How to register as an ACC counsellor

Counsellors interested in working with ACC can find information on how to register and available services here. ACC offers specific counselling services to clients and has a variety of health services and health providers available.

On this page

  1. Who can apply to register?
  2. Required skills, qualifications and experience
  3. Types of counselling
  4. Why register?
  5. Applying for registration
  6. Qualifications gained outside New Zealand
  7. ACC contact details
  8. Frequestly asked questions

Who can apply to register?

ACC welcomes applications from suitably qualified and experienced counsellors, social workers, psychotherapists, psychologists and psychiatrists.

Required skills, qualifications and experience

To be considered as an ACC-approved counsellor you must meet the six key criteria outlined below:

  1. Appropriate membership
  2. Appropriate counselling qualification
  3. Previous supervision
  4. Ongoing supervision
  5. Māori cultural awareness
  6. Relevant training/experience

Appropriate membership

You need to show us that you have full and current membership of one of the following counselling-related professional bodies:

  • Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
  • The New Zealand Association of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists (Incorporated)
  • The New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists Incorporated
  • New Zealand Psychological Society Incorporated
  • New Zealand Association of Counsellors Incorporated (Te Roopu Kaiwhiriwhiri o Aotearoa)
  • Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers Incorporated (Tangata Whenua Takawaenga o Aotearoa)
  • New Zealand Christian Counsellors Association
  • New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists Incorporated (current full or provisional membership).

Appropriate counselling qualification

You need to have a counselling qualification which meets level six of a relevant New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) recognised course (or equivalent).

This qualification should be from a College of Education, Polytechnic or University (Wananga) and as a minimum should include adequate training in:

  • two or more models of counselling
  • counselling skills
  • human development
  • family dynamics
  • abnormal psychology
  • dealing with injury and trauma.

Previous experience

We require our applicants to have a minimum of one year’s full time equivalent supervised work experience since obtaining their counselling qualification.

Ongoing supervision

Applicants must have at least fortnightly ongoing supervision by a supervisor who:

  • holds full and current membership of a counselling-related professional body, and
  • has at least three years counselling experience in the area(s) of counselling you are applying for (ie sexual abuse and/or physical injury counselling).

Ideally, your current supervisor should have supervised you for the last six months.

Māori cultural awareness

You need to show us that you have an understanding of the cultural values and beliefs of Māori, as well as networks with local Māori health, social and educational organisations.

Relevant training/experience

Applicants will need to supply evidence of training and recent experience in the specific counselling area for which registration is sought, ie sexual abuse counselling and/or physical injury counselling.

Types of counselling

ACC employs counsellors for sexual abuse counselling, physical injury counselling and work-related mental trauma counselling.

Sexual abuse counselling aims to help ACC clients who are recovering from mental and physical trauma caused by criminal acts, such as sexual violation, indecent assault and unlawful sexual connection.

Physical injury counselling aims to help clients overcome behavioural, cognitive and psychological dysfunction arising from a physical injury. A wide range of events can cause the injuries that lead to this dysfunction, including motor vehicle accidents, physical assaults, occupational overuse syndrome and treatment injury.

Work-related mental trauma counselling aims to help clients overcome behavioural, cognitive and psychological dysfunction arising from a work-related traumatic event they have seen or heard first hand. The event must be significant or severe enough in its own right to cause a mental injury in the general population.

Why register?

If you register as an ACC-approved counsellor, it means we can pay you for providing counselling services to ACC clients.

We pay for counselling in accordance with the relevant ACC Regulations. Current rates are:

  • $80.16 per hour (incl. GST) for treatment provided by a counsellor
  • $102.21 per hour (incl GST) for treatment provided by a psychiatrist.

Counsellors registered with ACC are also able to lodge ACC45 Injury claim forms on behalf of clients, making it faster and easier for clients to access ACC services. For more information, see Lodge and manage claims.

Applying for registration

The following information will help you to prepare your application.

Note that the application process differs slightly for psychiatrists and psychologists from that used by all other applicants.

Psychiatrists and psychologists (professions covered by the Health Practitioners Competency Act 2003) must provide us with:

All other applicants must provide us with:

  • a completed ACC2466 Counsellor registration application (DOC338K)
  • a completed ACC2468 Counsellor registration consent for police check (DOC136K)
  • a copy of your current membership with an ACC-recognised counselling-related professional body
  • a copy of your current Annual Practising Certificate or Certificate of Competency, if applicable
  • a certified copy of your counselling qualification(s)
  • a certified copy of your academic record for your qualifications
  • an original, pre-printed bank deposit slip with account number
  • your GST number (if applicable)
  • copy of the supervisor’s full and current membership of a counselling-related professional body.
  • other evidence of your skills and experience that may support your application (optional)
  • two case studies for each area of counselling you’re applying for, ie sexual abuse and/or physical injury counselling.

Qualifications gained outside New Zealand

If you gained your counselling qualification overseas, you must have it assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) to establish the New Zealand equivalent.

Once they have done this, the NZQA will give you a report. You must provide a copy of this with your application.

Information about getting your qualifications assessed by the NZQA can be found at: www.nzqa.govt.nz (external link).

ACC contact details

If you have any questions about ACC counselling work or the counsellor registration process, please contact us or phone the ACC Provider and Vendor Registration Team on (04)5605211.

Frequestly asked questions

To help you answer questions you may have about applying to register as a counsellor with ACC.

Last updated: 29 August 2011