing private personal reflections. Submit through your association’s own process and retain evidence for its required period.

A useful record: date · activity/provider · objectives · actual learning time · category · key learning · application to practice · evidence kept. You can keep this privately in your own document; nothing needs to be submitted to the Institute.