The Association of Supportive Counsellors and Holistic Practitioners (The ASCHP)
The Association of Supportive Counsellors and Holistic Practitioners is a legal SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) registered body (ID 984) set up to manage practicing counsellors of particular designations. The main priority of the body is to monitor scope of work and ethical practice within the industry and to ensure up to date practice through CPD trainings. The reason the ASCHP exists is to ensure quality holistic counselling to the community that need it.
The ASCHP manages the scope of practice of certain professionals according to their level of expertise, experience, and qualifications. This makes place for different levels of care.
The criteria used to determine the designation of a member is: their level of studies, supervised training, volunteer experience in the field and personality.
What makes these designations particularly valuable, is that it allows for better accessibility to certain care services, which may otherwise be out of reach for clients. The world needs access to trained service providers who work in the industry of improving quality of life.
For more on the ASCHP designations, go to The ASCHP Designation page
As a practitioner member of the ASCHP, a counsellor must earn a certain number of CPD (continuous professional development) points, per year, according to the counsellor’s designation. These points are earned by completing CPD qualifying courses, which are intended to keep counsellors up to date in their field and capable of offering the best practice in their field that is possible. Without these points, a member of the ASCHP cannot maintain their registration and their role.
The ASCHP is a different organisation to the HPCSA. The HPCSA (the Health Professions Council of South Africa) manages practitioners with more clinical settings and expectations, like psychologists or general medical practitioners, which allows for medical aid support. The HPCSA is a legislated managing body which is tasked to govern the work scope and ethics of medically trained practitioners. ASCHP registered practitioners cannot then claim from medical aid programs, but because of difference in setting, may be more cost effective.
You may ask, can you trust the ASCHP and its members? The existence of the ASCHP allows clients to feel secure in selecting a member practitioner. The organisation allows any client to hold their practitioner accountable if their practice is not to the standard expected by the ASCHP, by making reports to the ASCHP.
The starting model for ASCHP members is a salutogenic approach which focuses on building a life without illness. This can be considered a proactive approach to health and wellness. A more clinical setting is often engaged in a more reactive approach, when help or assistance may be clinically recommended for your future wellbeing. The ASCHP approach aims to build or strengthen skills, resilience and anything deemed necessary for clients to live in wellness.
The ASCHP leaves opportunity for its practitioners to practice according to the theory which they are most proficient in. This may be determined by direction of studies or by practical training. The CPD training discussed above also gives opportunity to further theoretical training which practitioners may incorporate into practice.
It is not uncommon for ASCHP members to work in partnership with other practitioners in other fields and organisations, like HPCSA members, in order to find programs or plans that best fit the client. This means that during work with a practitioner, particularly a wellness counsellor, your practitioner may refer you to another professional, of a different specialty in order to progress in your mental health development. A referral may be necessary if a counsellor deems that the client will benefit further from a professional who can work with more specific needs or has other necessary skills. A referral may be necessary if the counselling process has run its course and another direction may be more beneficial to mental health development. Referrals are accepted practice among professionals in many fields, not only those related to mental health.
All theoretical standings and practical application is aimed at moving a client towards wellness - a general state of wellbeing in all facets of one’s self, body, mind and soul.
If you would like to read more about the ASCHP, see their website here: www.aschp.net
