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Psychotherapists board of aotearoa new zealand

Ngā mōhiohio rēhitatanga  Registration Information 

Click here to apply for registration.

To practise as a psychotherapist in Aotearoa, you must first be registered with the Board. This ensures you are qualified, competent and fit to practise.  This page contains useful information on preparing your registration application.

Under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act (HPCA Act), you must be registered and must hold a practising certificate to work as a psychotherapist in Aotearoa.

All applications for registration and practising certificates are made online.  To be eligible to apply for registration you will:

  • Hold a relevant qualification in psychotherapy (sections 12-15 of the HPCA Act)

  • Apply to be registered (section 17 of the HPCA Act) through the MyPBANZ portal

  • Provide and upload the relevant documentation

  • Meet certain criteria regarding fitness and character (section 16 of the HPCA Act)

  • Pay the application fee (section 17 of the HPCA Act) through the MyPBANZ portal.

Approved Qualifications (Grandparented) – Psychotherapy programmes and pathways to registration 

You will require certified evidence that you have successfully completed one of the following approved programmes or pathways:

  • Accredited Jungian Analyst with the Australian and New Zealand Society of Jungian Analysts and/or the International Association for Analytical Psychology 

  • Accredited Psychoanalyst with the International Psychoanalytical Association

  • Ashburn Clinic Psychotherapy Trainee Programme 

  • Auckland University of Technology Master of Psychotherapy

  • Auckland University of Technology Master in Psychotherapy (Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy)

  • Auckland University of Technology (Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy): clinical training completed, dissertation in progress 

  • Auckland University of Technology Master of Health Science in Psychotherapy

  • Auckland University of Technology Master of Health Science in Psychotherapy (Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy) 

  • Auckland University of Technology Master of Psychotherapy: clinical training completed, dissertation in progress 

  • Australia and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy Diploma in Adult Psychotherapy 

  • Certified Bioenergetic Therapist

  • Certified Transactional Analyst (clinical or psychotherapy)

  • Diploma in Psychosynthesis Psychotherapy

  • New Zealand Association of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists full membership

  • New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists Advanced Clinical Practice Certificate

  • New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists provisional membership 

  • New Zealand Institute of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy full membership 

  • Psychodramatist certified by the Board of Examiners of the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Psychodrama Association  

  • The Australian and New Zealand Society of Jungian Analysts full membership

  • The Gestalt Institute of New Zealand Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapy    

Kaha ki te mahi | Fitness to practice – Registration 

Record of criminal convictions

All psychotherapists will be asked to complete a police vetting process and provide a criminal conviction history.  If you have a criminal conviction, you will be asked to declare this and provide details of the nature and date of conviction. If you have a conviction punishable by imprisonment for 3 months or longer, you will have to satisfy the Board that the conviction does not reflect adversely on your fitness to practise. A criminal conviction history must not be older than 6 months when it is received by the Board.

If you have lived in another country for 12 months or more in the past 10 years, you will be required to produce a police check from that country.

Mental or physical condition/impairment

If you have a mental or physical condition/impairment, you will be asked to declare this. The Board needs to be satisfied that your condition/impairment does not adversly affect your ability practise safely and competently. You will need to supply the Board  with details of the condition or impairment, duration of treatment and how you manage your mental or physical condition/impairment in relation to practising psychotherapy, confirmation that your supervisor is aware of this condition/impairment and any other supports you already have in place.

See the registration checklist below for the Board’s statement template.

Professional conduct

If you have had any complaints made against you in your professional capacity, please provide information about the complaint, including the nature of the complaint, the name and contact details of the organisation to which the complaint was made and the outcome. You should include documentary evidence, such as reports or determinations, relevant to the complaint. You must provide information on any complaint currently being considered as well as any complaint that has been resolved.

See the registration checklist below for the Board’s statement template.

Curriculum vitae

Your curriculum vitae should be up to date and contain details of all your mahi/work. This should account for all your time and mahi/work experience since completing your training and include all relevant dates.

Communication

To practise as a psychotherapist in Aotearoa, you must have a good command of the English language to enable you to communicate effectively with clients and other health professionals.

If English is not your first language and any qualification was not solely in English, please provide a notarised copy of your IELTS results. Minimum pass marks are 7.5 on the IELTS Academic Module (i.e. no less than 7 in each band).

The Board may also require you to provide evidence of your English communication abilities during a kanohi-ki-te-kanohi/face-to-face meeting with a Board-approved representative.

Registration in a country other than Aotearoa  

If you are currently practising or have recently practised in a country where there is compulsory registration, you should provide a letter/certificate of good standing from the registration authority in that country. This should confirm your registration status, that you are of good character, that no disciplinary action has been taken against you and that there are no current complaints about you. This should be no more than 6 months old at the time we receive your application.

Registrations with other health practitioner authorities

If you are registered with another health practitioner authority in Aotearoa, you should provide a letter/certificate of good standing from that authority. This should confirm your registration status, that you are of good character, that no disciplinary action has been taken against you and that there are no current complaints about you. This should be no more than 6 months old at the time we receive your application.

Professional and character references

You will be asked to provide one professional reference and one character reference on the templates provided. Referees must be persons of good standing in the community who have known you for at least 1 year. You cannot ask a relative, your partner or someone employed by you to provide a reference. References must be no more than 6 months old at the time your application is received by the Board.

See the registration checklist below for the Board template.

Fees

Fees are payable when completing the online process through the MyPBANZ portal. Receipts are available and can be printed through the MyPBANZ portal. Please note that all fees are non-refundable.

Registration Checklist

Please ensure that you have attached the following documents to your MyPBANZ application.

  • Certified copy of your birth certificate. 
  • Certified copy of your qualification.
  • Certified copy of drivers licence or passport.
  • Curriculum vitae.
  • Details* and documentation of any professional conduct complaints brought against you (if applicable). Please provide details using the Board’s statement template. 
  • Details* and documentation of any other complaint brought against you in your professional capacity (if applicable). Please provide details using the Board’s statement template.
  • Details* of any refusal to register you or cancel your registration (if applicable). Please provide details using the Board’s statement template. 
  • International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (if applicable). 
  • Police clearance from each country that you have resided in for 12 or more months in the last 10 years.

Key ‘*’ = Template provided.

Restoring your name to the register of psychotherapists

To apply to have your name restored to the register of psychotherapists, if you have previously been registered with the Board, please contact the Registrar on 04 918 4727.

Did you obtain your qualification more than 3 years ago?  

Practitioners who have not registered as a psychotherapist within 3 years of obtaining an approved qualification will be required to demonstrate their competence. Please click here for the Board’s decision guidelines. 

Common person number

Practising psychotherapists will be added to the Health Provider Index (HPI), which provides a common person number (CPN). Both the CPN and the psychotherapist registration number will be printed on the practising certificate.

Becoming a member

There are several pathways to membership, each with qualifying criteria and steps to take along the way. These are described below. It can take a little while to work out which pathway is best for you. Our Administrator will help you clarify which to choose.

Admission as a registered psychotherapist

This path is suitable if you already have interim or full registration with The Psychotherapists Board of Aotearoa New Zealand (PBANZ).

You need to complete an application form and pay the annual fee. Once these steps have been completed, your membership will be ratified by the NZAP Council.

All psychotherapists with either interim or full registration are required to have a registered psychotherapist or a health practitioner approved by the Board as supervisor.

Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) qualification

This qualification is a pathway for full membership to NZAP. It is for clinicians who are qualified in psychotherapy or a related discipline. For further information on the qualification process and related documents, see the ACP page.

Student membership

We encourage students who have completed at least one year of a recognised training course in psychotherapy to join NZAP as student members.

Student membership costs $35 annually and allows you to develop a relationship with NZAP and with qualified psychotherapists. For more information please contact the Administrator.

Benefits of NZAP membership

“There are many things I appreciate and enjoy about being a member of NZAP but most of all I value the sense of belonging to a professional community of people who are committed to assisting human healing and development.”

Clare Elizabeth, psychotherapist & psychodramatist, New Plymouth

Participation in the life of our professional Association brings fellowship, opportunities to share problems and stretch our thinking, reflect on the ethics and efficacy of our practice and a chance to get to know, and be known by, other psychotherapists.

Get connected

We work in a solitary profession. This is true for those of us in private practice, and also those who are working in DHB or agency settings, amongst clinicians from other disciplines. We enjoy good company, hear stimulating presentations, enjoy debating issues and theories at Conferences and branch meetings.

“I presented a paper at the 2017 NZAP Conference. Despite the anxiety I felt regarding presenting, I found the experience a rewarding and worthwhile one. It helped me to feel a part of the profession and allowed me to articulate my work in an accepting environment of peers and colleagues.”

Emma Ellis, psychotherapist, Auckland

Be informed

We are informed by research and developments in treatment through Conferences, Waka Oranga Poutama , professional development events, reading NZAP Newsletters and our journal, Ata. Newsletters and hard copies of Ata are free with membership. NZAP sponsored seminars and Conferences offer a reduced registration rate for NZAP members.

“By attending NZAP conferences and trainings, I have gained appreciation for other models of psychotherapy and have grown the library of my mind. This enhances my capacity to think about and ‘be with’ my own experience and also that of the patient.”

Lynne Holdem, psychotherapist, Taranaki

Stay safe

The intense nature of relationships in psychotherapy can challenge boundaries (a phenomenon richly exploited in film and television shows). Regular supervision and staying connected and grounded in relationship with colleagues reduces the risk of unconscious enactments.

Our  Code of Ethics (PDF) provides a guide to responsible and competent practice and the work of the Ethics and Professional Standards Committee ensures we are mindful of new requirements for safe and ethical practice.  Members are also offered an opportunity to take out subsidised professional indemnity insurance to cover the costs of possible complaints.

Have a say

We are passionate about the potential of psychotherapy in the lives of individuals and communities and advocate on political and social issues and for psychotherapy through Public Issues. Joining together as a professional body allows a more prominent and effective voice in such matters. It is also important in the developing relationship with PBANZ that a national voice protects the interests of our members.

Give back

There are many opportunities for all members, Full, Provisional, Retired and Student, to become involved in the running of the Association at local and national levels. Service to NZAP deepens our sense of belonging, extends our friendship and referral network, and develops our skills and knowledge.

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