The Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia (PACJA) has been accepted for indexing in APA PsycInfo®, the American Psychological Association’s (APA’s) premier database spanning the social and behavioural sciences. Access via PsycInfo®, a global source of vetted, academically credible research, will elevate PACJA’s visibility and usage. So too will PACJA’s continued emphasis on accepting only outstanding, original research on psychotherapy, counselling, and Indigenous healing practices. Volume 14 (1) is no exception, presenting articles on topics ranging from equine-assisted narrative therapy to the emerging role of employment counsellors.
In “Posttraumatic Growth in Suicide Bereavement and Childhood Sexual Abuse Using Creative Experiential Therapy” (Sands & Ridge, 2026), two case studies provide clinical practice qualitative data on creative experiential processes including the production of object poems in a group workshop and psychodrama interventions with an individual client. Another case study is used to explore the intersection of equine therapy and narrative therapy in “Telling Stories From, and Beyond, the Round Yard: Horse Work and the Development of Preferred Narratives Through Equine-Assisted Narrative Therapy” (O’Sullivan, 2026). Critiquing his own access to power, the researcher-practitioner traces how a program participant developed personal agency by storying a different territory of life through horse work.
Prioritisation of the client, therapeutic relationship, and professionalism are key themes identified in a cross-sectional study of registered practitioners described in “Core Values of the Australian Counselling and Psychotherapy Profession: Practitioner Perspectives” (Beel et al., 2026). The article suggests that humanistic values underlying the profession set it apart from other helping professions. Another article, “Navigating the Nuanced Challenges of Clinical Supervision Practice” (Avetisoff et al., 2026) examines how Australian clinical supervisors approach boundary tensions. Interviewed supervisors reported struggling with dual roles, ethical dilemmas, and boundary setting; these findings led to the emergence of five themes from the data.
“Finding Hope in Creative Hopelessness: Hope and Flow as Mechanisms Leading to Wellbeing” (Ignjatovic et al., 2026) draws on data from 248 school staff who participated in a wellbeing intervention that focused on strengths, mirroring aspects of creative hopelessness in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Regression modelling revealed that both hope and flow independently predicted greater wellbeing cross-sectionally and prospectively.
Addressing a gap in the literature, “Each Step Counts: A Scoping Review of Mutualism in Walk and Talk Therapy” (Beaumont & Haase, 2026) investigates how using walk and talk therapy (WATT) with clients potentially benefits counsellors’ wellbeing and self-care. The authors suggest that WATT may reduce counsellor work stress and burnout, while raising ethical and practical considerations.
Two linked articles focus on employment counselling. Firstly, “The Emerging Role of Employment Counsellors: Bridging Vocational Support and Counselling in Australia’s Evolving Disability Employment Landscape” (Smith & Pavlidis, 2026) examines the evolving position of employment counsellors in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), distinguishing them from career and rehabilitation counsellors. Following the psychologically informed employment counselling framework (PIE-CF), the role integrates trauma-informed care, neurodiversity-affirming approaches, and relational practice into the customised employment process. Secondly, “Holding the Space for Change: The Psychologically Informed Employment Counselling Framework in Customised Employment Practice” (Smith, 2026) illustrates the PIE-CF’s application through two case studies.
Finally, Timothy Hsi’s review of a new open-access textbook, The Practice of Counselling and Psychotherapy (O’Hara et al., 2025) highlights its treatment of common factors research, the role of hope in therapeutic change, neurobiological literacy for practitioners, integrative case formulation, and strong pedagogical design. Written by four practitioners and educators, one of whom is a member of PACJA’s editorial board and PACFA’s research committee, the book is distinguished from other introductory texts in its acknowledgement that “effective practice is often less about technique than about the quality of the human encounter” (Hsi, 2026, para. 1). Articulating therapist identity, evidence-informed practice, and professional responsibility, it clarifies the profession’s unique contribution within a complex mental health landscape, particularly regarding regulation.
Given the upcoming mid-2026 submission to the Federal Government of the Nous Group’s report on an optimal regulatory model for counsellors and psychotherapists, Hsi’s book review is a timely addition to PACJA. The report will present findings of a survey conducted in March 2026 on four options—voluntary regulation, contractual regulation, statutory regulation, and statutory co-regulation—which could be used to implement the National Standards for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (Allen + Clarke Consulting, 2025). PACFA recommends statutory co-regulation as it would provide a framework holding self-registration accountable, building sector confidence, and enabling a wide range of benefits for registered practitioners.
This issue would not have been possible without PACFA, the PACFA research committee, PACJA editorial board, authors, peer reviewers, copyeditors including Rachel Wheeler and Jane Jervis-Read, and Scholastica staff. Thanks also must go to you—PACJA’s readers—for supporting this journal as it goes from strength to strength.