Impending closure of Lifeline Aotearoa an invitation for the New Zealand Counselling industry to finally join the 21st Century, says Counselling Outcomes Researcher

The sad and impending demise of Lifeline Aotearoa, a Counselling Helpline that has assisted people in crisis since 1964, and which currently fields approximately 15,000 calls per month, is an invitation for the New Zealand Counselling industry to finally join the 21st Century and become outcomes-focussed within an increasingly competitive tender environment, says a Counselling Outcomes Researcher.

Steve Taylor, Counselling Outcomes Researcher & Director of Relationship Matters Ltd, a private practice Relationship & Family Therapy service based in Auckland, says that the likely loss of Lifeline Aotearoa follows hard on the heels of the demise of Relationships Aotearoa in 2015, and the awarding of ACC Sexual abuse Counselling contracts to Medibank in Australia.

“Homecare Medical has been the successful tender recipient for Telehealth Service provision in this process, and will be amalgamating a number of Help lines under one banner. Lifeline Aotearoa will be bitterly disappointed in not being able to retain these service contracts, but the fact is that Lifeline was up against an organisation in Homecare Medical that has adopted formal client outcome measurement methodology, especially in their Psychological services division, Procare Services” says Mr Taylor.

The utilisation of e-therapy, text, and web chat within Telehealth Counselling service provision has been utilised in New Zealand since 2005, has now been formally recognised as legitimate Counselling service provision tools by the Ministry of Health, and yet the New Zealand Counselling professional associations such as the New Zealand Association of Counsellors (NZAC) or the New Zealand Christian Counsellors Association (NZCCA) steadfastly refuse to recognise these Counselling service provision disciplines in their membership criteria to their respective organisations”.

“The reality is that the New Zealand Counselling industry now lives within an outcomes-based service delivery, tech-savvy environment, and Counselling agencies who do not implement formal client outcome measurement tools, or adopt new client service delivery technology, run the risk of becoming extinct, along with their antiquated professional associations 1950’s mind-sets” says Mr Taylor.

“International Counselling outcome research reveals that the primary question a prospective client asks themselves about Counselling isn’t “How much will it cost”, but rather “will it work?”

As a 21st century industry, Counsellors need to formally measure their client outcomes, publish these outcomes, which will then empower the service consumer to make an informed service provider choice, and Counselling professional associations need to side with the evidence of what constitutes effective Counselling practice and practitioners” says Mr Taylor.

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