New Zealand

Counselling began being introduced to New Zealand in the early 1900s as vocational guidance (Winterbourn, 1974). The services were first offered through the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) as a way to give the youth structure (Winterbourn, 1974). In 1935, free guidance counselling services were offered for students in targeted schools and the Vocational Guidance Services was brought under the control of the Department of Education (Winterbourn, 1974). Back then, there was not specific training available for those who delivered guidance and counselling services. Teachers that were interested in offering these services were granted the chance to do so with almost no training. The year 1960 served as the year where the government gave approval of making guidance and counselling services available in all secondary schools (Winterbourn, 1974). Winterbourn (1974) explains that due to this new implementation, the Department of Education started to run a 12-week training program for these counsellors. 

By 1973, specific training for guidance counsellors became available at a number of universities. In 1974, The New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) was established under the  name of NZ Counselling and Guidance Association (Winterbourn, 1974). This organization has served as the largest and most active group of mental health service providers who identify themselves as counsellors up until today. Most trained counsellors who seek for approval and licensure are registered under NZAC. They also provide accreditation for both public and private educational institutions offering counselling training from basic certificate level to Master’s degrees (Winterbourn, 1974).