https://pacja.org.au/ This international, peer-reviewed, open access journal examines psychotherapy, counselling, and Indigenous healing practices in Australia. en Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:11:55 +1000 Framing walk and talk therapy (WATT) as mutualism, this scoping review synthesises emerging evidence that WATT may support counsellors' wellbeing and professional skills, while raising important ethical and practical questions. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.159597 https://pacja.org.au/article/159597-each-step-counts-a-scoping-review-of-mutualism-in-walk-and-talk-therapy Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:00:43 +1100 Sustainable employment outcomes depend on relationship, not just technique. Using two case studies, this article positions counselling as the core practice within Customised Employment. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.159501 https://pacja.org.au/article/159501-holding-the-space-for-change-the-psychologically-informed-employment-counselling-framework-in-customised-employment-practice Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:41:20 +1100 Psychologically informed employment counselling strengthens Customised Employment (CE) practice by integrating counselling engagement with vocational strategy, supporting people with disability to develop identity, motivation, and sustainable pathways into work. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.158758 https://pacja.org.au/article/158758-the-emerging-role-of-employment-counsellors-bridging-vocational-support-and-counselling-in-australia-s-evolving-disability-employment-landscape Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:45:37 +1100 This survey-based study of Australian practitioners pinpointed the profession’s core values as prioritisation of the client, the therapeutic relationship, and professionalism, providing grassroots guidance for a unified professional identity. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.157553 https://pacja.org.au/article/157553-core-values-of-the-australian-counselling-and-psychotherapy-profession-practitioner-perspectives Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:02:12 +1100 A strengths-based intervention mirroring acceptance and commitment therapy's creative hopelessness cultivated hope and flow, which independently related to greater wellbeing concurrently and prospectively, revealing pathways from languishing to thriving. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.156091 https://pacja.org.au/article/156091-finding-hope-in-creative-hopelessness-hope-and-flow-as-mechanisms-leading-to-wellbeing Wed, 04 Feb 2026 10:32:19 +1100 Two clinical case studies explore the use of creative experiential approaches to support posttraumatic growth in the aftermath of suicide bereavement and childhood sexual assault. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.155040 https://pacja.org.au/article/155040-posttraumatic-growth-in-suicide-bereavement-and-childhood-sexual-abuse-using-creative-experiential-therapy Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:38:38 +1100 As Australian Government-commissioned reports look set to elevate the counselling and psychotherapy professions, this issue contains the most distinctive and diverse set of research topics published in the journal. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.151836 https://pacja.org.au/article/151836-editorial-federal-spotlight-on-counselling-and-psychotherapy-a-welcome-boost Thu, 27 Nov 2025 16:38:04 +1100 Interoception influences how people experience stress, trauma, and mental illness. This review finds altered bodily awareness is common across conditions, supporting body-based, trauma-informed approaches in counselling and psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.146359 https://pacja.org.au/article/146359-the-relationship-between-interoception-and-experiences-of-stress-trauma-and-mental-illness-a-scoping-review Tue, 21 Oct 2025 17:32:27 +1100 How can psychotherapists, counsellors, and Indigenous healing practitioners respond and adapt to climate change and the anxiety it produces? This anthology of thought-provoking essays answers this and other pressing questions. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.145260 https://pacja.org.au/article/145260-_climate-psychology-and-change-reimagining-psychotherapy-in-an-era-of-global-disruption-and-climate-anxiety_-2024-edited-by-steffi-bednarek-nort Mon, 20 Oct 2025 10:22:05 +1100 This article examines clergy sexual exploitation of adults in evangelical and Pentecostal churches, highlighting patterns of coercive compliance, entrapment, and systemic harm, with implications for trauma- and abuse-informed counselling practice. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.143858 https://pacja.org.au/article/143858-the-scars-are-written-on-my-soul-the-impacts-of-adult-clergy-sexual-exploitation